PREGO

Improving water management in the Pyrenean basin through research development and its transfer has a real economic, social, and environmental impact. For this reason, it is crucial to propose a set of methods that ensure predictive management of water resources to better guarantee the satisfaction of growing human activity demands. Water demand in the Pyrenees is partly linked to agricultural irrigation and partly to river replenishment to dilute tributaries, maintain aquatic environments in good ecological condition, as required by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), and provide drinking water. The sensor networks and remotely controlled actuators enable real-time monitoring of flows, levels, water quality, etc., thus allowing remote control of intake points, valves, either in a centralized or distributed manner.

This project will focus on multi-level resource management, incorporating decision-making aspects for short- and medium-term adaptations to fluctuations in supply and demand. However, for management to be predictive, it must involve knowledge of resource status and satisfy demand according to established consumption contracts and forecasts of extractions and inflows. Anticipation and reaction must be combined to ensure proper water management. Control of these hydrographic resources requires developing dynamic models that represent the behavior of open-channel hydraulic systems such as rivers and canals, in the presence of inflows due to rainfall and consumption from industrial, agricultural, or drinking water uses. Through simulation tools, it is possible to visualize the impact of a management model. Consequently, management scenarios can be defined in advance to establish action plans, mainly in crisis situations such as resource depletion or sudden, localized, heavy rainfall events affecting a part of the basin. For this purpose, different levels of crisis can be considered.