After 1,000 years of agricultural water supply, the World’s oldest water court and the oldest democratic institution in Europe has modernized its irrigation practices with Rubicon technology.
The Tribunal de les Aguas de Valencia in Spain described the water and energy savings of Rubicon technology savings as “immense”.
The ancient Tribunal, honored by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for its intangible cultural heritage, said: “We have taken 1,000 years to react, to automate the historical irrigation. But hey, since we have had it on, these few months, the savings have been immense.”
The Tribunal has met almost weekly for the 1,000 plus years to administer justice over water disputes and concerns about the nearly 15,000 acres of agricultural land fed from the Turia River in the Valencia region in Spain. Agricultural produce is sold mainly in local markets.
The still honored ancient rules of the Tribunal are simple and effective and respected by all members of the agricultural community. There are no lawyers, no documents and no long bureaucratic proceedings to delay what constitutes “the most elementary of human rights – justice”, as described by the Tribunal.
The 9 member Tribunal hears the arguments of each case. Their verbal denunciations are made and adhered to by all, and in this way, the agricultural community continues to function for the benefit of everyone.
Rubicon’s partner in Spain, Regaber, has made a video about the automation in Spanish, which can be seen on Regaber’s YouTube Channel here.
And a short English version on Rubicon’s LinkedIn Profile here.
Regaber has installed Rubicon FlumeGates to automate the water from the Turia River.
Regaber stated: “We are now able to give a fixed flow to the gates based on the flow that comes from the river. With these gates we are able to save water because we are more efficient. We can distribute it better and if there is a surplus, we are able to take the ecological overflow to the Albufera.” La Albufera is a freshwater lagoon and estuary on the Gulf of Valencia.
Learn more about the fascinating history of The Tribunal de les Arguas de Valencia on their website at: https://tribunaldelasaguas.org/en/
