SPAIN: Júcar River Basin and Alicante Province inside Júcar District

Located at the east of Iberian Peninsula, the Pilot Area includes the Júcar River Basin (22.440 km2) and the Alicante Province inside Júcar River Basin District (about 4.623 km2).

About climate and hydrology: precipitation exhibits a high spatial (250 mm/year in the South to 900 mm/year in the North) and temporal (300 mm in the driest years to 800 mm in the most humid ones) variability. 500mm/year corresponds to a volume of 21.220 hm3/year. Groundwater Resources are about 2361 hm3/year being approximately 73% of the total water resources.

 

The whole Pilot Area has an irregular hydrology very characteristic of the Mediterranean climate. Drought and floods episodes are highly common, and the water balance between renewable resources and demand is very vulnerable.

 

Main pressures are produced by significant water abstraction regulation works and other hydro morphological alteration besides to diffuse and point source pollution. Apart from agriculture uses, a significant part of water abstractions is due to urban demands (tourism principally).

 

Water allocation between upstream and downstream for irrigation. Pressure on the Jucar river basin resources from other neighbour river basin from the Júcar District.

 

Greatest Current Water Challenge: Drought management, Improve water irrigation efficiency and Environmental groundwater quantity and quality.