Salobreña Town Hall has approached the Environmental Department of the Junta requesting a study to be carried out on the Río Guadalfeo.

They want it to be confirmed that the amount of water released by Rules Dam in order to keep the ecosystem of the river healthy, is sufficient.

By law, you cannot just build a dam and deny the riverbed below water, as it would wipe out all the flora and fauna dependent upon the river, so a certain amount of water must be continually released, no matter how much water there is stored in the reservoir.

The Plan Hidrológico de la Demarcación Hidrográfica de las Cuencas Mediterráneas Andaluzas 2015-2021, contemplates an annual average of 0.34 cubic metres of water per second (that’s 0.40 cubic metres between December and June and 0.25 cubic metres between July and November).

Ever since the construction of the dam, it has been possible to regulate the river flow or ‘discharge’ to not only protect the ecosystem but also to feed the valley’s water table, as well as the hydro-electric station further down, opposite Vélez Benaudalla.

The reason for the Town Hall’s concern is because on several occasions the river has completely dried up, the last time being the 30th of March. Therefore, there is concern that the stipulated amounts released are now insufficient and need revising.

Editorial comment: I recently had a chance to walk up the Guadalfeo from the beach to the mainroad and saw that the riverbed has a healthy flow with trees and natural vegetation within the two flood walls on either side of the river channel – it is not cluttered with wild cane and offers a nice spot for a picnic in places.

(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)