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Ebro Hydrographic Confederation

Ebro Hydrographic Confederation
Water Information Network
http://oph.chebro.es
http://www.chebro.es
Paseo de Sagasta, 24-26
50006 Zaragoza
Tfno. 976 71 10 42
Fax: +34 976 23 43 06
D. José Luis Alonso Gajón, presidente

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Water integrated management

Surface water and groundwater

  • The Water Law defines water as a unitary resource. Establishing an identity of nature and function between surface water and groundwater, which, together, must be subordinate to public interest and in the service of the nation.
  • Hydrological Plan of the Ebro Basin considers the relationship and interdependence between superciales water, groundwater and discharges into the sea.
  • Apply joint management of water. For which it has a number of steps to identify the available water resources, surface and groundwater.
  • It also enhances the awareness and use of groundwater and announced an intensification of the hydrogeological investigation.

 

Water protection and environmental dimension

The plan, according to the Water Act, intended. among other objectives, to rationalize water use in harmony with the environment and other natural resources. This incorporates a broad set of environmental standards.

Water quality

  • The control and the fight against water pollution is a major challenge for those responsible for the environment. health and water policy in the Ebro basin
  • In this respect the Plan seeks to improve water quality in the basin, mainly in the valley of the Ebro, to combat harmful discharges and encourage recycling and reuse of resources.
  • The Plan sets the requirements for water quality depending on the uses and sets quality objectives for all rivers in the basin, open water bodies, groundwater and sensitive areas in a coherent and achievable.
  • He points out the guidelines and criteria for treatment and discharge proceedings, defines the planned reuse of effluent and adopts the rules of existing discharges.
  • It addresses the issue of salinity, proposes a series of studies and analysis and a set of solutions aimed to reduce the effects of salinity.
  • Poses a quality control plan of water, which is based on the adequacy of the network COCA and the intensification of selective sampling and routine analysis.

Environmental flows

  • Hydrological Plan of the Ebro Basin provides an allocation of allowances for a minimum circulating flows are insured for environmental recovery.
  • It provides for the setting of minimum flows for environmental segments is made according to channel and uses of these sections, targeting environmental maintenance of the dynamics of the current ecosiitemas or, when considered degraded, of his recovery.

Perimeter protection and the conservation and recovery of the resource and its environment

  • The Plan highlights the need for a Master Plan for use and management for reservoirs more significant, the assumption of the National Wetlands Inventory (which includes over five hundred wetlands in the basin of the Ebro), and rules for the protection of natural spaces and flora and fauna.
  • Determine priority criteria for delineating protection zones in the wetlands and lakes and ponds important for bird populations or their biological richness, showing listings of reservoirs, wetlands and unique spaces to be protected.
  • Assume protected natural areas declared by the Autonomous Communities.
  • Promote the development of groves and plantations of trees on the banks of rivers and make an inventory of the groves. galachos and wooded riparian areas.
  • It includes the need to conduct the environmental assessment of critical infrastructure are planned.

Soil conservation and forest plan

  • Hydrological Plan of the Ebro Basin is in charge of the National Forest Restoration within its scope. It also assumes the Central Land Plan in regard to the fight against erosion.
  • It takes what they have planned the competent authorities, focusing specifically on the conditions that these plans may pose to the water environment and infrastructure.

Risk situations management

Protectiona agains floods

  • The Plan pays more attention to flooding by runoff or overflow channels Avenue.
  • Advocates for intensified prevention and introduces the concept of this flood zone. Identifies and ranks the flooded areas of the basin, provides them a sort of land uses and constraints of uses and hydrological studies of flood and waterlogging.
  • Within this preventive strategy, the Plan gives priority watersheds analysis by stating that there will be a hydrological study of each river system floods generator, with specific attention to the snowmaking factor, apart from reviewing the actual flows related to road infrastructure and hydraulics.
  • He decrees that all newly constructed reservoir has a flood study and an Emergency Plan.
  • Out a program of structural measures aimed at reducing the level of damage that could cause floods and to protect certain areas associated with the channels.
  • In order to prediction, monitoring and control of avenues available to the Automatic Hydrological Information System (AHIS).

Fight against floods

  • The plan faces hydrological drought situations by defining a set of standards for emergency situations, notably the existence of a reserve of water use and an action program which enable adequate management of critical resources.
  • In these extreme situations in the reservoirs will be established as a priority, the reserve requirement to ensure the supply of the populations.
  • In addition, develop specific standards of performance, such as reducing hours, reducing the pressure, prohibition of certain uses, as well as adequate systems of control of it.

