In the Baix Empordà we are facing a drought alert situation, the most serious in decades. The region has suffered a rainfall deficit of more than 30% in the last year, and some areas have experienced a reduction of more than 50%. For this reason, the reservoirs that supply the Baix Empordà are at critical levels, with some below 30% of their capacity.

Faced with this situation, the authorities have implemented various strategies to mitigate the effects of the drought and guarantee the water supply to the population.

Regulations related to the cleaning of vehicles. The vessel is a vehicle.

The Catalan Water Agency (ACA), in various consultations, assimilates recreational boats to land vehicles in terms of cleaning and, therefore, limits it according to the state of each basin.

In alert status, the cleaning of any type of vehicle is limited to the following cases:

• Cleaning in commercial establishments dedicated to this activity that have water recirculation systems.
• Outside commercial establishments, only the cleaning of windows, mirrors, rear-view mirrors, lights and license plates using a sponge and bucket is permitted.
• Cleaning of vehicles outside commercial establishments is also permitted if necessary to maintain the safety and health of people and animals. This category includes food transport vehicles, animal transports (live or dead), ambulances, medical vehicles and medicine transports, as well as waste transport vehicles. In all cases, cleaning shall be carried out with the minimum possible use of water.

Knowing these limitations regarding the cleaning of the boat, and in order to provide responsible alternatives, from the Club Náutico Estartit we offer our users a cleaning equipment with sea water. To use it, it is only necessary to request it to the seafaring team. The operation is simple: with this equipment you can do the first thorough cleaning of the boat after the winter season (we also recommend the use of a brush and a neutral and biodegradable soap) without fear of wasting fresh water. Then, a final rinse can be done with fresh water from the mains, using a bucket and a sponge as allowed by the regulations at this time.

We inform you that the Club is finalizing different projects to initiate a change in the model of water supply and management within the port facilities we have under concession. The purpose is twofold: on the one hand, to contribute to having more resources available by acting on supply and not on demand; and on the other hand, to have greater autonomy and be more self-sufficient -as we have already done and will do more with electric energy- in response to the necessary adaptation to the effects of climate change. We will be able to give you more details on the different actions shortly.

Our awareness campaign

In addition to the reminder of compliance with these regulations, we want to emphasize our sustainability awareness campaign, which we continue to promote year after year. The campaign has full visibility at all accesses to the pontoons and is complemented by the delivery of explanatory brochures to all users.

We thank you for your collaboration in helping to ensure the availability of water and to raise awareness of an environmentally sustainable marine culture.