IDIWATER - STRUCTURAL LEAKAGE INDEX (SLE). PERSPECTIVE FROM THE CANARY ISLANDS SUPPLY SERVICES

OBJECTIVES

1. To understand and identify the performance and leakage indicators set out in Royal Decree 3/23, which establishes the technical and health criteria for drinking water quality, control and supply.

2. To disseminate and raise awareness of the importance of constantly seeking higher hydraulic performance in water distribution networks.

3. Use real cases from the Canary Islands to learn about the adapted methodology for calculating the IFE.

4. Identify opportunities for improvement, best practices and recommendations for our supply systems.

5. Encourage critical thinking about structural water leaks.

6. Assess the challenges and limitations of our supply systems.

DESCRIPTION:

The IFE is a water efficiency performance indicator specifically designed to measure water losses in distribution networks and, depending on the approach, to assess the efficiency and sustainability of supply or to enable technical comparisons between systems with different infrastructure and pressure characteristics. It is closely related to the concepts of Actual Annual Real Losses (PRAA) and Inevitable Annual Real Losses (PRAI). According to the INE, the IFE is estimated at around 15.4% of the total water supplied in 2022.

The calculation of this indicator is mandatory in Spain, in a recent and novel way, for certain water supplies, with the requirement to submit statistics for each service to MITECO in the first half of 2025, as set out in RD 3/2023, which establishes the technical and health criteria for the quality of drinking water, its control and supply. The assessment of structural leaks in distribution networks and connections owned and managed by municipalities is required and, when water supply management is indirect, delegated or mixed, the local administration must ensure that the operators holding the concession carry out this analysis. This Royal Decree also requires corrective actions to be determined in response to water losses, as the Spanish State must submit to the European Commission by 12 January 2026 the corrective measures it is taking to reduce the IFE to the minimum technically achievable.

Using the idiosyncrasies of the Canary Islands’ water supply as a reference, this talk will delve into the application and calculation of the IFE adapted to our services, taking into account the particularities of our water supply, the evaluation and interpretation of structural leaks, and the levels of remote reading or estimation of existing data, as well as establishing recommendations or best practices.

AIMED AT:

Managers, officials and technicians responsible for water supply, local councils and island councils with responsibilities in the integral water cycle, experts and technicians in hydraulic networks and digitalisation, researchers, students and new professionals with an interest in water distribution and transport.

SPEAKER:

Oliver Castilla Jiménez, a native of Tenerife, is an Industrial Technical Engineer specialising in Electronics and Automation from the University of La Laguna. He holds a Master’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence applied to Energy and Infrastructure, which has enabled him to integrate advanced technological solutions in industrial environments. He has extensive experience in the renewable energy and mobility sector, working on the reuse of lithium batteries in collaboration with major vehicle manufacturers and participating in the creation of the first lithium reuse plant in the Canary Islands. He currently serves as Technical Coordinator of the PERTE Digital Island Project at Aqualia, where he has drafted the Drought Emergency Plans (PES) and Structural Leakage Studies (EFE) for seven municipalities currently managed by Aqualia, using the IFE as a key indicator of the performance of municipal water infrastructure. In addition, he coordinates the field work of digitising the equipment acquired by the project, which has a direct impact on improving hydraulic performance and reducing leaks and unregistered water.

FORMAT: In-person.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 24 hours before the start.

Registration link: https://zfrmz.eu/rfDWzrG4kIZ16YIvwxcX

Further information:

https://www.spegc.org/formacion-y-eventos/el-indice-de-fugas-estructural-ife-desde-la-perspectiva-de-los-servicios-de-abastecimiento-de-canarias/

Schedule:

· Start of the talk: 7:00 p.m.

· Questions and discussion: 7:50 p.m.

· Cocktail reception: 8:30 p.m.