Water Problems and Solutions in Spain

by

Professor J. Gonzalez-Lopezand

Professor M.V. Martinez-Toledo

Universidad de Granada. (SPAIN)

THE WORLD

EUROPE

Modelo digital del terreno de Europa. Fuente: U.S. Geological Survey’s EROS Data Center

TEMPERATUREANUAL RAINFALL

ANUAL POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION HUMIDITY INDEX

SPAIN

Spanish Main Problems

SCARCITY

IRREGULAR DISTRIBUTION IN

SPACE

EXTREMAL EVENTS:

DROUGHTS & FLOODS

IRREGULAR DISTRIBUTION IN

TIME

SCARCITY

DIFFICULT DEVELOPMENT

AQUIFERS OVEREXPLOITATION

DESERTITATION

MANY OTHERS...

IRREGULAR DISTRIBUTION IN

SPACE

ANUAL AVERAGE RAINFALL (mm)

IRREGULAR DISTRIBUTION IN

SPACE

AVERAGE ARIDITY INDEX

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Ene Feb Mar Abr May Jun Jul Ago Sep Oct Nov Dic

Q(

m3/

s)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Ene Feb Mar Abr May Jun Jul Ago Sep Oct Nov Dic

Q(

m3/

s)

River Ródano, Beaucaire (Francia) 1990-97 except year 91

River Guadiaro, San Pablo de Buceite (España).1990-96

ANUAL RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION IN SPAIN

IRREGULAR DISTRIBUTION

IN TIME

Fuete: CEDEX

IRREGULAR DISTRIBUTION

IN TIME

PRECIPITACION ANUAL EN GRANADA

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1902

1905

1908

1911

1914

1917

1920

1923

1926

1929

1932

1935

1938

1941

1944

1947

1950

1953

1956

1959

1962

1965

1968

1971

1974

1977

1980

1983

1986

1989

1992

1995

1998

465 mm

INTERANUAL VARIATION

EXTREMAL EVENTS:

DROUGHTS & FLOODS

1995 Rhine flood

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

8/01

15/0

1

22/0

1

29/0

1

5/02

12/0

2

19/0

2

days

m3/

s

Hidrograma de la avenida de 1995 en el Rhin. Fuente:

German Ministry for the Environment, 1996.

Almanzora flood, 19 October 1973

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4

hours

m3/s

Hidrograma del río Almanzora en

Almería, España durante la avenida

del 19 de Octubre de 1973. Fuente: MIMAM, 1998

Fuete: CEDEX

FLOODS

Tous Dam Break, (1982). 550mm/24h, Qin max=10,000m3/s Qout max=15,000m3/s, 8 deaths.

EXTREMAL EVENTS: DROUGHTS

& FLOODS

DROUGHTS

Aracena Dam, (Huelva), 1995

What can we do with this problem?

A.- Leave such a “horrible” country and move to a more comfortable land

B.- Stay and enjoy our “paradise” but “fighting against the Gods”

C.- Just drink some WINE, have a “SIESTA” and wait for a better weather

What can we do with this problem?

A.- Leave such a “horrible” country and move to a more comfortable land

B.- Stay and enjoy our “paradise” but “fighting” against the Gods

C.- Just drink some WINE, have a “SIESTA” and wait for a better weather

Spanish Hydraulic Works through the HISTORY

Roman Empire

• Water supply, industry, irrigation and navigation

• Small dams but with regulation capacity

• Examples:

II

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

• Toledo: Alcantarilla (17) + 40 km

• Mérida: Proserpina (19) & Cornalvo (24) +

10km

• Cádiz: 75 km

• Granada: Barcinas + 10km

• Itálica: 37 km

• Córdoba: 15 km

• Segovia: 12 km

• Tarragona.

• Ponferrada: 100 km

Germanic Tribes

• more pasture than agriculture

• not new hydraulics works

• hydraulic development stopped

II

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

Arabs & Christians

• water as a valuable natural resource

• agriculture (great development) and gardens

• water distribution more than water regulation

• use of Roman structures

• origin of the traditional Spanish irrigation systems

II

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

• Granada: Alhambra and Generalife

• Zaragoza: Almonacid Dam (30)

• Albacete: Almansa Dam (15-21)

Habsburg´s Dynasty

• new Hydraulic Works in Levante and Ebro´s Area

• use of rivers for navigation purposes

• hundreds of new projects

II

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

• „Canal Imperial de Aragón“

• Huesca: Arguis Dam (1687, 23m)

• Castilla Channel (beginning)

• Alicante: Tibi Dam (1580, 46m)

• Transfers to Murcia (project)

BORBONES´ DINASTY

• navigation channels as first objective all across the country

• still using Roman structures (repaired) and new ones

• lots of large dams

II

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

• Madrid: Gasco Dam (1787, 91m but destroyed with only 50m)

• Alicante: Relleu Dam (1653,32m )

• Murcia: Puentes Dam (1785,50m)

• Zaragoza: Mezalocha Dam (1719, 45m)

• Castilla Channel (cont.)

