Aguas de Calpe is currently constructing a new sewer that will ensure the correct connection to the sewerage network of the new Les Salines secondary school, which is currently under construction, as well as a new sewer that will run through the grounds of the Gargasindi Special Education Centre.
The planned investment for both strategic actions amounts to more than €107,000. The solution adopted is the rehabilitation with a self-supporting sleeve of a 269-metre section of 400 mm diameter sewer - in the case of the Les Salines Secondary School - and a 170-metre section of 300 mm diameter sewer in the case of the Gargasindi Special Education Centre.
The company Aguas de Calpe has carried out all the preliminary work - such as the inspection of collectors with closed-circuit television (CCTV), measurement and verification of diameters along the entire length of the collector to be rehabilitated - during the summer period to avoid and reduce any inconvenience to residents. In particular, the pupils of the CEIP Azorín school, located next to the CEE Gargasindi works site, given the start of the school year, and for this reason the installation of the sleeve is scheduled for the week of 1 to 5 September, before the start of the school year.
Special features of the technical characteristics
Rehabilitation with a self-supporting sleeve, i.e. trenchless technology, is based on the introduction into the collector to be rehabilitated of a textile sleeve made of polyester felt with an internal polypropylene coating, impregnated with thermosetting polyester resin using hot water or steam.
The result is equivalent to a new pipe with a service life of over 50 years. Aguas de Calpe, a joint venture formed by Calp Town Council and the Global Omnium group, has been committed to the digitalisation and continuous improvement of service management for many years.
Aware of the importance of an objective assessment of the sewer network as a starting point for data-based asset management, in 2021 it began a systematic inspection and diagnosis campaign of the entire sewerage network in Calp, which would be completed two years later.
To address this challenge, CCTV inspection of the nearly 100 km of collectors that make up the network was planned, and software for automatic detection of defects in sewerage networks based on artificial intelligence (SEWDEF, from INLOC Robotics) was used. The diagnosis of the network is carried out by the software itself based on the defects identified, following the principles of the WRc protocol. This provides an operational and structural status indicator for each collector. In this way, the costs of inspection and diagnosis operations are minimised, ensuring an objective assessment in determining priorities for action.