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The winning company will put its experience and the latest technological advances at the service of the city to maintain the 170 kilometers of canals and act on the main black spots in case of flooding
The Vila-real City Council has just formalized with Facsa the contract for a new service for cleaning, maintenance and conservation of the city's sewers, which will have an annual cost of 200,000 euros, extendable to a maximum of two years and 400,000 euros in total.
The Councillor for Public Services, Francisco Valverde, and the General Manager of Wastewater of the winning company, Luis Basiero, have announced that this company, which already has experience in Vila-real, will be in charge of the maintenance of the 170 kilometers of existing pipes in the city, "taking a giant step in improving the quality of life of our residents.".
Valverde described the initiative as a "challenge" and assured that "thanks to the experience and all the previous work of Facsa in the city, we have very detailed information and a broad knowledge of the terrain, something basic to make decisions.".
In total, there are 170 kilometers of pipes, of which 130 are for rainwater or wastewater – and in some sections mixed – and about 40 of separate network, in addition to 4,000 drains, so “there is a lot of work ahead,” he indicates.
For his part, Basiero, who thanked the City Council for the trust placed in Facsa, assured that "we are going to demonstrate everything we are capable of doing when it comes to offering the best service to citizens" and explained that "the project we have in hand offers great room for improvement, since we use very specialized and technologically advanced tools to reach where it is needed.".
In this regard, he explained that in addition to human resources and their experience and knowledge, there are material resources, with "cutting-edge and efficient technology to obtain the best results, including television cameras, an extensive fleet of vehicles, and a repair system that does not require digging trenches, among others.".
“We are confident that this collaboration will be very positive for Vila-real, as Facsa has highly efficient protocols and, in fact, 18 problem areas have already been identified, for which an action plan will be developed to address the issues,” explains Valverde. “We are not starting from scratch; there is a georeferenced information system that allows us to know the location of manholes, pipes, their diameter and slope, and a wealth of data that enables us to anticipate problems,” he adds. “This, combined with the company’s commitment to undertaking other projects to continue improving the drainage system and prevent flooding, makes this a very important project.”.
As Valverde and Basiero point out, the initial actions will focus on an emergency plan for grates and storm drains, and over time new technologies will be incorporated to address areas requiring intervention. “Having robotic cameras and milling robots that can clean tree roots embedded in the pipes will help strengthen maintenance, since the project includes both preventative and corrective measures,” says Valverde.
Furthermore, the councilor highlights the customer service – available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – the continuous feedback with citizens, and the “philosophy of partnering with other local businesses whenever necessary to offer the best service to residents.” “We expect to see the results of having such a great team very soon,” he concludes.
