Valencia digitises its sanitation network

The digital transformation of Valencia's sanitation network has reached a key milestone thanks to the execution project completed by GOServicios. With the installation of 39 new control points, the city optimises its operational capacity and secures the monitoring of wastewater and rainwater discharged into the natural environment.

The rollout, meticulously designed in the execution project, places 20 quality probes at direct discharge points without treatment. Ten of these probes incorporate turbidity sensors for the most sensitive environments, which will allow the evolution of discharges to be monitored during heavy rainfall episodes. This surveillance is complemented in the northern area by a weather station and a piezometer in the Hermanos Machado underpass, covering the Torrefiel neighbourhood and the Levante stadium.

 Underground engineering had to adapt to overcome significant challenges. The original project envisaged insertion flowmeters in the pressure pipes, but the large amount of solids and plastics in the untreated wastewater forced their replacement with non-intrusive technology. These new devices measure the flow by electromagnetic induction from the outside of the pipe, preventing breakdowns. To send the data to the Central Control Post, a system was designed that reads the digital pulses of the devices and records them in dataloggers.

The greatest logistical challenge was located at the historic Reino / Ángel Custodio Bridge. To install two free-surface flowmeters without altering the protected structure, the team carefully removed the old paving stones manually, one by one. After passing the technology under the spans, each piece was repositioned in its exact spot, achieving an invisible modernisation that respects the bridge's historical skin.

The project relied on the technical coordination of José Plaza, the manager in charge of the operation, and the work of field technicians Javier Alventosa and Ramón Tortosa, who were responsible for installing the various monitoring devices distributed throughout the sanitation network. This team's experience was crucial in adapting the implementation to the specific characteristics of each location and overcoming a massive challenge: although due to its logistical complexity the project was scheduled to take 9 months, it was successfully executed in just 3.

This entire network generates a constant flow of information to the Services Operations Centre, recording around 150 daily variables every 15 minutes. Although GOServicios' work has now concluded, the data is integrated into the SCADA platform.

Based on the data collected by the system, the Valencia City Council and the sanitation service management entity define automatic alerts to supervise the network. Likewise, the management applies the required quality controls to the water samples, ensuring that GOServicios' work complies with all the requirements of the digitalisation PERTE.

Beyond the technological rollout, this project highlights GOServicios' capacity to tackle highly complex technical operations in sensitive urban environments, coordinating engineering, civil works, instrumentation, and digitalisation without compromising the quality of the result. The execution, which required meticulous planning and great attention to detail, made it possible to complete the operation while maintaining the demanding quality standards required for the city's critical infrastructure at all times.