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Retorno Hidraqua

The end of the water cycle

Returning water to the natural environment
 

Hidraqua’s concept of the municipal water cycle is based on the idea that wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are a further stage in the cycle, thus changing the generally held view of treatment plants as the final stage in managing the water cycle.

This concept means wastewater treatment is also a source of supply. WWTPs are production plants that generate a valid and necessary resource from waste at a much lower environmental and economic cost than other water management strategies proposed (such as water transfers between basins and desalination).

Water from rainwater catchment at points of flooding in public waterways and water treated in WWTPs are returned to public waterways, rivers or the sea via special pipes and ocean outfalls, avoiding disturbing the environment wherever possible.

Another important chapter in the life of this resource is that of regenerating a natural system. Returning treated water to its natural space helps maintain its ecological flow and thus closes the water cycle in sustainable terms.