S. XIX

• great development after Independence War

• trains substitute navigation channels

• 1799: Cuerpo de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos and ist “Technical Highest School”

• 1864 first “global” planification

• 1866: first Law of Water

• 1870. Law of channels and reservoirs

II

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

• Madrid: El Villar Dam (1873, 50m)

•Murcia:Valdeinfierno Dam (1785-1806,49m)

S. XX

• 1902 General Plan of Irrigation Channels and Reservoirs (205 new hydraulics works but without a general organisation)

• 1926 creation of the “Hydrografic Confederations”

• 1936-1939 Civil War

• 1933 and 1940 National Plans of Hydraulic Works

• 1967-1978 Transfer Tajo-Segura

• 1985 Present Law of Water

• Enormous developmentII

IV

VI

X

VIII

XII

XIV

XVI

XX

XVIII

XXII

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

Capac

idad a

cumula

da de

embal

se (hm

3 )

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Núme

ro acu

mulad

o de p

resas

Capacidad

Número

... And, what do we have TODAY?

WATER RESOURCES

DAMS

GROUNDWATER EXPLOITATION

TRANSFERS

DESALINIZATION

WATER RE-USE

WATER RESOURCES

DAMS

GROUNDWATER EXPLOITATION

TRANSFERS

DESALINIZATION

WATER RE-USE

MORE THAN 1,200 LARGE DAMS IN SPAIN

WATER RESOURCES

DAMS

GROUNDWATER EXPLOITATION

TRANSFERS

DESALINIZATION

WATER RE-USE

Fuete: CEDEX

AQUIFERS-RESERVOIRS SYSTEMS

WATER RESOURCES

DAMS

GROUNDWATER EXPLOITATION

TRANSFERS

DESALINIZATION

WATER RE-USE

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Júca

r

Seg

ura

Bal

eare

s

Can

aria

s

Gua

dalq

uivi

r

Sur

Gua

dian

a

Ebr

o

C. I

. Cat

aluñ

a

Nor

te

Gal

icia

Cos

ta

Due

ro

Taj

o

hm3 /a

ño

0

0,1

0,2

0,3

0,4

0,5

0,6

Reutilización actual

Reutilización previsible

Reut. Previs. / Dem. Abast.

Volúmen total de reutilización previsible en España (2º horizonte de los Planes Hidrológicos de cuenca): 1.100 Hm3/año : (CEDEX)

Fuete: CEDEX

WATER RESOURCES

DAMS

GROUNDWATER EXPLOITATION

TRANSFERS

DESALINIZATION

WATER RE-USE

Mapa de municipios con instalaciones de desalación para abastecimiento urbano

Agua de mar Uso urbano 89 hm3/añoUso agrícola 5 hm3/año

Agua salobre Uso urbano y turístico 29 hm3/añoUso industrial 40 hm3/añoUso agrícola 58 hm3/año

Distribución por usos de las aguas desaladas marinas y salobres. Total: unos 220 Hm3/año

Fuete: CEDEX

DESALINIZATION INSTALLATIONS

WATER RESOURCES

DAMS

GROUNDWATER EXPLOITATION

TRANSFERS

DESALINIZATION

WATER RE-USE

GALICIA COSTA

GUADIANA II

CANARIAS

NORTE I

NORTE II

4

DUERO

CEUTA

6

GUADIANA I

4

GUADALQUIVIR

4

TAJO

10 287

SUR

7

MELILLA

NORTE III

EBRO

190

225

SEGURA

30

JUCAR

55

53C.I. DE CATALUÑA

BALEARES

0 1 0 0 2 0 0 K m

N

Main Current Tranfers in Spain (average anual values hm3)

Fuete: CEDEX

346000

111000

9990

4300070000

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

Hm

3

RAINFALL RUNOFF NAT. REG. RESERVOIRS REG. MAXIMUNRESERVOIRS

SPANISH FRESH WATER RESOURCES

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Portugal

España

Francia

Italia

Grecia

UE

Uso urbano

Uso industrial

Uso agrícola

Uso energético

Fuete: CEDEX

... Is the problem solved, or we have

to keep on working

TOMORROW?

IN THE NEXT DECADE WE HAVE TO DO...

PLAN HIDROLÓGICO NACIONAL

PLAN NACIONAL DE REGADÍOS

NEW LAW ABOUT FLOOD RISK PROTECTION

NEW REGULATIONS ABOUT DAM SAFETY

EUROPEAN ENVIRONTMENTAL POLICY

AUTONOMIC COMUNITIES´ HYDRAULIC WORKS

CONCLUSSIONS

Thank you for your attention