Using recycled water to water the pitches and stopping the watering of pitches for training sessions of Under-19s A and B teams as well as the Women’s B team are just two examples of measures FC Barcelona has introduced to conserve water. The club has also reduced the time during which pitches are expected to be wet.
The Spanish football giant has first-hand experience in experiencing drought for an extensive period. The area around the Catalonian capital is currently dealing with one of the biggest droughts in history.
Since 2021, the club has made efforts to reduce water consumption in its daily operations.
Recycled water for the wastewater treatment plants in El Prat and Gavà is used to water the natural grass pitches. The water is transported by tanker trucks to Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. Here, two surface tanks of 50 m3 each have been installed.
After pre-filtration, the water goes through an osmosis plant and is stored in two underground tanks of 320 m3 and 60 m3. Disinfection and ozone treatment are carried out before using the water for irrigation. By minimising drainage and recycling water back to a WWTP, waste is greatly reduced.
The entire process cost the club EUR 1.4 million.
Water conservation
Total water consumption by visitors at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper has been reduced by 38% by promoting water conservation at the facility.
Since 2023, the synthetic turf pitches are no longer watered for training sessions. When water is needed to prepare the pitches for a game, Barcelona reuses wastewater from osmosis. This is the water that goes through before being used to water the fields.
Apart from these water-saving efforts, they have also introduced technology to monitor the condition of the grass at all times. This includes adding more sensors at the Tito Vilanova training ground, at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, and on other natural grass pitches.
The new data obtained has helped them adjust sprinkler devices, inspect all elements to prevent water losses, and install volumetric meters to track consumption. They have also set up remote cameras to identify water shortages and optimise irrigation, as well as using re-humidifiers to enhance water infiltration and retention in the soil.
In addition to these efficiency measures to save water, FC Barcelona has decided not to regenerate the fields in the summer to reduce water usage. Instead, they will carry out partial regenerations in spring and repeat them in autumn to promote germination with minimal water consumption. They have also chosen grass varieties that are reseeded with high resistance to water stress.
The outcome so far has been a reduction of over 20% in irrigation water, and this number is projected to rise during the upcoming summer season. This is because the measures taken will have a greater impact, as the grass will require more water.
Emergency phase 1
FC Barcelona has put in place the requisite measures to adapt to emergency phase 1 of the drought decreed by the Generalitat, the Catalan Government. Since 2021, FC Barcelona has managed to reduce water consumption by 38% per visitor at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, due to the implementation of intelligent systems of watering and water-saving at the facilities as well adapting to low consumption for 65% of the 1,991 devices that need water.