Technical visits

Empuriabrava is a mass tourism destination located in Costa Brava, so-called the Catalan Venice. The conventional WWTP has a natural treatment as tertiary treatment. The effluent is reused to feed The Alt Empordà wetlands, a natural park that is a must for birdwatching tourism.

The visit consists of a brief stop at the municipal WWTP and then we will do a visit to the protected wetlands. The Natural Park has a characteristic Mediterranean maritime climate and is predominated by river and marine-influenced aquatic environments. It has a particularly significant biogeography as it is an important stopping place and shelter for numerous species of birds that periodically travel between northern and central Europe and Africa in search of the best environmental conditions for feeding and breeding throughout the year. Although it is expected to be very hot (please bring a hat!!), our suggested walk on the Natural Park’s map is Itinerary 1 (5 km, 90 minutes).

The visit will end with a lunch in the medieval town of “Sant Martí d’Empúries”, in the heart of beautiful Costa Brava. Sant Martí d'Empúries is also home to an archaeological site of colonial settlements of Greek and Roman origin. You can enjoy the view, walk besides the ruins of Emporion or take a bath in the Mediterranean.

Departure: Girona 9 am
Arrival: Girona 5 pm
Capacity: 50 people

Lunch will take place in a local restaurant that works for the comprehensive education of vulnerable children and families, and after lunch, we will see the short documentary “El Rec Comtal: a neighborhood struggle for the common good”. The Foundation Mon-3 and Solidarity Foundation of University of Barcelona have collaborated with Barcelona City Council to produce this documentary in the framework of the cooperation for development project “From Besòs to Senegal, a common option for environmental justice.

Departure: Girona 9:00 am
Arrival: Girona 6:00 pm
Capacity: 40 people

River Besòs is one of the two rivers that flow out in Barcelona. During the XX century, the fast growth of the population and industrialization put a huge strain on the river’s final section. In the sixties, Besòs was one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. This situation started to change in the nineties thanks to the joint effort of the municipalities placed in its basin and “Consorci Besòs-Tordera” entity. An integrated restoration program was implemented and water quality and ecosystems improved substantially. Nowadays, the final 9km of the river are one of the most relevant green areas of Barcelona metropolitan area and wild otters are found in its clean waters.

The trip will start at the headquarters of “Consortium Besòs-Tordera” in Granollers (Barcelona), where they will explain us the river restoration process. This will be followed by a visit to some of the restored parts of the river and to the Montseny wastewater treatment plant (Can Dunyó), an example of a WWT installation fully integrated into a protected landscape. Finally, we will have lunch in a “masia” (a typical Catalan countryhouse) in the “Montseny” natural park, a mountainous area of high ecological interest.

Departure: Girona 9:00 am
Arrival: Girona 5:00 pm
Capacity: 30 people