Barcelona to get floating desalination plant to help fight drought in northeastern Spain

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Regional authorities for Spain’s drought-stricken region of Catalonia say they will install a floating desalination plant to help the city of Barcelona guarantee its drinking water supply. Barcelona already relies on Europe’s largest desalination plant for domestic use to compensate over three years of below average rainfall. Now Spain’s second-largest city will get a temporary second desalination plant in its port in October. The reservoirs that serve 6 million people in central and northern Catalonia, including Barcelona, are now at 18% of their capacity. A regional official says the additional drinking water should help push back the need for tighter water restrictions in the fall.