Two large leisure and sports projects, two large swimming pools with artificial waves for surfing promoted in Sabadell (Vallès Occidental) and Cunit (Baix Penedès), in this case very few kilometers from the sea, with a huge expenditure of water and in the middle of the worst drought in the history of Catalonia. In the case of Sabadell, the amount of water required is 11,088 m³. In Cunit the figure doubles, and in length: 26,000 m³.
Both projects began moving more than two years ago, when the situation due to the lack of rain had little to do with the current one, but they are still being processed. In the midst of an emergency, controversy arises, especially among environmentalist sectors and some of the municipal opposition parties.
The special urban plan to build the 160-meter-long freshwater pool with waves in Cunit already received the green light in April from the local government board, with Impulsem (in the Junts orbit) and the PSC at the helm . The allegations phase opened eight months ago, without resolution.
ERC, in the opposition in Cunit, was one of the most critical and presented its allegations. “It is unfeasible and we are against it. In Cunit we do not have excess water, precisely. It would be like filling three soccer fields with fresh water less than two kilometers from the sea,” warns Carme Martínez Ortega, municipal spokesperson for ERC.
The Cunit artificial surfing lagoon is actually a resort with a 400-bed campsite. It is planned next to the old Cal Pla farmhouse, on an area of ??15 hectares. The listed farmhouse would be rehabilitated, according to the project presented by the company Wavegarden, with experience in this type of installations around the world: Brazil, South Korea, Australia or the United Kingdom.
To try to weather the situation, the two projects are being processed and developed with discretion by the respective municipal governments. The forecast of extreme drought in the coming months makes it even more difficult to sell them due to their indisputable tourist attraction and the economic investments that they would entail, with income for the town councils and new jobs.
In the case of Cunit, the creation of 150 direct jobs and 390 indirect jobs was announced, with an investment of 40 million euros. When the company presented the project in 2021, the intention was for it to be ready in 2025. No one is venturing the calendar now.
In the Sabadell SurfCity project, one of the most tense points is the impact that the equipment will have on the Ripoll river park. The Platform in Defense of the Ripoll River considers that “it would put at risk the fauna, such as the turtle, which would no longer lay eggs in the vicinity, and the flora of the river.” Joan Carles Sallas (Adenc), warns of the “enormous expenditure of water of more than 12,300 m³ just to satisfy the lucrative interest of an individual.”
For its part, Sabadell City Council has presented a series of reports to the Generalitat, such as a draft of the special plan, necessary to know the scope and content of the proposal that is intended to be environmentally evaluated. Now he is waiting for the Government’s response. “We have requested an environmental evaluation despite it not being mandatory to meet the Acció Climàtica criteria,” says the deputy mayor, Eloi Cortés (PSC). They have also presented three specific reports on water consumption, fauna and energy expenditure.
The municipal government of Cunit (Impulsem and PSC) now prefers, in the midst of the extreme drought, not to make statements. The project continues, although in “an initial processing phase” waiting for what the Generalitat ends up determining in its reports, with exclusive powers to authorize it. The promoter company (Wavegarden) has not wanted to get wet publicly either.
The Sabadell SurfCity investment group had not been heard until now either, but tired of “the figures on water use and the size of the facility being distorted”, they finally speak clearly.
According to the environmental study to which La Vanguardia has had access, the pool will be compact and will have 11,088 m³ of water. “It is not a macro pool. Our design is the most compact on the market, equivalent to two Olympic swimming pools, less than a swimming club, and with significantly less water than the adjacent Bassa municipal swimming pool,” they argue.
The SurfCity water will come from a non-potable underground mine, which comes from the Molí d’en Torrella, and is not from the circuit that reaches the houses. “We spent a long time looking for a sports land around Barcelona because we wanted everything to be easy,” they add.
They assure that with their project in Sabadell they want to “add a quality facility for surf lovers in Catalonia and with a low environmental impact.” The water will be filled only once and when it comes into operation they calculate that “the pool will consume only 8% of the water required annually to irrigate a football field (by evaporation, since it works with a closed circuit with filters). And 48% if the restaurant, the changing rooms and the irrigation of the trees, the highest consumption, are taken into account.
When the approval of the special plan for the giant Cunit wave pool was announced in April, its supporters also resorted to comparisons to minimize water consumption. The promoters explained that the 26,000 m³ of their surf lagoon correspond to 4% of the capacity of the Castelldefels Olympic Canal or the water needed to irrigate a professional soccer field for a year and a half.
The promoters of the swimming pool for surf fans in Sabadell are blunt if new restrictions from the Government appear. “There is no way the pool would be filled in the emergency or alert phase. “We will always comply with the law.”
Although he now prefers to remain silent, in spring, before part of Catalonia entered the emergency phase, the mayor of Cunit, Jaume Casañas, explained to Acn that until that moment the Generalitat had issued favorable reports. The mayor added that the municipality has water reserves that exceed its daily consumption needs and also pointed to the use of water reuse systems. “We understand that water is a sensitive issue, but we are looking for the appropriate way to make the project possible through new technologies and water reuse policies,” said Casañas. “It is a good project for Cunit, which will give the municipality a tourist position,” he added.
Cunit predicts that the surf wave campsite-resort will be able to attract more than 100,000 visitors each year.