 

Resources uses

Uses and demands

  • The Plan devoted to the study significant Attention of the use of available resources, subjecting to criticism the current Exploitation.
  • Analyze existing demands, objective endowments, fixed minimum efficiency levels and reveals the imbalances of balance demands / supplies. highlighting the excessive demands and any surplus.
  • Also, make forecasts for the future.
  • This study was performed for different uses of water depending on destination, including volumes and minimum ecological conditions.
  • The Plan proposes a proactive and voluntary to be dominating the consumption of water in rivers and they perform better water management in all uses and demands.
  • Fixing the maximum amounts for these uses and establishes criteria for assurance of supply.
  • Special mention goes to irrigation, which pose the greatest demand in the basin, 86 OO l of the total, with 6,700 hectometres year to 780,000 hectares of irrigated land.
  • The Plan clearly establishes maximum amounts of irrigation for different irrigated areas of the basin, one by one, and stretches of river systems, for an overall efficiency of at least 60 by 1OO, considered in making the main channel.

Priority and compatibility

The Plan defines, according to Water Law of 1985, a priority of uses:

  • Urban supplies
  • Irrigation and agricultural uses.
  • Industrial uses for nergy production.
  • Other industrial uses.
  • Acuiculture.
  • Recreation.
  • Navigation.
  • Other uses.
  • Besides these uses, the Plan specifies that the minimum environmental flows must be respected in all future grants, except the supply, establishing progressively by stretches of rivers.
  • Maintaining this flow environment in the Ebro Delta is more than 3,000 hectometres year.
  • Established as a limited use of safeguards flood control dams, which are respected in all the reservoirs are built and tend to their implementation in existing reservoirs successively.
  • The Plan sets a preference order of uses, placing first those most useful and general public, followed by introducing technical improvements that result in lower consumption of water and that cause the least negative environmental condition.
  • It also addresses the issue of compatibility of uses, so as to allow maximum use simultaneous or successive resource and public water itself, prompting for the water economy.

Resource allocation and reservation

  • Prior to the proposal of the Hydrological Plan of the Ebro Basin includes some assignments and standby arrangements, including the Water Agreement horn of Aragon, the Pact Piñana, Itoir reserve, the reserve for the envelopes of the canal of Aragon and Catalonia, subject to the regulations, to establish at the head of the Ebro basin and basin Pull Nela, as well as the requirements for protection of wetlands and natural areas.
  • With these commitments, the Plan has been ordered and distributed resources obtained with the regulations after reaching agreements with users.
  • In each case concerns the allocation and reservation for the satisfaction of claims, present and future, with the maximum obtained from the application of simulation models of exploitation.
  • The allocation and reserve is established by boards of exploitation.
  • The Plan organizes the allocation of resources and reserves available for the projected applications to the horizon of ten years, Board by Board. The same holds for the horizon of twenty years.
  • For each of the seventeen Boards Exploitation described in detail the allocation of resources currently available, the additional and new regulations from the planned target defined uses.

Standards exploitation

  • Hydrological Plan of the Ebro Basin declares its subject to the schedules of different sectors requiring water. This formalizes a wide range of rules intended to ensure better utilization of the resource in the major uses and exploitation.
  • So develop basic standards for improvements and changes in irrigation on energy use and recharge and aquifer protection. At the same time defines the guidelines for grants and review.
  • With regard to irrigation and agricultural uses, the Plan will conform to the National Irrigation Plan, when approved, modifications or adaptations to pursue in the areas for improvement with a series of actions concretas.Además, specifies the areas likely to change in irrigation in the horizons of the Plan.
  • Notes the requirements of feasibility studies of new irrigation systems, set the selection criteria of change, specific information systems should incorporate irrigation and drainage networks and specifies the need for improvements or renovations to provide a environmental assessment.
  • The Plan aims to throughout this regulation more efficient water use, the adequacy of provisions and supplies to the improved management of irrigation systems.
  • With regard to energy use, the Plan essentially posits explore possibilities for implementation of hydropower leveraging existing reservoirs and by building contraembalses.
  • Emphasis is placed on coordinating efforts with the Energy Administration, in collaboration with users hydroelectric and the need for guidelines for new uses and existing plants comply with the minimum ecological flow.
  • The Plan considers the development of the White Paper Groundwater, which will be taken into account in relation to the Ebro basin, for incorporation into the Water Plan.
  • It sets standards for the operation of the hydrogeological units, the study of overexploited aquifers and the definition of protection zones, an issue that extends to the supplies and catchments for areas of special ecological, scenic, cultural or economic.
  • Determines that each concession adequately justified the water needs, the required annual flow and its modulation during the year, in addition to the economic viability of harvesting.
  • Points to the terms and conditions necessary for granting concessions in hydropower plants, in irrigation and groundwater.

Infrastructure and key actions

As a result of the demands for all concepts, practices and current and future exploitation-, has to address the basin's hydraulic system, allocated and reserved in the Plan defines a series of basic infrastructure necessary to serve them.

Correspond to the following groups:

Basic infrastructures of the Plan

  • Regualtions
  • Urban supplies
  • Sanitation and depuration
  • Fenders and packaging of channels.
  • Modernization and improvement of existing irrigation.
  • New irrigation
  • Performances hydrological and forest margins.
  • Energy exploitation
  • Performances in groundwater
  • Information and control network.

