Foz promotes a strategic modernization of its urban water cycle with a new management contract

The Foz Town Council has taken a decisive step towards transforming the municipality's water future by awarding a new management contract for water supply, sanitation, and wastewater treatment services. This strategic commitment comes at a crucial time, marked by population growth, strong seasonality in tourism, and the need to modernize infrastructure to meet the demands of an increasingly challenging climate.

The new contract, awarded for a period of 15 years to FacsaFacsa, a company specializing in integrated water management with over 150 years of experience, is replacing the agreement in place since 1992. This new agreement will enable a comprehensive renewal of the system, incorporating a more advanced, sustainable, and digitized management model. Facsa's experience leading benchmark projects and services throughout Spain will allow them to bring proven solutions to Foz, tailored to the local context and the challenges of the urban water cycle.

The new contractual framework establishes a global budget of 29 million euros and foresees an initial investment of 1,1 million euros to launch the first actions, along with an investment plan of close to 8 million euros that will allow the updating and reinforcement of the hydraulic infrastructures.

Response to historical demands

This contract will address long-standing demands on the water supply system through the comprehensive renovation of the Foz Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP), which will include the construction of a new sludge line. This project, which represents the main investment of the contract, will be carried out incorporating criteria of innovation, efficiency, and operational optimization, drawing on the experience of Facsa in the modernization of similar infrastructure, such as the sludge line it manages in Toledo, a facility capable of recovering nearly 500.000 cubic meters of water each year. All of this with the aim of guaranteeing a safer, more reliable supply, better prepared for peak demand.

Improvements are also planned for the Cordido water supply system, including work on the reservoir, the intake and the pumping pipeline, as well as strengthening the connection between the Fazouro reservoirs—the head of the system—and the Foz distribution reservoir, which will increase the stability and reliability of the municipal supply.

Sanitation and purification: more control, prevention and protection of the coastline

In terms of sanitation and wastewater treatment, the new service will be reinforced with an intensive inspection and cleaning plan covering more than 125 kilometers of the network, along with the implementation of remote control and monitoring systems at critical points. These actions will allow for the anticipation of incidents, improve response capacity to episodes of heavy rainfall, and move towards more efficient, preventative, and transparent management of the network, which is especially relevant in a coastal municipality with a marked seasonality.

In addition, the operation of the five wastewater treatment plants in the municipality - Foz, Fazouro, Cangas, Nois and Vilaronte - will be optimized and the new Foz wastewater treatment plant, currently under construction, will be put into operation, incorporating technological improvements that will guarantee the quality of the effluent and the protection of the estuary and bathing areas.

A technological leap for Foz

Facsa's experience in water digitalization will translate into the implementation of advanced management systems, such as remote meter reading, a technology the company has already successfully implemented in regions like Valencia, Castile and León, the Balearic Islands, and Asturias. This system will facilitate greater control over consumption, earlier leak detection, and more efficient and transparent service management. The contract also incorporates measures aimed at reducing environmental impact, such as the use of zero-emission vehicles and the promotion of renewable energy sources in daily operations.

A service closer to the citizens

To strengthen service to the community, the new management model includes the implementation of a mobile office that will travel to different parishes, while the physical office in Foz will remain open to ensure accessible and personalized service. The contract also guarantees the continued employment of current staff, who will receive specific training to support the implementation of the new model and enhance service quality.