The entities Llémena Espai Natural and the Association of Naturalists of Girona (ANG) have criticized the expansion plan of the Sant Aniol (Garrotxa) water bottling plant. They assure that in the last two years they have already increased extraction significantly and fear that they will now do it again to reach more countries.
They assure that more than 100 million liters have been extracted per year and that is four times more than what has been extracted in the last 30 years from the aquifer. Now, the two entities question the “regeneration capacity” of the environment in the area and recall that the bottling plant is next to the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa. For this reason, they ask that the ability to draw water be limited and that the continuity of that water reserve be guaranteed.
On the other hand, ecologists are calling for a new study on the potential effects derived from the plant’s activity. The last one that was done was in 2001 and they consider that it has become completely outdated after more than 20 years, since it was done with rainfall data collected between 1974 and 1997 and with a quarter of the cabal that is extracted now. The reality is that in the last 20 years it has rained much less and, on the contrary, the level of water used has increased exponentially.
In this sense, Llémena Espai Natural and the Associació de Naturalistes de Girona point out that in 2016 a new well was drilled more than 100 meters deep to maintain the activity and that this could mean that the groundwater level would have dropped more than 50 meters. For this reason, they question the regeneration capacity of the aquifer and recall that it is located in a sensitive area such as the headwaters of La Llémena and the Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa.
For these reasons, they demand that the maximum extraction rate set by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) be limited to 28,160 m3 per year. In addition, they ask that a study of potential effects be carried out and that allows setting a limit that does not compromise the sustainability of the water system in the area with current weather conditions.
