The administrations have activated the monitoring and response on several aquifers In response to worrying signs: in Requena, an anomalous drop in the piezometric level has been observed in the Cañada Palletas area, while a piezometer network is now operating in the Mar Menor, sending real-time data. At the same time, municipalities like Huéscar are redoubling their pressure to protect their groundwater bodies.
The common goal is to guarantee supply for the population and stop overexploitation., relying on continuous measurements, hydrogeological models, and stricter controls. In the short term, technical measures are combined with a call to reduce unnecessary consumption.
Requena: sharp decline in the Cañada Palletas wells
The Requena City Council has communicated a approximate 50% drop in water level in the catchment area that supplies the urban area and part of its districts. The control records place the dynamic level around 27–27,5 meters of water column above the pump, when months ago it exceeded an average of 47,5 metres.
The council works with Aqlara and Central Board of Users of the Requena-Utiel Groundwater Body, and plans to coordinate with the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation to analyze causes and define measures to ensure supply in the short and medium term.
The JCU emphasizes that the data provided by the City Council They refer to the Cañada Palletas soundings and do not describe the complete state of the water body; other piezometers do not show significant variations, so the problem would point to a localized area.
Among the hypotheses being considered are: extraction concentration depression in an area with multiple surveys and possible underground changes following episodes of heavy rainfall that may have altered the local permeability of the rock. The municipality estimates a new drilling and adjusting the pumps if the trend persists.
The council reminds that human supply is priority use and calls for moderating non-essential consumption. According to municipal data, Around 15% is used for domestic consumption, around 4% for industrial uses and nearly 80% for irrigation, which guides management in contexts of water stress.
Mar Menor: real-time piezometers to monitor the water table
The coastal lagoon of the Mar Menor already has a hydrogeological network of 19 piezometers that send real-time measurements to the digital environmental monitoring platform. The deployment is divided between Cartagena (8), San Javier (4), Los Alcázares (4) and San Pedro del Pinatar (3).
The sensors record salinity, temperature and groundwater level of the Quaternary aquifer, with control points located between 9 and 54 meters from the coastal edgeSeveral polls reach Up to 100 meters deep and allows the recovery of geological cores.
The information obtained is integrated into the digital twin of the Mar Menor to anticipate impacts, validate models and support management decisions. The investment amounts to 488.825 Euros, and has already facilitated more than 600 geological samples which have helped to reconstruct the subsoil profile and explain differences in underground contributions, especially in the south due to the volcanic nature more waterproof.
Experts from the Scientific Committee have advocated strengthening a real-time monitoring and early warning protocols In the face of ecological risks, the new piezometric network is moving in precisely that direction, with continuous data on the water table and its interaction with the lagoon ecosystem.
Causes under scrutiny and immediate measures
In Requena, the lines of research combine hydrogeological analysis, review of the extraction regime and technical checks on the equipment. The implementation of a protection perimeter stricter around supply wells, as contemplated in hydrological planning.
If the level drops continue, the City Council is studying deepen the bombs and carry out new surveys in locations with greater water saturation. All of this, accompanied by a responsible use by citizens to avoid restrictions.
In the Mar Menor, the network of piezometers allows validate hydrogeological models and refine management measures in the catchment area. Continuous data help distinguish the role of the aquifer among the multiple factors influencing the lagoon and guide evidence-based actions.
Beyond each case, the pattern is repeated: the combination of continuous monitoring, control of extractions, improvement of infrastructure and prioritization of human supply constitutes the most effective approach in water stress scenarios.
Huéscar: allegations and mobilization to protect Fuencaliente and Parpacén
The Huéscar City Council has presented allegations to the next Hydrological Plan to strengthen the protection of aquifers Fuencaliente and Parpacén, supported by 2.500 signatures from residents. The council is calling for effective measures in response to a decrease in flow and the proliferation of surveys that worries irrigators and local society.
The Fuencaliente Irrigation Community reports that the flow of the spring has exceeded 300 to about 90 liters per second according to official data, with even worse episodes last year, and warns of collections that would exceed what is authorized or even illegal drilling. Calls for greater control by the water administration.
The council expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation to prevent overexploitation. Among the precedents is the suspension of a survey municipal for alleged deviations from what was authorized, in an area close to the Fuencaliente aquifer.
The irrigators have called for a new mobilization in defense of water to keep the demand alive and to include control and protection tools in hydrological planning that guarantee the sustainability of the springs.
The general photograph points to the same message: Protecting aquifers requires real-time data, extraction control, and savings., with a view to ensuring human supply and economic activity without compromising the recovery of groundwater bodies.