The actual development of the works will be adjusted, if appropriate, to the relevant sectoral planning. Nothing is held not to be sued by the industry itself and respecting the legitimate rights of the parties involved and society as a whole.

In addition to the infrastructure program, the Plan directs a series of actions to undertake basic, such horn considering the following:

Plan key actions:

  • Adaptation and modulation of flow rates.
  • Adequacy of the exploitation of consumptive hydroelectric dams.
  • Hydraulic heritage conservation.
  • Performances of land restitution.
  • Dam safety.
  • Rights affected by the implementation of minimum environmental flows.
  • Integration of user communities.
  • Studios programme and technical and administrative work.

Establishing, finally, that regulation works in the development of a plan before the restitution of land that goes parallel to, horn and a compensation plan to those affected.

Water information management

The Automatic Hydrological Information System (SAIH) implanted in the basin responds to the need to rationalize and streamline resource management, improving the processes operating on three fundamental objectives:

SAIH objetives

  • To inform automatically providing real time data on climatic, hydrologic and hydraulic infrastructure status of the watershed.
  • To prevent short-term changes in levels and flows in rivers and reservoirs, automatically alerting in case of flood risk.
  • To manage an integrated operation of reservoirs and pipelines and canals of the basin through the instant knowledge of the availability of water resources.

To meet these objectives has had a network of telemetry and remote control that transmits and processes all captured variables.

354 points up this network of control or remote stations, 12 points of concentration and an operations center or processing center of Cuenca.

It complements all Network Automatic Alert Water Pollution. This network, composed of automatic stations located strategically appropriate river points, provides continuous monitoring of the water.

The automatic stations have their own characteristics based on measurement and data transmission in real time in normally disadvantaged.

They performed continuous measurement of different parameters, provided the effect of analyzers. ancillary facilities and systems of remote data acquisition and advanced technology.

Plan management

  • The Water Act determines that management plans are public and binding, subject to periodic updating and revision justified.
  • Hydrological Plan is conceived Ebro Basin horn a dynamic and flexible, open to constant reformulation process and reasonable in light of the studies, analysis and contributions arising from day to day, within an economic, social and subject to profound cultural changes.
  • The Water Board may agree to review when deviations are observed in the data, assumptions or results of the plan so warrant. Also the Ministry of Environment may order an action reviewer.
  • In any case, Law is expected to carry out a full review and periodic plan eight years after approval.
  • The Council's Water Basin will be responsible for raising the Ministry reviews the plan, counting with technical support from the Office of Water Planning Agency.
  • Corresponds to the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation of the track plan. having to report on its development with intervals not exceeding one year, the Governing Board, the Board of Water and Environment Ministry.
  • Will be subject to special monitoring aspects of the Plan concerning the variation of available water resources, changes in consumption, the characteristics of water quality and remediation programs.
  • The Water Council is a collegial body of the Confederacy. It is chaired by the president of the Agency and includes representatives from the Central Administration of the State, the autonomous communities of users and technical services of the Agency.
  • The Plan encourages and stimulates the process of planning an active presence there of all the agents involved in the management of the River Basin under a participation, as the Assembly of Members, Private Boards, the Board of Works and desembalsando Commission.
  • The Confederation of subsidiarity expresses its vocation by invoking the private sector and other public officials to be involved in implementing projects and actions proposed in the Plan.
  • This, indeed, seeks to enhance sustainable development and spatial planning in the basin, but also among all citizens to promote greater awareness and environmental assessment, landscape and recreational resource and about their environment.

 

The great achievements of the plan

It is anticipated that the Hydrological Plan of the Ebro Basin, when executed step by step, with the necessary consensus in society, expressed through the Water Board, provide:

  • Population supply
  • Better management of water
  • An impulse to the productive activities
  • Conservation and regeneration of water ecosystems
  • A significant strengthening of the environmental
  • The minimization of conditions caused by dams
  • A more streamlined and decentralized settings Agency

With and eye towards in the future

  • Water is a natural element imprecindible for life. It is one of the property is unique to our planet. Its greatest treasure.
  • Life emerged from the water. Life goes on depending.
  • Substantial part of the living. Is essential for metabolism and fundamental component of human diet.
  • Water is necessary for most productive activities. For agricultural crops, livestock, industry and power generation. For personal health, sanitation and beautification of our cities.
  • Courses and water bodies, rivers and lakes, are creators of landscapes, ecosystems support a cause for human settlements, unifying territories. They are symbols of prosperity, manifestation of beauty, an expression of quality of life.
  • Water is also a guarantee for freedom and the autonomy of individuals and peoples. Expression of history and traditions. Generating cultural identity. Key to our future.
  • Water is public domain.
  • A rich heritage of all we need to protect and defend by an efficient and solidarity that respects the common good, which is in harmony with nature, which makes possible a future of hope for men and women in the territories of the basin. The best legacy for future generations.