The Government of Aragon, through the Aragonese Water Institute and within the framework of the Ebro Resilience Strategy to reduce the risk of flooding in the middle stretch of the Ebro, concluded the works in the Alcalá de Ebro – Remolinos – Luceni and Torres de Berrellén- Sobradiel sections, both in the province of Zaragoza.
These last two municipalities were the object of an institutional visit on February 23 to highlight the importance of the interventions to guarantee the safety of the towns and the institutional coordination between the partners. The Minister of the Environment and Tourism, Manuel Blasco, the director of the Aragonese Water Institute (IAA), Luis Estaún, and the Water Commissioner of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, Miriam Pardos, attended the visit, together with the mayors of the towns.
These are sections 7 and 9 of the Strategy and their objective is to increase the level of protection of the inhabited nuclei, since these municipalities are located in an area catalogued as having a high probability of flooding and an area of significant risk.
This important intervention will reduce the economic, social and personal costs suffered during and after flood episodes.
The works have involved an investment of 4.6 million euros and the Aragonese government has received funding from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (NextGeneration EU) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
In both sections, in addition to the protection actions, environmental restoration has been carried out with the planting of riparian species and hydroseeding.
Performance section 7
The action executed in the Alcalá de Ebro-Remolinos-Luceni section, with a budget of 1,845,467 euros, increases the level of protection by preventing flooding of urban centers for floods with a return period of 25 years and reducing the impact on agricultural estates.
It has focused on a stretch of about 11 km, in the course of the Ebro between the areas of El Camponuevo and Los Morerales, in the municipalities of Luceni, Tauste, Pedrola, Remolinos and Alcalá de Ebro.
The works have included the elimination of several existing defenses on the left bank of the municipalities of Remolinos, Alcalá de Ebro and Luceni; the construction of two safety dikes in the municipality of Alcalá de Ebro and a ditch-dike, as a containment in Remolinos.
In addition, a path has been adapted as a defense and restoration and improvement measures will be carried out on the riverbank vegetation to favor a restoration compatible with the river dynamics.
Performance section 9
The action designed for the Torres de Berrellén-Sobradiel section has a budget of 2,846,273 euros. The objective is to increase the level of protection by preventing flooding of the urban centers of Torres de Berrellén and Sobradiel for floods with a return period of 25 years. In addition, the improvement in the flow of water that is achieved will prevent flooding in 10-year return period floods of agricultural plots that have been affected up to now.
It has been carried out on 7.5 km of riverbed and consisted of the elimination of two sections of motes on the right bank and the burying of the ditch in the Mejana del Tambor for a length of 300 meters.
It also includes the execution of perimeter closures in Torres de Berrellén and Sobradiel and the implementation of measures for the restoration and improvement of riparian vegetation to favor a restoration compatible with river dynamics.
Participation and coordination
Prior to the drafting of the project and its execution, the Government of Aragon held public conferences to share information with the riverside population. The involvement of the territory and information on the projects is one of the maxims of the Ebro Resilience Strategy.
A total of 260 kilometers of river length, divided into sections, are being studied in the scope of intervention. The main priority of these studies is to evaluate the current protection of urban centers for floods with a return period equal to or less than 25 years.
In addition to this main objective, potential damage in non-urban areas will be studied for floods with a return period of 10 years, as well as other additional objectives specific to each section (essential services, communication routes, environmental values, protected species, etc.).
The Strategy involves the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation and the Autonomous Communities of Aragon, La Rioja and Navarre, working together to implement the selected measures.
