Presentation by Mr. Cifuentes, Guadalquivir River Basin Authority in Spain, during the 1st Indo-European Water Forum.

2. 2
Victor Juan Cifuentes Sanchez.
Head of Hydrological Planning Office
Guadalquivir River Basin Authority
The case of the Guadalquivir
River Basin in Spain
New Delhi, 24/11/2015
Indo-european Water Forum

3. 3
• Physical framework
• Main management features
• Tools for reconciling pressures and
environmental objectives
• The administrative framework and river
basin agency

4. 4
• Physical framework

5. The most southern of european great basins, spreads on 57.600 km2
Introducción
Guadalquivir basin
5

6. From the higher peaks of West Europe outside the Alps (3.481 m)

7. To sea level, at the wetlands of Doñana National Park

8. Geographycal & Geological framework
Introducción
La cuenca del Guadalquivir
400 km
80 km
180 km
8
Average rain: 560 mm. Average flow: 220 m3
/s. Mediterranean climate, with long, dry
summers. High variability: Recurrent floods and droughts.

9. Geographycal & Geological framework
Introducción
La cuenca del Guadalquivir
9
Right side: Impervious materials (granites, slates and gneiss). High run off.
Low baseflow.

10. Geographycal & Geological framework
Introducción
La cuenca del Guadalquivir
10
Left side :
Highlands: limestones and calcareous materials: acuifers, springs and high baseflow
Lowlands: gypsum and other salty materials. Natural bad quality, land prone to
salinization

11. 11
• Main basin management features

12. Diffuse pollution
(N: 11.738 Tn/y)
Petrochemical
industrial hub
Increasing use of
groundwater and no
regulated water
Water supply for
4 millions people
Big irrigated surface
(846.000 Ha)
Estuary management
(navigation, rice,
acuiculture)
Doñana
National Park
(Ramsar list
wetland)

13. FEATURE Total
Average rain 560 mm
Average flow 7.092 hm3
Big dams 48
Reservoir capacity 8.106 hm3
USES Total
Human Supply
(4,100.000 h.)
380 hm3
Irrigation (846.000
ha)
3.342 hm3
Industry
80 hm3
TOTAL
3.802
(956
subterr.)

14. Agriculture and Guadalquivir River Basin Management
Irrigated area 8.460 km2 Use of water 3.361 hm3 (85 % of total)

15. Olive trees cover 25% of the whole basin and for centuries
it has been a non irrigated crop. If irrigated it yields an
excellent crop with less than 2000 m3
/ha.
Since 1990, the irrigated surface has mounted from 50.000
ha to 500.000 ha. Most of this land uses high efficiency drip
systems, and a high % uses ground water or takes the
water in winter and store it in small dams in the propery
land (“selfregulacion”)

16. 16
This system “squeezes” the
basin and imposes a heavy toll
on aquifers and baseflow
Irrigation has promoted the
development and the
permanence of rural world,
but is a heavy burden that
can’t be increased
The modernization needs heavy investments and increases
the energy costs. As a result, needs less water but require
an stronger garantee.

17. • Garantee: the security of receiving the allocated water.
• In order to keep the garantee, the worst decenal shortage of
water must be:
– < 10 % of a year supply in human supply: fairly accomplished
– < 1 year supply in agriculture: far of being accomplished
• Worst accumulated 10 years shortage in irrigation is 6.550 hm3
.
Needs are 3.342 hm3
, so anual deficit is
(6550-3342)/10 = 313 hm3
,
313/3342 = 9,3 %
River basin management

18. 18
• Tools for reconciling pressures and
environmental objectives

19. Tools & strategies for dealing with water
shortage and reaching environmental aims
• Strict water use control
– No new water licenses for irrigation allowed
– Current license holders can increase their irrigated land
only if they modernize and save water, using 45 % of water
savings. The remaining 55 % can’t be used.
– The water police (guardería fluvial) patrols rivers and
aquifers, supported by remote sensing, in order to control
that everybody respect the basin agency prescriptions.

20. Tools & strategies for dealing with water
shortage and reaching environmental aims
• Strict comsumtion control (“guardería
fluvial”), including remote sensing.
• Modernization & policy changes
– 75% percent of surface have been
modernized in last ten years.
– The Hydrological Plan imposes high
efficiencies : 86 % for drips, 75 % for
sprinklers, 70 % for surface agriculture

21. Big irrigation zones: modernization, context changes an water saving
Average irrigation dose
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Campaña de riego
Dotacionm3/ha
5900 m3/ha
2650 m3/ha
4400 m3/ha
Drought
Increased energy cost
Cap reform
Modernization
Savings: 1500 m3/ha

22. Tools & strategies for dealing with water
shortage and reaching environmental aims
• Strict water use control (“guardería fluvial”),
including remote sensing.
• Modernization & policy changes
• Real time control of water management

23. Automatical System of Hydrological Information
 There is a basin control center that collects, transmits and displays data for
real time decission making (SCADA-based system)
 It’s a fundamental tool in floods events.
Allows a very efficient management of water supply to main users (irrigated
areas, urban supply and hydropower)
Redes automáticas de medida
SAIH
23

24. Based in 221
control points
Redes automáticas de medida
SAIH
24

25. Redes automáticas de medida
SAIHDisplays real time river flow
25

26. Displays real time rain maps, very usefull for
real time planning of reservoir releases
Redes automáticas de medida
SAIH
26

27. Redes automáticas de medida
SAIH
Real time management of
irrigation supply27

28. Redes automáticas de medida
Each irrigated area can very
closely monitored
SAIH
28

29. The control center allows a close control and monitoring of the whole
basin, both in real time and for studies purposes
Redes automáticas de medida
29

