Analysis of renewal investment needs of the urban water cycle in Spain

Concern about the ageing of water supply and sanitation infrastructure is becoming increasingly prominent among stakeholders across the water sector. There is broad consensus on the growing need for investment to maintain current service levels while addressing future challenges. Much of the existing water supply network is in a deteriorated condition and approaching the end of its service life. As infrastructure ages, the efficiency of installed assets declines, increasing not only financial costs but also environmental costs, through water losses and/or untreated discharges, as well as social costs arising from the greater risk of system failures and service interruptions. The likelihood and consequences of failures in urban water cycle services are further exacerbated under climate change scenarios, characterised by more frequent and more intense extreme weather events, together with continued population growth and urban concentration. At the same time, increasing emphasis is being placed on investment in new infrastructure capable of reducing the energy-intensive nature of existing systems. In Spain, there remains a lack of detailed information on the scale, condition and investment needs of urban water cycle infrastructure. In this context, the urban water cycle refers to the set of infrastructures that provide water services to the population, conveying water from major storage and regulation facilities to end users, and subsequently collecting and treating wastewater before its discharge into the environment. To help advance knowledge in this field, on 22 March 2018 the AQUAE Chair in Water Economics at UNED and the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation (AEAS) signed a collaboration agreement in Madrid to undertake a research project on investment needs in Spain’s urban water cycle.