Seròs definitively approves the municipal ordinance for water saving

The Seròs City Council has made definitive the agreement of the Plenary of July 27, 2026, which approves the Municipal Ordinance regulating water saving, after no claims were filed during the thirty-day public information period. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Lleida no. 179, of September 18, 2026, with the official reference BOP-2026_0_179_7777 (pp. 1-31). The regulation will enter into force once the full text is published in the gazette and the period provided for in article 65.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the bases of the local regime, has elapsed.

The ordinance establishes, within the European, state, and Catalan regulatory framework, the legal regime for water management in the municipality and determines in which cases it is mandatory to install saving and reuse systems. The stated objective is to ensure the long-term quantity and quality of the supply, reduce consumption, and promote alternative water resources for uses that do not require potable water. The text is framed within Directive 2000/60/EC and Legislative Decree 3/2003, of November 4, on water legislation in Catalonia.

The preamble justifies the measure with data from the third report on climate change in Catalonia from 2017, which predicts a decrease of between 15% and 20% in the availability of hydrological resources in the pre-coastal regions. In urban centers, the shower and the toilet account for 50% of consumption in multi-family dwellings (30% and 20% respectively), while in single-family homes and peripheral neighborhoods, gardens and swimming pools can exceed 35% of total consumption. Domestic consumption of mains water represents 66% of the total, equivalent to 4.4 million cubic meters in 2016.

Obligations in new buildings and renovations

The scope of application includes all types of new buildings and constructions, public or private, as well as those undergoing rehabilitation, comprehensive renovation, expansion, or change of use. The main technical requirements are:

• Aerators and flow reduction mechanisms: maximum of 8 liters per minute in faucets and 10 liters per minute in showers, at a pressure of 2.5 kg/cm².
• Public use faucets with a timer or automatic shut-off, with discharges limited to one liter.
• Pressure regulators that guarantee a maximum of 2.5 kg/cm² at each floor of the building, with a brass or stainless steel body.
• Newly constructed cisterns with a maximum discharge volume of 6 liters and dual flush or stop functionality.
• Individual meters for each dwelling, premises, and use, including swimming pools and gardens.

In comprehensive renovations, rehabilitations, and extensions, articles 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 are applied with a scope limited to the renovated part or the new addition. Rainwater management is required when the increase in roof surface is equal to or greater than 20 m² and exceeds 25% of the existing area, and the article regarding swimming pool overflow water applies if the water surface exceeds 20 m² or the extension is greater than 50%.

Greywater, rain, and swimming pools

Residential buildings with 8 or more dwellings and constructions with an annual consumption in showers and bathtubs exceeding 400 m³ must have a greywater reuse system intended to refill toilet cisterns. Hospital and healthcare centers, nursing homes and residences for the elderly, educational centers, and nurseries are exempt. The pipes of this system must be specific for non-potable water and marked in purple.

Plots with unbuilt spaces intended for gardens or terraces of 200 m² or more must be equipped with a rainwater harvesting system, with underground polyester and fiberglass tanks. The minimum volumes are 5 m³ for gardens from 200 to 1,000 m² and 15 m³ for gardens exceeding 1,000 m². In new swimming pools with a water surface of more than 20 m², it will be necessary to collect water from backwashing and partial draining, with tanks ranging from 1,000 liters for 20 m² up to 5,000 liters for more than 100 m².

Large consumers, control, and sanctions

Activities with a consumption exceeding 5,000 m³ per year, such as golf courses or industrial and service buildings, will be considered large consumers of potable water. These must develop a Sustainable Water Cycle Management Plan, with a validity of four years, to be submitted to the municipal administration for approval. The transitional provision sets the deadline for submitting this plan as December 31, 2029.

Owners must sign a maintenance contract for a minimum period of two years, with an annual review of the installation, and the maintenance company must perform quarterly meter readings and communicate the performance to the owners. The sanctioning regime provides for:

• Minor infractions: fine of up to 750 euros.
• Serious infractions: fine from 750 to 1,500 euros.
• Very serious infractions: fine from 1,500 to 3,000 euros.
• Coercive fines of up to 300 euros each, with a maximum of three consecutive fines.

The Mayor’s Office or the delegated body may agree to the suspension of works and uses in case of non-compliance, and the City Council may incorporate a subsidy line into the annual budget to incentivize new installations or the adaptation of existing ones. An administrative appeal may be filed against the approval agreement before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within two months from the day following the publication of the announcement, signed by Mayor Josep Antoni Romia Pujol.

The regulation arrives in a context of structural drought and is added to the Municipal Ordinance regulating infractions for the wasting of network water in drought situations, also definitively approved by the Plenary on July 27, 2026, and published in the same bulletin with the reference BOP-2026_0_179_7778. For the residents and activities of Seròs, the ordinance implies concrete obligations in new construction and renovation, maintenance costs, and a sanctions regime that is activated especially when the Catalan Water Agency declares scenarios of alert, exceptionality, or emergency.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Province of Lleida, no. 179, September 18, 2026, Local Administration - City Councils, pp. 1-31 (official reference: BOP-2026_0_179_7777).