30. Tools & strategies for dealing with water
shortage and reaching environmental aims
• Strict water use control (“guardería
fluvial”), including remote sensing.
• Modernization & policy changes
• Centralised control of water management
• Drought monitoring, with an early
warning approach and inmediate
measures

31. Droughts
We should highlight the
1.991 a 1.995 drought: it
was four years long, and
the last year was the
worst
However, it had a
positive effect on the
management, as it
triggered the
developpment of the
drought plans
Aportación en la demarcación hidrográfica del Guadalquivir
The drought is a recurrent phenomenon in the mediterranean world: “everyday the
next drought is a day closer”

32. Droughts
At Guadalquivir river basin the main indicator in every system is its capacity to meet
the assigned demands.
In irrigation systems, the thresholds are based on the assumptipn that rain of next
three years rain will be equal o less than the percentil 5%. (20 years drought). :
•EARLY DROUGHT OR “PREALERT” (0,5 > Ie > 0,3). The system can’t
guarantee 3 years of supply
•MODERATE DROUGHT OR “ALERT” (0,3 > Ie > 0,15) The system can’t
guarantee 2 years of supply
•SEVERE DROUGHT OR “EMERGENCY” (Ie < 0,15) The system can’t guarantee
1 year of supply (at 60 %)
Human supply systems: the 100 years drought is used
Mixed systems have an intermediate treatment

33. Droughts
Measures to be taken in order to cope with droughts:
Normal state: Hydrological Planning
Early drought: Estrategical measures: checking & control of alternatives
sources of supply. Increase the public awarness. Water saving starts.
Moderate drought: tactical measures in order to cope with the scarcity.
Water rights trade. Water saving increases. Reduction of environmental flows
starts.
Severe drought: emergency measures in order to guarantee the supply.
Additionally, every town bigger than 20.000 should have an “drought special
plan” that defines all the measures to be taken at local scale (human supply)
in every state of the drought.

34. 34
Sevilla metropolitan area (1,4 mh)
Drought special plan

35. Droughts: Guadalquivir basin current situation
Drought indicator Guadalquivir. Oct 2004 - Oct 2015
0,00
0,10
0,20
0,30
0,40
0,50
0,60
0,70
0,80
0,90
1,00
0ct-2004Mar-2005Ago-2005
1_Ene-20065-jul-065-dic-062-may-073-oct-075-mar-086-ago-08
14-ene-093-jun-094-nov-097-abr-101-sep-102-feb-116-jul-117-dic-112-may-123-oct-126-mar-132-sep-134-feb-142-jul-142-dic-143-may-15
Ie
Emergencia
Alerta
Prealerta

36. Tools & strategies for dealing with water
shortage and reaching environmental aims
• Strict comsumtion control (“guardería
fluvial”), including remote sensing.
• Modernization & policy changes
• Centralised control of water management
• Drought monitoring, with early drought
warning and inmediate measures
• Environmental flows

37. Reconciling WFD objectives and water uses:
environmental flows.
• Spain has a legal
regulation
concerning
environmental flows
(“caudales
ecologicos”), based
on Instream Flow
Incremental
Methodology (IFIM)
•

38. Reconciling WFD objectives and water uses:
environmental flows.

39. 39
• The administrative framework and
river basin agency

40. Administrative Framework
Water is managed in Spain with an hidrographic basin approach since almost hundred
years ago. This model is becoming common elsewhere in the 21th century, specially in
Europe, where is compulsory since the entry in force of the Water Frame Directive (WFD)
La Confederación
Cuenca, regiones y provincias
40

41. Administrative Framework
Guadalquivir river basin spreads on four administrative regions, so its management is under the
responsability of Central Administration.
La Confederación
Cuenca, regiones y gestión
41

42. Administrative Framework
The Guadalquivir River Basin Authorithy (Confederación
Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir, CHG) was founded in 1927
and is the public corporation in charge of the whole
hydrological cicle, both superficial and subterranean
phases.
It’s an autonomous institution, so has its own legal
personalility, its own patrimony and income taxes, and
capacity for contracting its own debts or obligations.
Is participated by skateholders and users.
La Confederación
Estructura
42

43. La Confederación
43
The President is the ultimate basin authority.
 His decisions can only be appealed to the legal courts.
He is appointed by the central government, and is suportted by four
technical departments:

44. La Confederación
44
Granting and register of water rights and spilling licenses.
Water police and control. There is a water police (“guarderia
fluvial”) which is a public authority.
Management of monitoring networks.

45. La Confederación
45
 Planning, building, operation and manteinance of hydraulical public
works (dams, canals and alike)

46. La Confederación
46
General administration and human resources.
Accounting and economical management.
Informatics Services.
Legal Services.

47. La Confederación
47
Drafting, elaboration & follow up of Hydrological Plan.
Informing the compatibility with the Plan of every proposal
Development of management plans for overexploted aquifers

48. •Public participacion has a key role in
decission making.
• Users and skateholders (administrations,
irrigators, industrials, environmental
organisations, trade unions, etc) are
present in several boards
La Confederación
de los usiuarios
48
Public participation
 Governing Board: decission
making, budget.
 Water Council. Approval of the
Hydrological Plan.
 Damwater Releases Commision:
planning of filling and releasing of
reservoirs and aquifers.
 Waterworks boards. Coordination
of management of resources and
public works of rivers and aquifers
whose uses are closely linked
.

49. Thank youThank you
for yourfor your
attentionattention
49Córdoba. Q = 2.000 mCórdoba. Q = 2.000 m33
/s/s