Case study:La Gotera dam removal

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Location: 42° 44' 13.02" N, 5° 38' 40.63" W

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Environmental flows and water resources, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydropower, Hydromorphology
Country	Spain
Main contact forename	Francisco Martínez
Main contact surname	Capel
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Image of the removal works of La Gotera dam. Photo Credits: Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing, Food and Environment (MAPAMA).

Project summary

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The Works of removal started in September 2011 by the Duero River Basin District and within the framework of the National Strategy of River Restoration (NSRR).

The slope between the river and the banks required the construction of a ramp so that the machines could access to the river. Due to the impossibility of removing the material from the ramp once the work was finished, material from other restoration activities in other river reaches was used. The native vegetation of the area was respected during the works of removal. In addition, it will serve to fix the ramp that allows the approach of the machines to the river.

Prior to the removal, a capture of the fish specimens located upstream of the dam was performed and subsequently released in the same river away from the intervention. A high abundance of fish was observed.

A volume of 1,068 m3 of debris was removed during the works. The concrete from the bypass channel and the dam was removed in the last phase of the work. All elements that are strange to the river like the concrete or metallic remains were removed from the river and moved to authorized dump sites.

With this removal, 15 kilometers of river that previously were interrupted by the dam has been reconnected. Barely a month after the removal of the obstacle, the river has recovered its natural course

Monitoring surveys and results

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The information regarding the monitoring of La Gotera dam removal is very scarce. A study was carried out prior to the demolition of the dam and another one a year later. Three points were sampled: a reference point upstream the dam, other near the dam wall and a third one downstream the dam. The fish samplings yielded no significant results. However, all macroinvertebrate indices did show an improvement, especially in the sampling point downstream of the dam.

Lessons learnt

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The removal of this dam is an example that the performance of these actions, together with the availability of an adequate flow, generates good results in a short period of time.

It will be the river with its high flows that finally does the restoration work. The river mobilizes the sediments naturally the year after the removal

Image gallery

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Invasive species present Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description http://europe.wetlands.org/publications/river-fragmentation-analysis-spain/ A link on the Wetlands International website to a document that describes the project. http://www.ecohidraulica.com/ All information on this page is copied from the document mentioned above which is written by Ecohidráulica, S.L. Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information References Headwaters Economics (2016). Dam removal: case studies on the Fiscal, Economic, Social and Environmental benefits of dam removal. Industrial Economics Inc. (2015). Economic & Community Benefits from Stream Barrier Removal Projects in Massachusetts (MA). Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, Division of Ecological Restoration. Ollero Ojeda, A. (2015). Guía metodológica sobre buenas prácticas en restauración fluvial. Manual para gestores. Rodríguez Muñoz, I., Santillán Ibáñez, JI., Huertas, R. (2011). Excursión del I Congreso Ibérico de Restauración de Ríos. León.