The Loriguilla City Council will formalize an agreement in May with Riba-roja de Túria to connect their water supply networks. The decision comes after a failure in a compressor and the valves of the municipal well left part of the municipality without supply for several hours. The mayor acknowledged the helplessness of turning on the tap and getting no water, and apologized for the delay in communicating the problem, attributed to the difficulty of locating it on a holiday.
The well's engineering and the need for a backup network 💧
The breakdown exposed the fragility of the local system, where a single compressor and a faulty set of valves were enough to collapse the supply in several streets. The planned technical solution involves interconnecting the pipes of both municipalities, creating an emergency ring that allows water to be diverted from Riba-roja when Loriguilla's well fails. This link will not only solve the lack of redundancy, but will also improve pressure during peak hours and reduce the risk of new outages due to mechanical failures.
The tap that speaks: when water takes a holiday 🚰
The residents of Loriguilla already know what it's like to turn on the tap and find a silence drier than a homeowners' meeting. The breakdown, which chose a holiday to manifest itself, left more than one improvising survival methods with jugs and buckets. The mayor, with the sincerity of someone who has seen their kitchen without a drop, apologized: apparently, locating the breakdown on a holiday is as complicated as finding a plumber who doesn't charge for the visit. At least, the new agreement promises that next holiday the water won't take a vacation.