• The Basque company will guarantee the supply of fresh water to 3 million Americans and a pump system that will save water and make more efficient use of natural resources in a valley in the antipodes

For great evils, great remedies. One of the most obvious consequences of climate change is the severe droughts that are affecting various areas of the planet. The city of Austin, Texas, and the Murray-Darling River Basin in Australia’s Riverland are two examples. Fortunately, the sustainable economy provides solutions to major problems.

Such as the Basque company Ingeteam, which at its Beasain facilities produces products such as pumps, motors or generators that are exported to the United States and Australia. In the first case, Ingeteam has been chosen as a technological partner in a “pioneering” project that will supply fresh water to 3 million citizens of the city of Austin (Texas), according to the company, which will be responsible for the supply of 9 Indar submersible pumping units that will guarantee the distribution of water in a “safe and environmentally friendly” way and will help to tackle the severe drought that has plagued the southwestern area of the USA in recent years.

The project consists of the installation of a raw water intake on Lake Travis, located on the Colorado River in Texas. This infrastructure has multilevel intake filters connected to a tunnel through which the water will be transported to a new 550 million liter per day pumping station. The pumped water will then reach the treatment plants, from where it will be distributed to the area’s population. In addition, a maintenance building will be constructed to house the chemical feed systems that will protect the infrastructure from invasive species and improve water quality prior to pumping. This regional supply solution is currently developing its second phase and is expected to start operations in early 2027.

Indar pumps in Australia

The second project involves the efficient use of water resources. Ingeteam will contribute to protecting and preserving the Murray-Darling river basin, thanks to the supply of an Indar pump system that will save water and make more efficient use of the area’s natural resources. This irrigation project, which will be used for horticulture, will take water from the Murray River and transfer it 7.5 km to be used to irrigate a new almond plantation in the state of South Australia. In this way, Ingeteam presents an innovative alternative that will help to guarantee a sustainable future for the local communities and will help to address the increasingly pressing water shortage in the south of the country.

The project has consisted of the design, manufacture and supply of 8 Indar low suction or inverter pumps that have incorporate a water-cooled submersible motor. By locating the suction system at the bottom, the equipment can more efficiently manage the water levels available during the intake process, even when these are at minimum levels.

The Indar units have been designed, manufactured and tested under real operating conditions in the test bench that Ingeteam has at its Beasain facilities and will form part of the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program (OFIEP) and within the Sustainable Water Use and Rural Infrastructure Program promoted by the Australian government and have recently been delivered.This is when this innovative solution with the capacity to gradually adjust to irrigation needs as the trees grow over time will be put into operation.