The people of Madrid reduced their water consumption by more than 3 % in July

This figure confirms the trend that began at the beginning of the year, consolidating a 4.5 % decline in water consumption in the region

• The reservoirs managed by Canal de Isabel II are 14.2 points above the previous year's figure
• The reservoirs received inputs from rivers almost 40 % lower than the average of the historical series
• The efficient use of this natural resource is part of the supply guarantee strategic line

03AUG2020 – The people of Madrid reduced their water consumption by 3.1 % in July. This figure confirms the trend that began at the beginning of the year and sets the difference in consumption in these first seven months at 4.5 % compared to the same period in 2019. The efficient use of this natural resource, both by citizens and by the resource manager, is part of the supply guarantee line included in the Canal de Isabel II 2018-2030 Strategic Plan.

The water stored in the public company's reservoirs at the beginning of August was 722 hm3, equivalent to 76.5 % of their maximum capacity. This figure is 14.2 points higher than last year's and 6.4 points higher than Canal's historical average, which dates back 107 years.

On the other hand, this July, rainfall in the dams was 44.3 % below average. However, in the city of Madrid it has rained 23 % more than in the dams. This decrease in recorded rainfall has led to water inputs that are 39.7 % below average.

The hydrological situation in the Autonomous Community of Madrid can be considered good and stable, but it is always necessary to make responsible use of this natural resource, given that the behaviour of the next hydrological year is unknown. For this reason, Canal de Isabel II advocates citizen commitment to demand management as a complement to the actions and plans developed by the public company to preserve and guarantee supply in the region, such as promoting the use of regenerated water, reducing uncontrolled water or plans to renovate its pipeline network.

EFFICIENT AND RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION

Along these lines, this summer the company has reinforced its dissemination and awareness actions with the launch of the campaign “The power is in your hands: take care of water!”, which invites the people of Madrid to consume water responsibly thanks to small household gestures. Thus, the public company has made recommendations for saving water available to citizens on its Youtube channel and website www.canaldeisabelsegunda.es.

Canal de Isabel II was founded more than 165 years ago to supply water to the city of Madrid. Today, its more than 2,800 employees provide a service to over 6 million people in the region. It is an innovative, entirely public company, a leader in its sector, and internationally recognised for its management of the integrated water cycle.

It operates 13 reservoirs; 78 spring tappings; 14 drinking water treatment plants; 17,651 kilometres of conveyance and distribution channels; 131 pumping stations for drinking water and 133 for waste water; 15,317 kilometres of sewage networks; 65 storm tanks; 157 waste water treatment stations; and 651 kilometres of regenerated water channels.