This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Se evidencia una gestión cada vez más eficiente y un consumo cada vez más responsable

The data flow from the XI national survey of water supply and sanitation

Shows a more efficient and more responsible consumption

Source: Association Spanish supplies of water and sanitation (Aeas)17/06/2010

June 16, 2010

According to the last national supply and sanitation survey more than 140,000 km of networks currently channelled Spain, or what is the same as three laps and Middle-Earth. It is just one of the data of the XII national survey of water and healing, presented during the XXX Jornadas AEAS. Urban supply systems of our country given annually 4,300 million m³, about 250 liters per citizen per day, including consumption domestic, industrial, commercial and other public uses can be drawn from the same report.

For start point out that the population represented in the sample of the survey is the 27.6 million, representing 59 per cent, according to the INE 2009 population census, including 994 municipalities. Responses represent almost 90% of the population in provincial capitals and municipalities of more than 100,000 inhabitants, and 100% in the case of the communities of Navarra, Murcia, Madrid, Cantabria, Balearic Islands, Asturias, Catalonia, Basque and Canary Islands. A representation of more than 50% of the census, has been the territorial distribution, for ten of the seventeen communities, more Ceuta and Melilla, and 60% for Asturias, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre, Basque country and La Rioja. Other communities are located between 40% and 50% representation.

More joint ventures, with an increase in public-private participation

43% Of the population is supplied water by public companies, 33% by private companies, 13% by ventures and 7% directly through local corporations own. These percentages vary little in reference to the edition of two years ago, except that has grown the population supplied in regime of joint venture, which has gone from 8% to 13%, to the detriment of which it is by public or private enterprises. Private management dominates in populations of less than 50,000 inhabitants, in more people live together public, private and mixed systems.

43% Of the population continues to be supplied by public companies.

A bill of service calculated in m3 and whose unit goes out of average to 1,46

The Bill for the service is calculated on the M3 consumed, but under this concept the citizens paid a whole series of processes that make it possible that the service is provided with a guarantee of quality and quantity. The energy consumed for transport, improvements in the complex technological processes of treatment, purification or desalination, are little visible components for citizenship have been gradually incorporated in accordance with the growing demands of the legal regulations.

The survey shows the price that applies to the service the Middle situated the cubic metre in 1.46 euros, of which 0.91 correspond to the service of supply, 0.25 to sewerage and 0.3 to debugging. The price of 1.46 euros represents a slight increase of 2.5% per year in reference to the respondent two years ago, due primarily to increases in cost of technological processes that service has gradually incorporated in response to environmental needs and the requirements of quality of the waters of the new legal environment.

The sector employs some 45,000 people and invoice directly € 4.6 billion

A sector with more than 45,000 workers

The sector, in which they work more than 45,000 people, has a fixed employment of 20.261 people. The rising curve of employment that is appreciated in previous surveys is broken and templates be lessen by 4%. In addition, the sector has a high degree of professionalism, reduces the relative weight of unskilled staff and significantly increases the qualified.

Domestic consumption, the bulk of the activity

Most of the water consumed is for domestic use (71%), while the industrial and commercial consumption reaches 22% of the total and the remaining 7% is allocated to other uses. 73% Of the water that comes comes from shallow abstractions, 20% of groundwater and the rest comes from springs and desalination.

Uses of the water according to the size of the population (%).

Urban supply systems annually provide 4.3 billion m3 (this amount is equivalent to the rain that falls on the province of Seville in half a year). Water is 250 litres per day, and residents 6% less than the figure that showed the previous survey. He is seen as the average values mark a clearly downward trend over the past years, faithful reflection of the actions carried out by the operators, as well as the work of awareness towards the citizens for a more rational water use and efficiency of domestic consumer devices. We have a capacity in the deposits of distribution of 21 million m3, equivalent to two days of supply.

The provision of water has gone down in the last decade up to 250 litres per capita per day.

Domestic consumption stands at 130 litres per capita per day, in line with the countries of the EU

The daily average domestic consumption per capita is situated, according to the survey, in about 130 liters of water, which can be considered a consumer more than reasonable, in line with the consumption of our European neighbours.

Domestic consumption, in litres per capita per day.

Quality of the water in Spain

In general, it can be said that the waters in Spain have a quite correct quality. The survey, which is an instrument to regularly know the levels of quality of water intended for the abstraction of drinking water, demonstrates that the total volume of employed pre-potables water for purification, 73% corresponds to surface waters, a 24% to groundwater and springs and 3% to desalted water.

The survey shows that, although the availability of excellent water has reduced 20%, has decreased much more of waters of intermediate quality, down by 67%, so the overall quality of the resort has undergone a positive evolution.