Public and private pools to be entitled to be filled if open to everyone

The Catalan government is expected to give its go-ahead for public and private swimming pools to be filled and refilled if they are open to everyone.

As 'El Periódico' daily first published and the Catalan News Agency (ACN) confirmed on Saturday, the executive will approve some legislation next Tuesday a measure that seeks to ease the effects of summer boiling temperatures across the country while taking into account the drought situation Catalonia is going through.

Municipal swimming pools, as well as those of sports clubs, hotels, campsites, or residential buildings will be able to get water for the summer months if they act as 'climate shelters,' that is, as places where people can use to better go through the hottest hours of the day in the upcoming season.

Also, these sites will have to put forward measures to save water in their activity to compensate the consumption – at the moment, the reservoirs in Catalonia's internal basins are at 17.9% of their capacity.

According to government sources, the local councils will be the ones deciding what pools can be considered as climate shelters – those outside the list will not be able to be filled.

People in charge of community pools will be allowed to charge a fee for the public to use them.

Water consumption limit for tourists

The decree is also expected to set a limit on water consumption for tourists staying in municipalities surpassing the limits set in the drought-related restrictions for three months in a row.

In these cases, local councils will have to oblige their tourist accommodations to limit visitors' consumption to 115 liters per person in exceptionality situation, and 100 liters per person in emergency situation, the current status of Barcelona's metropolitan area.