First Name:
Miguel
Last Name:
Del Amor Saavedra
Type of BP
Technical solution
Typology of Non- Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) What kind of NCWR do you deal with ?:
Rainwater (RW)
What is the collection area (m2)?:
- Collection area associated with the SUDS footprint: 5,451 m².
- Total implementation area: 10,463 m².
- Total implementation area: 10,463 m².
What is the material of the collection area?
Permeable concrete pavement installed in the parking bays together with associated impermeable traffic lanes and contributing urban surfaces within the Park & Ride facility.
What is the average annual rainfall (mm)?:
No annual monitored volume is available. However, rainfall events occurring at the end of March 2026 generated approximately 20 l/m² across the site, providing the first operational evidence of system performance after commissioning.
What is the material of the storage tank?:
No conventional storage tank; subsurface gravel-filled retention/storage zones with geotextile and perforated pipes.
What is the storage area of the collected rainwater (m3)?:
The storage capacity of the system is approximately 1.4 million litres (1,400 m³). The system incorporates approximately 5,451 m² of gravel storage and infiltration infrastructure with controlled discharge through a vortex-regulated outlet.
Number of population concerned by the reuse
404
What are the challenges raised by your Best Practice?
Environmental pollution, Degradation of the Ecosystem (water stress), Vulnerability to climate Change, Other (Please specify below)
Other challenges
Extreme rain risks urban flooding and drainage overload. This practice attenuates runoff through temporary storage and controlled discharge, feeding the Murcia Este system to indirectly boost water for agricultural irrigation .
How could you describe your Best Practice?
The Hacienda Park & Ride facility in Murcia incorporates a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) designed to manage stormwater generated within the parking area. The system combines permeable concrete pavement, subsurface gravel storage and infiltration layers, drainage trenches, geotextile separation layers and controlled discharge elements. The SUDS was designed for a synthetic 100-year rainfall event and provides a storage capacity of up to 1.4 million litres, with a regulated discharge capacity from 230 to 4 l/s and recovery within approximately 48 hours. The intervention is integrated into a public mobility facility with 404 parking spaces, electric vehicle charging stations, urban vegetation and monitoring systems. The project demonstrates how sustainable urban drainage can be integrated into mobility infrastructure to improve flood resilience, environmental performance and climate adaptation in dense urban environments.
Please describe your Best Practice in 5 keywords?
Urban stormwater; , Sustainable drainage systems; , Permeable pavement;, Smart monitoring;, Climate resilience
Please provide any links to useful documentations (including website)presenting your Best Practice
In which area has your Best Practice been implemented ?
Urban area, Other (Please specify below)
Other area
Dense Urban
Best Practice location implementation (Country)
Spain
Localisation
POINT (1.13939 37.99985)
Who are the beneficiaries and/or the target group of your Best Practice ?
Water Utilities, Local Population, Municipalities, Management Authorities, Other (Please specify below)
Other beneficiaries
Extreme rain risks urban flooding and drainage overload. This practice attenuates runoff through temporary storage and controlled discharge, feeding the Murcia Este system to indirectly boost water for agricultural irrigation.
f the Best Practice has been implemented within a partnership, who were your partners ?
• Municipality of Murcia: project owner and contracting authority.
• URBAMUSA: project development, procurement, construction management and operation of the Park & Ride facility.
• Aguas de Murcia (EMUASA): co-promoter and technical collaborator during project design and development of SUDS criteria.
• Utility operators: coordination of existing underground service networks affected by the project.
• URBAMUSA: project development, procurement, construction management and operation of the Park & Ride facility.
• Aguas de Murcia (EMUASA): co-promoter and technical collaborator during project design and development of SUDS criteria.
• Utility operators: coordination of existing underground service networks affected by the project.
Have you involved stakeholders?
Yes
Please list them
• Municipal Mobility Department: integration of the facility within the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP).
• Urban planning and municipal infrastructure services.
• Utility operators (Telefónica, Iberdrola/i-DE and other service providers): coordination of existing underground networks.
• Construction contractors and maintenance teams.
• Nearby residents, businesses and public-service users.
• Park & Ride users and commuters.
• Urban planning and municipal infrastructure services.
• Utility operators (Telefónica, Iberdrola/i-DE and other service providers): coordination of existing underground networks.
