Flood prevention and flash flood control project on the Riera del Palau (Terrassa)
Terrassa Town Council, working with Lafcarr Project & Design, has installed a smart flood prevention system on the Riera del Palau based on ultrasonic level sensors and automatic barriers. The system is triggered by a sudden rise in flow, reducing the risk of flash floods and preventing people from using the crossings when it is dangerous.
The mayor, Jordi Ballart, together with the deputy mayor for Territory and Sustainability, Lluïsa Melgares, the councillor for Streams, Jennifer Ramírez, and the councillor for Civil Protection, Xavier F. Rivero, visited the new warning and hydraulic control system where Camí dels Horts and Carena de Mas Bellver meet the Riera del Palau.
Ballart pointed out that this hydraulic safety system controls access to the area and protects people from the flash floods that occur during periods of heavy rain. Thanks to automation, flood-prone crossings can be closed automatically or via remote control. He added that such a system had been a priority for the council, given the town's long history of flooding.
Two level sensors and four automatic barriers
The project, costing €33,457.83, involved installing an ultrasonic level sensor at Carrer Edison and Avinguda de Joaquim Sagrera, which measures the flow in real time and triggers a flood alert when the level reaches 0.70 m. Another sensor, on Carrer Carena de Mas Bellver, raises an alert at 1.65 m.
Four automatic barriers have been installed at two junctions on the Riera del Palau (Carena de Mas Bellver and dels Horts), critical points where water can overflow the channel in a flood or flash flood. The barriers, at both ends, stop vehicles and pedestrians from crossing when there is a risk and have LED warning lights as they rise and fall.
Ultrasonic sensors and solar power
The sensor on Carrer Edison runs on mains power, while the barriers and the second sensor have a solar photovoltaic system with at least 72 hours' autonomy. It includes low battery alerts and GPRS/3G communications for remote monitoring of the water level and control of the barriers.
The system can be operated manually with a key or automatically and remotely through Lafcarr's iDAM remote control application, which manages alerts and activations in real time. When a sensor detects the set flow threshold, the system closes the barriers automatically and sends an immediate alert to the Municipal Police and Civil Protection.
This urban flood prevention system makes better use of emergency resources by avoiding unnecessary Municipal Police call-outs during heavy rain. The barriers only reopen once technical staff have checked the area is safe and manually authorised reopening.
Real-time monitoring
The status of the sensors and barriers can be checked on Terrassa Town Council's Sentilo platform at the following link:
http://sentilo.terrassa.cat/sentilo-catalog-web/component/map
With this initiative, Terrassa becomes a benchmark in flood and flash flood risk prevention, combining early detection technology and smart automation to keep people safe.
So if either level sensor raises an alert on detecting a water depth equal to or above its set threshold, the barriers close automatically, blocking both sections and sending a warning to the Municipal Police and Civil Protection. This avoids Municipal Police call-outs during rain, freeing officers for other duties where they may be needed. The barriers never open automatically: they only do so once the opening order is given, after the Municipal Police have checked the area and confirmed it is safe to reopen to traffic.
http://sentilo.terrassa.cat/sentilo-catalog-web/component/map
