Arantec Engineering will enable the bidirectional exchange of data from the Garonne River basin through the Smarty Planet stations, following the signing of the agreement between the Conselh Generau d’Aran and the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE).
Arantec Engineering is responsible for the installation, operation, and maintenance of the 15 hydrometeorological stations owned by the Conselh Generau d’Aran in the Val d’Aran, and also undertakes projects for the Ebro River Basin Authority.
The agreement, signed in December 2017 by the sindic d’Aran, Carlos Barrera, and the president of the CHE, Raimundo Lafuente, aims to exchange data between the two institutions based on the experience of the major flood episode in June 2013 in the Aran Valley.
The 2013 experience highlighted the need to exchange and complement hydrometeorological data, generated by all the agents present in the Garonne River basin, in order to provide a better response to extraordinary episodes of rainfall or increased flow in the headwaters of the basin.
Thanks to the new type of stations, it is now possible to have a greater amount of data, especially in small basins and river headwaters. The parameters measured include river levels, flow rates, rainfall intensity, temperature, and humidity. The main function of measuring these parameters and obtaining data is to generate warnings and alerts in case of flood hazards.
Data acquisition will occur every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.
The hydrometeorological stations of the Conselh General d’Aran are located in Aiguamòg, Aubèrt, Betren, Escunhau, Joeu, Les, Pont d’Arró, Pont de Vielha, Pont deth Lop, Salient, Toran, Tredòs, Unhola, Valarties, and Varradòs.
The hydrometric stations of the Ebro River Basin Authority are in Bossòst, Valarties, and Arties, and the pluviometric stations are in Pla de Beret and Arties.
The data obtained will be made available to Pompièrs e Emergéncies d’Aran SL, which manages emergency services and civil protection in the Aran Valley. These data will be used for emergency planning, notifying authorities and the population, as well as for the programming and implementation of operational resources.
The collaboration agreement will be valid for 4 years, extendable for another 4 years. This period will allow for experiments, tests, or practices with a sufficiently long lifespan to obtain more reliable results and plan long-term tests.