• Construction contractors and maintenance teams.
• Nearby residents, businesses and public-service users.
• Park & Ride users and commuters.
What are the obstacles to implementation of Best Practice ?
High cost of technological solutions, Other (Please specify below)
Other obstacles
Coordination with multiple underground utility networks during design and construction.; • Additional implementation costs compared with conventional stormwater drainage solutions
Did you receive funding for the research and development of the proposed BP?
Yes
Please indicate the source of funding
National funding
What difficulties you have faced to access the funding ?
No significant difficulties in accessing funding were reported. The main challenge was demonstrating the long-term environmental and resilience benefits of the SUDS approach compared with conventional drainage solutions during project planning and approval
Has your Best Practice been validated/upscaled?
The facility was inaugurated on 24 March 2026 and opened to the public on 25 March 2026. Following commissioning, rainfall events recorded at the end of March 2026 generated approximately 20 l/m² of precipitation over the site. The facility operated normally during these events and the SUDS infrastructure successfully retained and regulated stormwater flows. The system includes vehicle-entry and exit monitoring, water-level monitoring and an outlet flow meter. Although operational performance has been observed during real rainfall events, no formal hydraulic monitoring report or post-construction validation report has yet been issued. No documented replication or upscaling process has been reported.
Is there the potential to exploit/outscale the Best Practice?
Replication is suitable for public parking facilities, transport interchanges and other large impervious urban areas. Key conditions include sufficient available space, favourable soil infiltration characteristics, integration with urban planning and drainage strategies, coordination with underground utility networks, long-term maintenance commitments and monitoring arrangements. Site-specific assessment of rainfall conditions, groundwater level and downstream drainage capacity is essential before implementation.
Do you have or know any platform of sharing Best Practice that you would like to link to this inventory platform?
No
Does your Best Practice contribute to an innovation? If so, please provide a short description of the innovative component
The innovative aspect is the integration of sustainable stormwater management and urban mobility within Murcia’s largest Park & Ride facility. Unlike conventional parking developments, the project combines a permeable pavement system, 5,451 m² of subsurface gravel storage and infiltration infrastructure, regulated discharge through a vortex-controlled outlet, urban greening and smart monitoring within a single operational facility with 404 parking spaces. The system provides up to 1.4 million litres of temporary storage and regulates discharge from 230 to 4 l/s, enabling recovery within approximately 48 hours. The collected stormwater is ultimately conveyed to the Murcia Este reclamation system, contributing indirectly to water reuse for agricultural irrigation in a region affected by structural water scarcity. The innovation therefore lies in simultaneously addressing sustainable mobility, flood-risk reduction and water-resource management.
Its novelty lies not in the individual SUDS components, which are already known technologies, but in their integration within Murcia’s largest municipal Park & Ride facility, combining sustainable mobility, flood-risk reduction and indirect support to reclaimed-water production within a single urban infrastructure.
Its novelty lies not in the individual SUDS components, which are already known technologies, but in their integration within Murcia’s largest municipal Park & Ride facility, combining sustainable mobility, flood-risk reduction and indirect support to reclaimed-water production within a single urban infrastructure.
What technolog(ies) and/or tool(s) has(ve) been used for your Best Practice ?
SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) , PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) , PP (Permeable Pavement)
Please indicate the TRL associated with your Best Practice
TRL8 : System complete and qualifi ed
Flow rate (m3/day)
1.00
Flow rate
An arbitrary flow rate of 1 m³/day was set due to platform limits. This event-based system stores 1,400 m³, regulating discharge from 230 to 4 l/s. Recovery takes 48 hours; no representative daily rate exists.
What is the necessary area to implement your Best Practice (m2) ?
1064.00
What is the necessary area to implement your BP ?
Total implementation area: 10,64 m². Permeable pavement area: 5,196 m². Subsurface gravel storage and infiltration footprint: 5,451 m².
