Canal Gestión Lanzarote disseminates its water balance corresponding to the year 2018.
In the past year, the four desalination plants on the island managed by Canal Gestión Lanzarote produced a total of 24,698,675 m3 of drinking water, requiring an energy consumption of 91 Gwh, which is the energy consumed annually by a city with a population of approximately 200,000 inhabitants, such as Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Of this drinking water production, the 71,582 subscribers to the supply service that the company has consumed 11,898,087 m3, water billed through meters and the sale of drinking water tanks.
It is clear from these data that, to this day, there is still an uncontrolled water rate (UWR) of 51.8%, or what is the same, a total of 12,800,588 m3 in the global calculation of the island. However, the actions undertaken by Canal Gestión Lanzarote together with the Water Consortium over the last five years, since the company assumed the management of this service, have made it possible to improve this rate at the island level by just over 10.5%, since in 2013 it stood at 57.9% and now at 51.8%. This figure represents a reduction of 1,506,619 m3 of network losses for the year 2018, more or less the same volume of water that would be needed to fill 718 Olympic swimming pools.
It is necessary to explain that uncontrolled water does not only refer to losses that are recorded in the network due to leaks or breakages. In addition to these, which are usually common given the age and condition of the pipes, the UWR also reflects the water that is lost due to fraud.
Apart from fraud control plans, for Canal Gestión Lanzarote and the Water Consortium, the most effective tool for having an optimal network is network renewal. And the fact that proves it is the direct relationship that exists between the replacement of 14.2% of the distribution network carried out and the fact that today the rate of "network losses" has improved by more than 10.5%.
With this premise in mind, of the planning for the execution of the investments committed by contract that amounted to 54 million euros, almost 16 million euros were allocated to the renewal of networks.
In this sense, both for Canal Gestión Lanzarote and for the Water Consortium, the path of collaboration between institutions involved in the integral water cycle is the most appropriate to finally have an adequate network with low rates of leaks, breakages, breakdowns, etc. Thus, it is worth highlighting the projects that are currently being executed between both to renew supply networks of different streets in the seven municipalities that would have an investment of 1.4 million euros.
Water balance of reused water
On the other hand, the water balance of reused water, that which is treated in the treatment plants for a second use mainly for the irrigation of gardens and plantations, shows a production in 2018 of almost 3 million m3, registering a UWR of approximately 30%.
