At the Catalan Water Research Institute, the teams of the GiroNat and 4SM projects are collaborating closely with the companies TRAGIRSA and CATSA, responsible for the urban drainage network of the city of Girona, to face the ecological challenges of the city resulting from the overflows of the sewer network in extreme episodes of rain. This includes the installation of sensors to monitor key points in the sanitary network in order to measure the frequency and magnitude of sewage spills into the city’s river network.
As well as the development of a digital twin of the urban drainage network to model hydraulic flows in real time and predict future situations. Due to climate change, an increase in extreme weather phenomena is expected that will aggravate the frequency and amount of spills, with a consequent increase in the associated risks for both ecosystems and public health.