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GUADALQUIVIR

Arabic: Wadi Al-Kabir, Spanish: Guadalquivir.

Length (km): 666
Drainage Area (km2): 57 527
Discharge (m3/s): 230
Countries: 1
Population: 4 000 000
Sea at Mouth: Atlantic
Ramsar Sites: 3

The Guadalquivir River rises in the Sierra de Cazorla, Southeastern Spain, and flows generally south-west past Córdoba and Seville into the Gulf of Cádiz near Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

The Guadalquivir is Spain’s second longest river. Its natural environment is one of the most varied in Europe, containing representatives of half of the continent’s plant species and nearly all those of the North African region. The fauna also includes a great variety of European and North African species.

There are several hydroelectric plants along the course of the river. Its middle reaches flow through a populous fertile region at the foot of the Sierra Morena, where its water is used extensively for irrigation. The lower course of the Guadalquivir traverses extensive marshlands (Las Marismas) that are used for rice cultivation. The river is tidal to Seville (80 km upstream), a major inland port and head of navigation for ocean-going vessels. The Guadalquivir is canalized between Seville and the sea.

In 1969, the World Wilde Fund for Nature (WWF) together with the Spanish government purchased a section of the Guadalquivir Delta marshes and established the Coto Doñana National Park. This important wetland area, one of the last refuges of the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx, is threatened by agricultural development and tourism.

Navigation in the Guadalquivir River up to the Port of Seville also leads to a serious environmental problem due to the erosion this causes to the riverbanks within the National Park and to the dredging carried out in order to deepen the navigation canal.

In 1997, the Jaen area within the Guadalquivir river basin had a water deficit of 480 million m3, of which some 300 million m3 were used for irrigating olive groves.

Pollution from Mining Activities Threatens
Doñana National Park

A supporting wall of the reservoir containing toxic wastes of the Aznalcollar mine burst on 25 April 1998, releasing 5 million cubic metres of toxic mud and acidic water onto the surrounding landscape. The toxic waste entered the Agrio River, a tributary of the Guadiamar River, which feeds the swamps of the Guadalquivir situated within the Doñana National Park.

The toxic mud contained high levels of iron, manganese, lead, nickel, zinc, cadmium and arsenic, as well as traces of mercury, and flowed downstream, systematically overflowing the banks and covering the adjacent fertile land, reaching widths of 1 000 m in certain places. Twenty-four hours later, the mud stopped advancing very close to the limits of the National Park after affecting the swamps and rice fields to the north of the Lucio del Cangrejo. However, the polluted waters, with less concentrations of heavy metal, entered the Lucio del Cangrejo and flowed through the Brazo de la Torre into the Guadalquivir River. The toxic mud did not enter the National Park. However, it polluted between 5 000 and 7 000 hectares of surrounding land, directly affecting the Natural Park, Ramsar Site and Biosphere Reserve. The Spanish Ministry of Environment has formulated the “Doñana 2005” project, which encompasses a series of strategic actions to restore the traditional hydraulic dynamics of the site.

In recent years, concern has also been expressed over the impact of mass tourism and intensive irrigated agriculture in the region outside the National Park. There have been fears that these activities are causing over-exploitation of regional aquifers, leading to a fall in groundwater levels and a gradual reduction in the extent and duration of seasonal flooding in the marshes.

CONFEDERACIÓN HIDROGRÁFICA DEL GUADALQUIVIR - Spain: www.chguadalquivir.es

Instituto da Água - Portugal (INAG): www.inag.pt