Madrid faces growing pressure on its water systems, while companies investing in sustainable solutions are under increasing expectations to deliver measurable water impact. Key challenges include:

• Drought and drying waterways: Many streams dry up for most of the year, especially during summer, reducing water availability for ecosystems and urban greenery.

• Water scarcity from urban development: Expansion of streets, buildings, and paved areas prevents natural groundwater recharge, further limiting water resources.

• Lost stormwater: Rainwater is quickly diverted into sewers instead of replenishing local streams, turning a potential resource into waste.

• Poor water quality: Pollution and low water levels make the areas around streams less vibrant, reducing biodiversity and public amenity value.

• Climate pressures: Heatwaves, longer dry periods, and occasional heavy rainfall events put additional stress on urban water infrastructure.

• Corporate water stewardship: Companies face growing expectations to manage water responsibly, deliver measurable water replenishment, and meet sustainability or water-positive targets.

Why it matters: Restoring urban streams creates greener, cooler, and more resilient neighborhoods while enabling corporate partners to achieve measurable water stewardship and ESG outcomes.

To address Madrid’s drying streams, lost stormwater, and poor water quality — while helping corporate partners achieve water stewardship goals — FieldFactors, with the City of Madrid and Microsoft, is implementing a large-scale rainwater harvesting and replenishment system at Solana de Valdebebas.

This solution transforms stormwater into a measurable local water resource that benefits both the city and corporate sustainability commitments:

• Rainwater capture: Collects runoff from rooftops, streets, and public spaces, turning lost stormwater into a valuable local resource.

• Water treatment: Cleans rainwater naturally using plants and filter media, improving water quality and ecosystem health.

• Stream replenishment: Returns treated water to the Valdebebas stream, restoring natural flow and supporting corporate water-positive commitments.

• Digital monitoring: Tracks water volumes, quality, and system performance in real time, enabling verified, data-driven ESG reporting.

• Innovative practices: Collaborates with research partners to apply nature-based stormwater treatment, remove pollutants, and create a replicable model for sustainable urban water management.

This project shows how public-private collaboration and innovative stormwater solutions can deliver measurable impact for cities, communities, and corporate partners, while providing a scalable example for other urban developments.

Key points: collection, retention, treatment, replenishment, monitoring

BlueBloqs creates a circular water system using five simple steps:

1. Collection: Rainwater from rooftops, streets, and public spaces is captured before entering the sewer network, creating a local water resource.

2. Retention: Water is stored temporarily in green infrastructure like bio-swale and permeable surfaces. This holds more water and slows its flow naturally, supporting local water resilience.

3. Nature-based treatment: The captured water is cleaned using our nature-based process to remove pollutants. This makes the water safe for reuse in replenishing streams.

4. Replenishment: Treated water is returned to the Valdebebas stream, restoring flow and improving water quality. Some water can also be reused locally, reducing reliance on traditional freshwater sources.

5. Smart monitoring — BlueBloqs integrates 24/7 monitoring and smart controls that provide:

   • Real-time tracking of water capture, treatment, storage, and reuse

   • Verified water replenishment outcomes for credible reporting

   • Data-driven insights on system performance and project KPIs

   • Reliable operation ensuring consistent water replenishment

   This allows companies to demonstrate credible, data-driven water stewardship while contributing to sustainable urban development.

💡 Watch this video on our product page. See how BlueBloqs turns stormwater into a measurable local water resource, with a clear, step-by-step animated explanation.

Rain2River shows how one collaborative project can deliver shared value for cities, communities, and corporate partners.

For the city of Madrid
Rain2River restores urban streams, strengthens ecosystems, and improves climate resilience:

• Restore stream flow: Treated rainwater replenishes the Valdebebas stream, supporting continuous flow and ecosystem health.

• Enhance biodiversity: Greener, water-rich areas along waterways provide habitats for plants and animals, strengthening ecological corridors.

• Cooler urban areas: Flowing water and greenery reduce heat and create more comfortable outdoor spaces for residents.

• Prevent flooding: Captures stormwater before it reaches sewers, lowering flood risks from urbanization and impervious surfaces.

• Foster sustainable urban living: Integrates rainwater reuse and stream restoration to create balanced and resilient water systems.

For the Solana de Valdebebas development
The project delivers scalable and climate-resilient water management for residents:

• Sustainable stormwater management: Covers 1,091,140 m², capturing up to 200 million liters of stormwater annually.

• Support for residents: Provides 1,393 residential units with reliable water supply and climate-resilient infrastructure.

• Replicable model: Demonstrates a scalable nature-based approach that can be applied to future urban developments in Madrid and beyond.

• Innovation through collaboration: Partnerships with the City of Madrid, UPM’s G-Aqua Research Group, and Microsoft ensure advanced treatment, water quality monitoring, and regulatory compliance.

For corporate partners (including Microsoft)
The project enables measurable ESG impact, scalable water stewardship, and strategic corporate goals:

• Showcase project: Combines digital monitoring with nature-based solutions to manage local water resources effectively.

• Water stewardship & neutrality: Captures, treats, and replenishes local water to contribute to corporate water-positive commitments.

• Data-driven insights: Provides 24/7 monitoring of KPIs, water volumes, treatment quality, and system performance, enabling clear understanding of the project’s effectiveness.

• Verified ESG impact: Transparent reporting supports sustainability reporting, SDG alignment, and credible stakeholder communication.

• Community & environmental benefits: Supports urban water resilience, strengthens local ecosystems, and fosters positive public-private collaboration.

• Year: 2025

• Customer: City of Madrid and Junta de Compesación Solana de Valdebebas

• Partners: Microsoft

• Catchment: 1,091,140 m²

• Replenished volume water: 200.000 m³/year

• Project phase: Under development (design & engineering)