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GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT IN DROUGHT PERIODS. Vienna. October the 8th, 2018
M. Carmen Montoro Cavero.
Water Commisariat.
Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar. 1

2. Jucar River Basin District description
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Index
Jucar River Basin District description
Drought periods in the Jucar River Basin District.
Groundwater management proceedings in drought periods.

3. Jucar River Basin District description
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Jucar River Basin District description
(from the current hydrological planification cycle) 3

4. General wiew
Surface (km2)
42.735
Permanent population (2012)
Equivalent total population (2012)
Irrigated surface (ha)
Run off (hm3/year)
3.840
Total water demand (hm3/year)
3.171
Differently from other Spanish river basin districts (Ebro, Tajo (Tagus), Duero, Guadiana, Guadalquivir and Segura), it presents the singularity of having several river basins of certain importance, such as the Turia, Mijares, Palancia, Vinalopó and Serpis, apart from the Júcar itself, which names the district and many small courses flowing into the Mediterranean.
Our runoff is very similar to our demand, so we rely heavily in reservoirs and groundwater.

5. Hydrological resources
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Total annual precipitation in the Júcar River Basin District is around 500 mm, with a yearly maximum of around 780 mm in the wettest years and a little over 300 mm in the driest years.
Average annual runoff is around 70 mm/year, much lower than the average national of some 200 mm.
A very high percentage of runoff has a subterranean origin (83%).
Most of our territory is permeable and we have 90 groundwater bodies.
The rest of available resources in the district come from non- conventional resources such as:
a) Resources from seawater desalination add up to 3,5 Hm3 per year, and will likely increase in the short and medium term.
b) Resources from urban waste water reuse, currently around 100Hm3 per year, and will likely increase in the future.

6. Drought periods in the Jucar River Basin District.
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Drought periods in the Jucar River Basin District. 6

7. How scarcity is measured?
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How scarcity is measured?
There are 40 control points all over the basin to measure precipitation (5), piezometric level (17), runoff (9) and water volume in reservoirs (9).
Mensual piezometric levels in Montesa piezometer ( )

8. STU Mijares-Plana de Castellón Scarcity index evolution.
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STU Mijares-Plana de Castellón
Scarcity index evolution.
From the data obtained, and using different equations, a global scarcity index is calculated, which ranges between 0 and 1.
If the index is higher than 0.5, the situation is “normal” (green).
Between 0.3 and 0.5, a “prealert” situation is established (yellow).
Between 0.15 and 0.3, an “alert” situation is established (orange).
Below 0.15 the situation is “emergency” (red).
In the graphs we can see the evolution of the drought global index for two of the Scarcity Territorial Units for the last years.

9. Groundwater management proceedings during drought periods.
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Groundwater management proceedings during drought periods. 9

10. Basin Authorities will develop Drought Special Plans.
Spanish law (Ley 10/2001, de 5 Julio del Plan Hidrológico Nacional) set the basis for the planification of management of drought periods.
A global system of hydrological indicators is established by the Ministry of environmental issues to control the hydrological relevant data to be used as reference for the formal declaration of droughts.
Basin Authorities will develop Drought Special Plans.
Public Administrations in charge of water supply for cities with inhabitants or more will develop Drought Emergency Plans.
The aim of those plans is to minimize the impacts of droughts:
Guarantee urban demands.
Protect environment.
Minimize economic losses
Drought Special plans contain:
Indicator system to diagnose droughts (temporal scarcity or long drought)
Measures to apply. (locally or globally)
Drought monitorization and final report

11. There are restrictions in supply, specially for agricultural use.
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Groundwater is an essential and strategical resource to mitigate social, economical and environmental impacts of droughts.
Good management practice both of surface and groundwater is needed during drought periods.
To improve resources:
There are drought wells specifically built and reserved for the use in droughts.
Traditional wells are also ready to improve their extraction capacity if needed.
To low demand:
There are restrictions in supply, specially for agricultural use.
There are advertisements and saving campaigns to try and reduce urban demands.
There are two main ways to deal with water scarcity:
Obtain extraordinary water resources (in our basin those are mainly groundwater).
Low the water demand. Mainly agricultural uses, as they stand for 80% of water demand. Urban demand is reduced only in non essential uses and via advertising and saving campaigns.

12. Groundwater management proceedings in case of drought
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Specific measures
Groundwater management proceedings in case of drought
Prealert level
Promote volunteer water saving in urban areas.
Promote volunteer water savings in rural areas.
Accelerate development of planned drought infraestructures.

13. Groundwater management proceedings in case of drought
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Specific measures
Groundwater management proceedings in case of drought
Alert level
Increase of groundwater extractions. Drought wells.
(That is accompanied by control measurements of piezometric level and salinity).
Sustainable reuse.
Increasing use of desalinated water (specially in summer)
Reduction of surface water used for irrigation.
Reduction of surface water volume used for urban consumption (increase of groundwater volume) eg. Albacete.
Environmental surveillance plans.

14. Groundwater management proceedings in case of drought
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Specific measures
Groundwater management proceedings in case of drought
Emergency level
Increasing extractions from drought wells up to 100% of their capacity, for all wells.
Extraction volume control of drought wells located in STU Jucar.
Improvement of piezometric control in influence zones of drought wells, specially near l’Albufera lake.
Maximum reuse.
Maximum use of desalinated water.
Reduction of surface water for irrigation uses.
Reduction of surface water for urban uses (increasing proportion of groundwater, specially in Albacete and La Ribera region).
Starting of Rights Interchange Center, to guarantee urban use and preserve the environment.
Environmental measures: surveillance and control of hydraulic public domain

15. Water use restrictions during drought periods.
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The table shows the reduction of supplies from consolidated demands depending on drought level.
Those reductions are established both for surface and groundwater.
Depending on the availability of other resources.
Demand
Origin
Reduction percentage
Normal
Prealert level
Alert level
Emergency level
Urban water supply
Surface 0%
0-5%
0-10%
Traditional irrigated land.
5-15%
15-25%
25-35%
Total
10-20%
Other irrigated land with surface water.
Depending on the availability of other resources.
Irrigated land in Mancha Oriental aquifer
55-65%
80-100%
Irrigated land from Canal Júcar-Turia
30-40%
45-55%
Transfers to Vinalopó-Alacantí y Marina Baja
Depending on management proceedings
There are not restrictions for urban supply, except the use of advertising and reduction in non essential uses.
That reduction is also linked to water use effectiveness.

16. The Mancha Oriental aquifer
Special case.
The Mancha Oriental aquifer
Irrigation wells
Jucar River
Mancha Oriental aquifer
One of the most vulnerable river sections is the one located between Alarcón and Molinar dams, in the Jucar system, because the river is connected to an aquifer with an intensive ground water exploitation.
That’s the reason why there are special measures for this aquifer.
Those measures started in 2000.
Irrigated area with water from Mancha Oriental aquifer

17. Additional measures to protect the Jucar river.
If drought conditions put in risk the minimum ecological flows, the Permanent Commision for Drought will establish additional restrictions for users whose wells:
are nearer than m from Jucar River axis,
are in the surroundings of Cuasiermas protected area, and
pull out water from the aquifer directly connected with the river.

18. Measures to reduce irrigation
During drought there was an agreement between the Administration and the users, so the former would acquire temporally water rights from wells near the river due to environmental reasons.
In 1995, in a drought period before the settlement of special measures, the river dried totally.
In 2006, in another serious drought period, after the measures were settled, the river mantained its flow.
Jucar river in summer, 1995
Jucar river in summer, 2006

19. Thank you for your attention.
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Thank you for your attention. 19