This week in Zaragoza at the International Water and Irrigation Exhibition (SMAGUA 2025), the Eurecat technology centre is unveiling cutting-edge technological innovation for modelling and simulating urban water distribution networks which harnesses data from remote meter reading and chlorine concentration sensors to optimise water management efficiency and ensure outstanding quality.

This digital tool, which has already been rolled out in Vic in Barcelona province, is embedded in the AQUA360 platform and adds to the other modules it features for urban water cycle management. This new module makes it possible to analyse, predict and enhance the efficiency of water resource distribution by tapping data from sensors, remote reading meters and hydraulic and kinetic models of chlorine decay which enable forecasting chlorine concentration and its evolution over time in the distribution network’s nodes. By generating these models, the effectiveness of chlorination can be validated by means of gathering, transforming and integrating key sensor data which ensures it can be used in real-world environments.

“Implementing this digital tool has enabled hourly monitoring of chlorine concentration in the entire water network plus predictions for several days ahead to enhance network management and ensure the highest possible water quality,” says Aigües de Vic manager Guillem Treserra.

He adds that AQUA360, the water cycle data management platform which stands out for its management of remote reading meters and leak detection, “expands the water quality features available with the inclusion of this module and work is already underway to add monitoring of more quality parameters such as trihalomethanes.”

The new tool “couples a calibrated water quality model with the hydraulic model of the network and real user demand data taken from remote meter reading,” points out Manuel Martínez del Álamo, head of the Environmental Modelling and Simulation Line in Eurecat’s Water, Air and Soil Unit. “This makes it possible to predict the concentration of chlorine in the network’s nodes over time and optimise chlorination strategy.”

At the technology centre “we can develop and customise urban water distribution network simulation models to suit the specific situation of a city or region to achieve much more efficient management by streamlining operations, cutting costs and enhancing sustainability,” notes Jesús Boschmonart, head of Business Development for the Green Cities and Industries sectors at Eurecat.

Aigües de Vic and Eurecat have run the “Consultancy and prototype of a simulation tool for the Aigües de Vic urban water distribution network” project as part of the PADIH Aid Programme for small and medium-sized enterprises under the Digital Innovation Hubs Support Programme run by EOI Business School and funded by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan in the European Union’s NextGeneration Funds.

State-of-the-art technologies for water saving and recovery in industry

Eurecat is also presenting at SMAGUA membrane technologies to treat liquid effluents from industrial processes to unlock saving and recovering water and resources which can be reused in various industrial operation value chain processes.

It is additionally showcasing innovative digital platform solutions equipped with biosensors for water quality analysis, environmental monitoring and pollutant detection in a wide range of environments.