This experimental installation, located at the Boí wastewater treatment plant, was presented on Friday. The laboratory is based on a set of artificial ponds that receive water before the conventional purification process.

Within these ponds, various combinations of sediments, native plants, and microbial communities are tested. The objective is to evaluate their natural capacity to retain nutrients and improve water quality.

The project is an initiative of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) in collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB). Its purpose is to validate natural purification systems, such as artificial wetlands, for applications in mountain shelters, small settlements, and other areas not connected to conventional treatment plants.

This pilot plant has the capacity to process a flow of 1,310 m³ daily, equivalent to the pollutant load of 5,240 inhabitants. Currently, the treatment plant processes wastewater from the communities of Erill La Vall, Taüll, Boí, and Pla de l’Ermita.