PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The provision of water services in scattered rural communities is a challenge of great significance for the implementation of European regulations concerning the quality of water intended for human consumption (Directive 98/83/EC) and the protection and management of water (Directive 2000/60/EC). Currently, in Galicia, 580 000 people consume water through uncontrolled autonomous solutions such as wells and water sanitation systems. Unfortunately, in most cases, these independent solutions do not comply with the required legal environmental, health and water quality standards. These systems emerged in an ad-hoc fashion as a result of a historic lack of an overall provision of supply by local or regional authorities. Their existence also reflects the fact that the technical and economic feasibility of centralised infrastructure is severely limited by factors such as distance from highly-populated areas and the large investment needed to undertake them.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of LIFE RURAL SUPPLIES was to strengthen the sustainability of water supplies in scattered rural communities in Galicia (Spain) that lack clean water. It sought to demonstrate that it is possible to provide small communities with a high-quality supply from local groundwater, through the correct implementation of uptake systems, the introduction of effective sanitation, and the adoption of management and control programmes. The project aimed to build supply systems at individual and community levels as well as autonomous sanitation systems. Specifically, it aimed to construct four pilot sustainable water supply facilities: a sustainable private well for a rural house; a community water supply system; a rainwater reclamation facility; and a community water sanitation system.
RESULTS
The LIFE RURAL SUPPLIES project demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of sanitary neighbourhood water supply systems that can deliver high-quality water in rural areas, through the implementation of pilot actions in the municipality of Abegondo in Galicia (Spain). The project team determined the most appropriate technical solutions for the uptake, distribution and subsequent treatment of groundwater from wells and springs; tested autonomous facilities in rural housing to reduce the environmental impact of domestic wastewater; validated water safety plans in line with World Health Organisation recommendations; and defined a feasible model of recovering costs for autonomous water services in rural areas. They also carried out the first comprehensive study of autonomous water supply systems in Galicia, and a detailed inventory of such systems in the municipality of Abegondo, to identify the dangers and assess the risks for the human consumption of water. In total, the beneficiaries drew up sustainability plans for 23 neighbourhood systems, 2 individual systems, and 138 private wells, according to the problems they identified in the initial water quality assessment. As this exceeded the proposed pilot actions (and budget), due to the poor water conditions found in the neighbourhoods, the Municipality of Abegondo proposed that the neighbourhoods make a financial contribution to the works. In return, the municipality would commit to supplying the material and labour according to the following priorities: execution of new water catchments in the supply systems; structural improvement to existing water catchments; installation of purification systems to disinfect the water intended for consumption; and construction and/or improvement of storage tanks. With respect to this, priority was given to actions that benefitted the greatest number of users. The pilot actions were carried out in three supply systems (Bordel, A Malata and Prado da Fonte), which supply water to 132 users. The project carried 69% of the construction costs and the users bore the remaining part. Management plans for the three systems were drawn up. The initial reluctance of users was overcome when they saw the improvements in their water supply. The project concluded that the costs associated with the neighbourhood water supply systems (795 user/year) are similar to those of the municipal water supply systems (711 user/year), given the possibility of private co-financing. Another important factor is that the autonomous water system under study reaches a full recovery of water services costs, as opposed to the service provided by the local government that hardly reaches a 70% of the total cost of water services (about 40% considering the whole Galician-cost river basin, according to the River Basin Management Plan 2015-2021). In addition, extendingthe municipal supply network to scattered rural communities of the council of Abegondo would double the cost associated with the autonomous water supply systems. Thus, the project shows that neighbourhood water supply systems constitute a necessary option to be considered within the municipal and regional management plans of water supply. The main environmental benefits associated to the project are the reduction of the impact as regards the implementation of supply systems; the implementation of best practices to preserve the quality of the groundwater; and the awareness raising in the exploitation of water resources. Besides, a key issue identified as a result of the autonomous water supply inventory carried out in in Abegondo was the pollution of water catchments by nitrates. The beneficiaries assessed and designed sustainable solutions for each supply system, and due to the high level of acceptance achieved by the project, the users themselves now inform the Municipality of activities that put water quality at risk (e.g. use of pig slurry for fertilisation near water sources). As around 580 000 people in rural Galicia are currently supplied by means of autonomous water systems that lack sanitary controls, the project results will bring major societal benefits in terms of access to clean drinking water, particularly for people in the most vulnerable and marginalised population groups. The beneficiaries produced several documents to help replicate project solutions. These included technical guidelines for public administrations and individuals/private companies wanting to install these systems; and guidelines for the development of management plans, focusing on health monitoring of drinkable water, maintenance of facilities and the training of personnel. The beneficiaries drew up an Action Plan to extend the approach to all the scattered rural communities of Galicia (around 24 000 small towns and villages), which was delivered to the Regional Government of Galicia. Some of the project findings have already been considered in the drafting of two regional documents relating to water supply and quality. The project also helps implement the Water Framework Directive by improving water quality and recovering the costs of water services, and is useful to comply with new obligations of the Council Directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption: to improve the access to drinking water and to ensure the access to drinking water for the most vulnerable and marginalised population groups. Finally, work has been done with organisations from other countries such as Ireland, Austria and Denmark, in order to face tomorrow's European challenges of community's owner rural water schemes. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
