Murcia's wastewater miracle: How Spanish city recycles 98% of its water

"This would all be desert, as far as the eye can see," says Jesus Rojo, a local farmer, pointing to chalk-white, bone-dry hills surrounding his lemon and apricot plantations near the town of Archena in Murcia. "Not even the olive trees would grow without us watering the land, it doesn't rain here. Zero.”

It's a beautiful, sunny day in Murcia, one of over 300 every year that the province enjoys.‌ This area may have the most arid land on the continent but it's also known as the 'orchard of Europe' - a leading producer of EU fruit and vegetables.‌ It's a paradox made possible with water transfers from wetter regions and the reuse of water on a vast scale.

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‌Where does Spain get all its water from?

‌Heatwaves, droughts, extreme weather and rising temperatures are drying up reservoirs and causing regional tensions over water in Spain.‌ In November 2023 over nine million people in 600 municipalities had already been living for months with water restrictions. Droughts in Catalonia and Andalusia are among the longest and most severe ever recorded.

Catalonia has even declared a state of emergency, and over a dozen municipalities in Malaga and Huelva endure nightmare water cuts - particularly at night. In the town of Belmez in Cordoba the Sierra Boyera reservoir has dried up and some 80,000 residents in surrounding towns now need water to be trucked-in every day by local authorities.

This is not a new problem in Spain, however, and it's the reason why an extensive system of dams, reservoirs, and water transfers were built over the past century.‌ They allowed arid Murcia to become a thriving horticultural hotspot, exporting hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fruits and vegetables to Europe each year.

‌Here the agriculture industry is vital - employing around 100,000 people - and is worth over $3 billion a year. 

‌How Spain turned a desert into the garden of Europe

Now the water transfers have become contentious too, with many headlines talking about Spain's 'water wars.'

The country's longest river - The river Tagus - has been providing Murcia with the water it needs to grow lemons, oranges, apricots, peaches, and many more fruits and vegetables you can buy in Europe's supermarkets.

It arrives in Murcia via pumped pipes, aqueducts and tunnels to the Segura River in the southeast where farmers can access it.‌ But the Tagus has been under increasing pressure because of growing demands and evaporation due to climate change.

Environmentalists say the river is in danger of drying-up, threatening the ecosystems and animals who need it to survive.‌ It also provides water for towns and cities across western Spain and parts of Portugal, including Madrid and Lisbon, and the government has decided to reduce the flow of water to Murcia and nearby Alicante and Almeria, aiming to guarantee a minimum level of water in the river.

‌It's caused a lot of concern and anger in 'the orchard of Europe,' and is a growing contentious political issue. In Spain, the water transfers have become national news, with many headlines talking about the country's 'water wars.’

‌Is climate change a problem in Spain?

‌Climate change is a big problem in Spain, and it is warming at twice the global rate, along with the rest of Europe, according to Samantha Burgess from the Copernicus climate change service.

‌The south of Spain has lost almost 25 percent of its rainfall in the last 30 years and around three quarters of the country is at risk of desertification. It's a concerning picture, but one province is providing a path forward by recycling almost 100 percent of its wastewater from surrounding towns and cities. The average recycled water rate across Spain is nine percent and just five percent across the EU.

‌Carlos Lardin is the ESAMUR Operations Manager overseeing water treatment on a huge scale. "We have a network of 100 water treatment plants in the region, filtering and cleaning the water thoroughly, he tells CGTN.

‌"The filtration process is extreme, down to microscopic level, and then a microbiological disinfection process removes pathogens, viruses, and bacteria using ultraviolet light." It's a process that allows the water to be reused for agriculture, ensuring that no nasty bacteria like E.Coli are absorbed into the plants.

A lifeline for farms 

In Torres de Cotillas, huge reservoirs the equivalent of 128 Olympic-sized swimming pools in size are constantly topped up. The water is destined for surrounding farms and is distributed for free. 

‌The reservoirs are constantly analyzed for quality and have also become a sanctuary for endangered species of birds. The water provides a lifeline in Spain's bone-dry Mediterranean southeast. ‌The treatment plants are mini-oases providing 15 percent of Murcia's agricultural demands, and are much cheaper than seawater desalination plants. 

‌In May, the Spanish government doubled-down on water reuse, releasing $1.5 billion to build new infrastructure. And foreign interest is flowing in too. ‌France's President Emmanuel Macron indicated they would follow Spain's lead in March and delegations from Australia to Argentina have visited the Esamur facilities in Murcia. 

‌They find out how farmers like Rojo are becoming increasingly dependent on wastewater repurposed for use in agriculture.  "The plants here only grow using water brought in from somewhere else - from the water transfer or the treatment plants," he says. "Without them we're lost."

‌New scarcity is teaching the world the true value of fresh water. Using and reusing it better is the future. 

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Cover image: Murcia enjoys 300 days a year of sunshine, but that means it's starved of rainwater to nourish people and plants./CGTN.