Case study:The Manzanares River Restoration: Demolition of an obsolete dam and riverine ecosystem rehabilitation

This case study is pending approval by a RiverWiki administrator.

Approve case study

 

0.00

(0 votes)

To discuss or comment on this case study, please use the discussion page.

Location: none specified

Edit location

Project overview

Edit project overview

Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes
Country	Spain
Main contact forename	CHTajo
Main contact surname	CHTajo
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

This case study hasn’t got a picture, you can add one by editing the project overview.

Project summary

Edit project overview to modify the project summary.

During the decade of the 40s, a small dam (9 meters high, 23 meters width) was built in the Manzanares River, in a site placed inside the Regional Park, in order to supply water to the village –Manzanares del Real- located few kilometers downstream. Year by year the dam has accumulated such a big quantity of sediments coming from the granite banks and slopes that at the end of the century it was completely full of sand, in such a way that it became useless. The main target was to give back to the river the natural features it had before the dam construction and to recover the longitudinal and transversal continuity. The river basin authority, that belongs to the Spanish Ministry of Environment -Confederación Hidrográfica del Tajo- in collaboration with other authorities (the local Council and the Madrid Autonomous Community), stated as an achievement this dam removal, in order to solve the problems the structure was inducing in the riverine ecosystem. The project has a total budget of 450.000€.

Monitoring surveys and results

This case study hasn’t got any Monitoring survey and results, you can add some by editing the project overview.

Lessons learnt

This case study hasn’t got any lessons learnt, you can add some by editing the project overview.

Catchment and subcatchment

Select a catchment/subcatchment

Edit the catchment and subcatchment details
(affects all case studies in this subcatchment)

Catchment

River basin district	C.H.Tajo
River basin	Tajo

Subcatchment

River name	Manzanares
Area category
Area (km2)
Maximum altitude category	500 - 1000 m
Maximum altitude (m)	980 m0.98 km <br />98,000 cm <br />
Dominant geology	Siliceous
Ecoregion	Ibero-Macaronesian
Dominant land cover	Woodland
Waterbody ID

Site

Edit site

Name	Paraje del Tranco, Manzanares del Real
WFD water body codes
WFD (national) typology
WFD water body name
Pre-project morphology	Sinuous
Reference morphology	Sinuous
Desired post project morphology
Heavily modified water body
National/international site designation
Local/regional site designations	UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Regional Park
Protected species present
Invasive species present
Species of interest
Dominant hydrology
Dominant substrate
River corridor land use	Woodland
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	2008/01/01
Works started
Works completed	2008/01/01
Project completed
Total cost category	100 - 500 k€
Total cost (k€)	450 k€450,000 € <br />
Benefit to cost ratio
Funding sources	Department of Environment of the Community of Madrid, C.H.Tajo

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			C.H.Tajo
Post-project management and maintenance
Monitoring

Reasons for river restoration

Edit reasons for restoration

Mitigation of a pressure
Hydromorphology	Continuity for organisms, Continuity of sediment transport, Channel pattern/planform, Structure & condition of riparian zones
Biology
Physico-chemical
Other reasons for the project

Measures

Edit Measures

Structural measures
Bank/bed modifications	Bank stabilization, Dam removal
Floodplain / River corridor	Riparian tree planting
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
Channel pattern/planform	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Improvement
Structure & condition of riparian zones	Yes	Yes		Yes		Improvement

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

Image gallery

Edit Image gallery

Aerial view of the restoration area

Dam before demolition

Removal of debris. Residues stacked by machinery were transported by helicopter for its withdrawal

Small plantations in the environment

Channel after the demolition of the dam in September 2007

Manzanares River in June 2008

Profile of the cross and longitudinal section

Sediments accumulated in pools

Additional documents and videos

Upload additional documents

Additional documentation (in Spanish)

Additional links and references

Edit links and references

Link	Description

Supplementary Information

Edit Supplementary Information