Intermediate part of a global water recovery project in the basin (aquifer recharge, dissemination and communication, volunteering, etc.) in which the administration and a private company are interested in participating and co-financing the demolition of the dam that is now to be drafted.
The weir is located in a Natura 2000 site included in the LIC and ZEPA ‘Ríos de la margen izquierda del Tajo y Berrocales del Tajo’, a critical area for imperial eagle and Bonelli’s eagle. Upstream lies the Fluvial Natural Reserve RNF ES030RNF085.
The course of the Gévalo River, confined in one section and with a slightly wider flood plain in others, has a layout that varies between straight and sinuous. The dominant lithology is slate, sandstone and quartzite. In the upper sections, it crosses a wide plain with little gradient and a predominantly stony alluvial or mixed bed. In other parts, such as the rocky and narrow area of Los Portalillos, the river becomes more confined, increasing in slope and losing width. The riparian vegetation is highly natural, composed of well-structured groves and characteristic southwestern hydrophilous ash groves or Salvifolias hercynian willows.
| Project status | Completed |
|---|---|
| Project type | Dam removal: pre-demolition |
| Country | Spain |
| River | Gévalo |
| Focal species | Ciconia ciconia, Milvus migrans, Lutra lutra, Felis sylvestris, Mauremys leprosa, Lacerta lepida, Emys orbicularis, Discoglossus galganoi, Chondrostoma polylepis, Barbus bocagei |
| Organisation | CIREF |
| Website | CIREF |
CIREF has been working in different projects with other associations and private companies on water recovery in different formats, either through training, dissemination or classic river restoration projects. In this case, CIREF’s relationship with the Tagus Confederation and a private company that is very interested in water recovery due to its use in the industrial process, has made this project a reality.
This is an area where the company is interested in carrying out different actions related to the water cycle, and in turn, the Tagus Confederation has the Gévalo weir on its list of obstacles to be removed. This company seems willing to co-finance the demolition of the weir and therefore, the drafting and revision of the preconditions were a good project to submit the application to the Open Rivers Programme.
The aim of this project is to carry out feasibility studies (river topography and sediments, hydrological and hydraulic studies, possible environmental impacts and corrective measures, monitoring and surveillance, economic budgets, etc.) and an intensive participatory process with the help of the drafters of the demolition project itself and specialists in sociology and participatory processes in similar cases.
The planned actions include meetings, educational and exhibition days, as well as a participation day to which neighbours, fishermen, conservationists, hikers, authorities, etc. will be invited. One of the first actors to be contacted will be the local authorities and the technicians of the only town council involved, in whose municipality the three dams to be demolished are located.
In this way, the main objective of the project, which is the drafting of the technical project for the demolition of the weir, will take into account all the technical, social, economic and ecological needs of the territory.
The demolition project of the Grajera dam is finished, and it was developed by the contractor NATURALEA S.L. under the supervision of CIREF. Over a period of sixteen months (March 2025 to July 2026) work has been carried out on the following points:
• Technical project and preliminary studies for the demolition of the dam.
• Public participation sessions in the area to publicise the Open Rivers Programme and the project to demolish the Grajera dam to neighbours and stakeholders.
• Technical project management, coordination, administration, and communication with ORP.
Funded by
