- In 2018 the facilities served a census equivalent population of 63,582 people.
The Castelló Provincial Council and FACSA, as part of their commitment to the environment and quality service to the public, especially those residing in smaller towns and villages, have expanded their wastewater treatment plan. In 2018 alone, the facilities managed by the Grupo Gimeno company treated 6,219,631 m³ of wastewater, serving 99 municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents, representing a total of 61,383 equivalent inhabitants and 63,582 registered residents.
The Provincial Deputy for the Integrated Water Cycle, Juan Bautista Juan, explained that “wastewater treatment is fundamental for the Provincial Government in our commitment to equalizing opportunities throughout the territory and, of course, with respect and care for our natural environment. These facilities require significant investment both for their construction and maintenance; they are not particularly attractive, but they are essential for continuing to improve the quality of life in the province of Castelló.”.
These facilities achieved an average performance of 95% and their continuous operation prevented the discharge into the environment, both of organic matter and suspended solids, in the following quantities: 1,136 Tm of pollution in the form of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), 2,673 Tm of pollution in the form of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and 1,069 Tm of pollution in the form of Suspended Solids (SS).
In turn, as a by-product of said purification, 4,717 tons of sludge with excellent agronomic qualities were produced and applied as fertilizer to fertilize an area of more than 690 hectares.
Spill control
Both FACSA and the Castelló Provincial Council, in collaboration with the municipalities, have increased monitoring efforts to prevent industrial waste from entering the sewer system. In Vall d'Alba, a special monitoring service has been implemented, operating as a spill enforcement unit to ensure compliance with municipal ordinances on this matter. This system, in addition to minimizing the impact on the wastewater treatment plant's process, also facilitates the potential agricultural reuse of the resulting sludge.
In addition to investing €5,539,206.44 in the maintenance of these facilities, €162,167.08 was allocated in 2018 to improve existing infrastructure. These projects included the optimization of the aeration system at the Cervera wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which will enable energy savings of 5,000 kWh/year, as well as various upgrades and improvements at the WWTPs in Lucena, La Llosa, Costur, Xilxes, Les Coves de Vinromà, Morella, Cervera, Benassal, Traiguera, and Montán. The project also included the commissioning of the pumping station (EBAR) in the village of La Baseta.
Also during the past year, two new facilities were launched, located respectively in the towns of Barracas and Xodos, to which two more will be added in 2019 in Argelita and Matet.
These figures support the growth that the service has experienced, which started in 1994 with 16 facilities, 23 employees and a wastewater flow of 952,947 m3 and currently employs 106 people who, together with the staff of the Technical Area of the Provincial Council of Castelló, are in charge of carrying out the operation and maintenance tasks of the facilities.
Along with the increase in the number of facilities, the service has also evolved in the quality of wastewater treatment, with increased purification yields.
