The LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project adds another milestone with the start of the works for the recovery of the functionality of the Soto de Alfaro meander, in the town of the same name, in La Rioja. The intervention involves the reopening of river branches that promote the role of the meander as a fluvial space in situations of flooding of the Ebro River. This is a clear example of applying nature-based solutions to reduce the risk of flooding.
The proposed action, to be carried out by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE), corresponds to Zone 1 of the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project, projected in the section from Alfaro to Castejón (Navarra). In addition, it is part of the so-called Combined Actions Tranche: sum of shares such as the reconnection of meanders, the creation of relief channels, the recovery of old river branches and the enlargement of river space which, taken together, offer an overall benefit with respect to flood risk. and to the environmental condition of the river, measurable at the reach level.
Performance data
The proposal includes the recovery of lost river branches in an area of 60 hectares of meander.
They will act as irrigation channels for the undergrowth and will widen the space for the river. The recovery of the fluvial dynamics will allow the flows of the Ebro to enter the undergrowth with floods of 800 m3/s and not with the 1,200 m2/s that are necessary now, making the positive effect of the fluvial and floodplain space more effective and reducing the narrowing and erosion effects in the section.
Participation
The definition of the proposal has been done in parallel with the participation of stakeholders, through the stable channels defined by the LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 Project, in this case the co-creation group dedicated to Nature and Biodiversity, which includes the local population and other sectors involved and the technical representatives of the partners.
Thematic meetings and field visits have been held with them to learn about the intervention area, the reality of the wetland and other similar proposals for the recovery of river branches carried out in the same section.
This section also includes the morphological adaptation of the meander of La Roza, in Alfaro, La Rioja, an intervention in which only remains to complete the environmental restoration and planting being carried out by the Government of La Rioja and which includes the recovery of 22 hectares of river space and which has involved a defensive setback on one side, the creation of a relief channel and a wetland, all with the work of the CHE.
In addition, the hydraulic capacity of the railroad bridge has been improved in this section.
LIFE Project
The LIFE Ebro Resilience P1 project (LIFE20 ENV/ES/00327), approved by the European Commission in the LIFE 2020 call, covers three autonomous communities (La Rioja, Navarra and Aragón), has a duration of 6 years and a total budget of 13,310,350 €, with 55% European funding.
This project is also an example of institutional coordination and cooperation in the intervention section, its partners being the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through its companies TRAGSA and TRAGSATEC; the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation; the Government of La Rioja; the Government of Navarra, through Gestión Ambiental de Navarra, S.A. (GAN-NIK); the Government of Aragón and the Aragonese Water Institute.