Comment : Salinity
site-specific monitoring data not available
Comment : Suspended solids SS
site-specific monitoring data not available
Comment : COD
site-specific monitoring data not available
Comment : BOD5
site-specific monitoring data not available
Comment : Phosphorus content
site-specific monitoring data not available
site-specific monitoring data not available
Pathogens
not monitored
Flow rate (m3/day) of treated NCW
1.00
Flow rate of treated NCW
An arbitrary flow rate of 1 m³/day was set due to platform limits. This event-based system stores 1,400 m³, regulating discharge from 230 to 4 l/s. Recovery takes 48 hours; no representative daily rate exists
What is the average number of people producing this NCW flow per day
site-specific monitoring data not available
Efficiency (BOD5 % Removal)
site-specific monitoring data not available
Comment : Efficiency (COD % Removal):
site-specific monitoring data not available
Efficiency (SS % Removal):
site-specific monitoring data not available
Efficiency (Salinity % Removal)
site-specific monitoring data not available
Comment : Other (% Removal)
site-specific monitoring data not available
What is the impact on the beneficiaries of your Best Practice ?:
The Best Practice benefits users of the 404-space Park & Ride facility through increased accessibility and reduced flood risk during rainfall events. The Municipality of Murcia benefits from improved urban resilience and reduced pressure on the drainage network. Additional benefits extend to downstream irrigation users because the collected stormwater ultimately reaches the Murcia Este reclamation system, contributing to reclaimed-water resources used in agriculture in a region affected by structural water scarcity.
Total Cost (€):
549825.00
Comment : Total Cost:
The total tender budget for the Park & Ride facility and associated SUDS infrastructure was €1,020,807.73 (VAT included). The estimated cost specifically attributable to SUDS components is €549,824.72.
Comment : O&M Cost:
No approved annual O&M budget has been identified in the available documentation
Capital Cost (€):
549825.00
Capital Cost
SUDS components cost €549,824.72, covering permeable pavement, gravel storage, infiltration cells, and monitoring equipment. This is part of the total Park & Ride civil works tender budget of €1,020,807.73 (VAT included).
Comment : Average Energy consumption:
site-specific monitoring data not available
Landscaping, Recreation Area, Other (Please specify below)
Other Treated NCW use
This system manages stormwater through runoff attenuation and temporary storage. Collected water reaches the Murcia Este plant for reclamation, indirectly supporting regional water reuse to help address water scarcity in Murcia.
No rainwater is sold
How your Best Practice is economically feasible ?
The project was implemented as public urban infrastructure financed by Murcia City Council. Financial feasibility is supported by the integration of stormwater management, climate adaptation and sustainable mobility objectives within a single municipal investment. Although no formal cost-benefit analysis was identified in the reviewed documentation, the project justification is based on flood-risk reduction, improved urban resilience, groundwater recharge and environmental co-benefits associated with green infrastructure.
Is your Best Practice economically viable ?
8
Is your Best Practice environmentally sustainable ?
8
If there was a sustainability assessment carried out, what are the result of this assessment ?
No formal sustainability assessment report was identified in the available documentation. However, project documentation indicates expected benefits including stormwater infiltration, flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, reduced runoff, urban greening, support for climate adaptation and mitigation of urban heat-island effects through the integration of 152 trees and 936 shrubs. These should be considered expected project outcomes rather than results of a formal sustainability assessment.
Number of jobs created &/or preserved
28.00
Comment : Number of jobs created &/or preserved
Approximately 20–25 temporary construction jobs and 2–3 indirect annual maintenance jobs
Please indicate the other various social impact of your Best Practice :
Preservation of living environment, Improvment of health conditions, Sustaining natural ecosystems
To which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) your Best Practice contributes?
SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG13: Climate Action, SDG15: Life on Land
The project demonstrates that sustainable drainage infrastructure can be successfully integrated within urban mobility facilities. Early coordination with utility operators is essential because underground services strongly influence SUDS design. Providing sufficient subsurface storage capacity and designing for extreme rainfall events increases system resilience. The integration of vegetation enhances environmental performance and public acceptance. Long-term maintenance planning is also important to preserve pavement permeability and hydraulic performance.
Have you any recommendation to add?
Replication should be considered in urban mobility facilities, public parking areas and other large impervious surfaces where runoff generation is significant. Successful implementation requires adequate land availability, favourable soil conditions, integration with urban planning processes, coordination with utility networks and long-term maintenance commitments. Design should be adapted to local rainfall conditions and storage requirements, and should incorporate monitoring and maintenance protocols to ensure long-term performance.
Please indicate the acronyms of used &/or developed technologies/Tools:
Nature based process, Soil infiltration, Sustainable Drainage Systems, Others