Strategic battery drilling B.E.S.

The Strategic Drilling Battery (BES) is an infrastructure for drought wells belonging to the Segura Hydrographic Confederation, executed between 2005 and 2009 within the framework of an emergency works program to increase the availability of water resources in periods of drought, located mainly in the hydrogeological unit called "Vegas Media and Baja del Segura", in the Region of Murcia and the province of Alicante, but also in other aquifers in the basin in the province of Albacete.

The planned exploitation of the Strategic Battery of Surveys fulfills a strategic function due to the importance of the resources captured in relation to the structural deficit of the basin. It also renders a transcendent environmental function since the Segura river is used as a transport network for the pumped water, which contributes to the regeneration of the flora and fauna on the riverbed and riverbank in an environment that suffers a great ecological impact in drought situations due to the shortage of flows.
From a technical point of view, the Strategic Drilling Battery is made up of a complex system of hydraulic conduction, elevation and impulsion installations, as well as high and low voltage electrics, which require continuous preventive and corrective maintenance, as well as a set of inspection and surveillance works as required by compliance with the applicable sector regulations in force in the field of security and electrical installations.

The Strategic Survey Battery  is divided into three sub-zones according to its geographical scope.

The soundings belonging to the Strategic Battery of Soundings located in the Mingogil-Villarones and Alcadozo aquifers (Hellín, Albacete) allow to cover the contribution of extraordinary water resources during periods of prolonged drought for the purpose of supplying the population.

The Strategic Battery of Soundings in Hellín is made up of a total of 7 soundings, which pour their waters into the Mundo River through tributary boulevards or a network of ditches.

The exploitation of these soundings is covered by the Resolution of December 15, 2011, of the Secretary of State for Climate Change, "which formulates an environmental impact statement for the Groundwater Collection Project for periods of drought in the upper Segura basin, municipalities of Hellín and Liétor, Albacete. "

The strategic battery of boreholes in the Vega Media is made up of a set of 34 boreholes, one part of which discharges the water directly into the Segura river, another part directly discharges into the irrigation channel network and some have the possibility of redirecting the extracted flows either to the river or to the irrigation channel depending on the needs of the exploitation.

The Strategic Battery of Soundings in the Vega Baja del Segura (Alicante Province), is made up of a total of 26 soundings, of which, like those located in the Middle Vega, a part of them carry out the discharge of the waters directly to the Segura river, another part directly discharges to the network of ditches and some have the possibility of redirecting the flows extracted either to the river or to the ditch depending on the needs of the exploitation.

The exploitation of these soundings is covered by the Resolution of November 27, 2014, of the Secretary of State for the Environment, "which formulates an environmental impact statement of the project Execution of soundings in the aquifer de la Vega Baja for the collection of groundwater in various municipalities (Alicante). "

Within the framework of the Emergency Works of this Hydrographic Confederation to alleviate the effects of the drought, the Water Police Station has carried out a battery of 29 deep boreholes in the Vegas Media and Baja del Segura aquifers, during the years 2005 and 2006, with the primary objective of contributing to the maintenance of ecological flows, while considering the contribution to minimal relief risks.

The execution, exploitation and foronomic control of these boreholes, as well as the monitoring of the evolution of the aquifer piezometry in a network of control points made up of all of said exploitation boreholes, 31 piezometers recently executed by the CHS in urban centers of Murcia and other pre-existing piezometers, have allowed the data on which the study "New contribution to the hydrogeological knowledge of the urban environment of Murcia" is based, which updates the hydrogeological information of the aforementioned Las Vegas aquifer and Baja del Segura in this environment.

The study includes novel conclusions on the geometry and hydrodynamics of the captured permeable levels, as well as a justification of the efficiency of the wells executed in relation to the objectives for which they are intended, exposing the measures adopted to minimize the impact of pumping to the surface levels on which the foundation of the buildings is supported.

The complete study documents are included below.