On November 24, AEMS-Ríos con Vida began to dismantle the Molina de Cabrillas dam on the Cabrillas River in Guadalajara. They are the first NGO to remove obsolete barriers in rivers in Spain with the support of the Open Rivers Programme. The demolition work lasted five days and on November 30, they began to dismantle the second dam in the municipality of Taravilla.
The two abandoned dams were completely impassable for fish and caused significant hydromorphological alterations, affecting the natural flows of water, sediments, nutrients, and organisms typical of a healthy ecosystem. The removal of both barriers will restore ecological continuity to the last 25 km of the Cabrillas River up to its confluence with the Tagus, restoring connectivity in more than 50% of the waterway. Moreover, this restored river section will be reconnected with the 25 km stretch of the Tagus River without obstacles, adding a total of 50 km in length of rivers free of artificial barriers.
This project was also made possible with the support and cooperation of the local communities, the Tajo Hydrographic Confederation (CHT) Environmental Studies Area, the Alto Tajo Natural Park, and the Natural Environment and Fisheries services of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha.
