Guadiana: Discharges at the Pedrogão dam increase the riverbed.
Civil Protection of Serpa alerts the population to an increase in the quota of the Pedrogão dam and discharges into the Guadiana river.
The Municipal Civil Protection Service of Serpa (SMPCS) issued, on the Municipality page, an alert to the population and visitors to the city about the discharges and to be carried out to increase the level of the Guadiana.
In the released note it can be read that “the Municipality of Serpa through the Municipal Civil Protection Service, fulfilling the duties of safeguarding people and property, warns about the adoption of preventive measures to safeguard material goods and animals, in areas bordering the Guadiana River”, informing that during the day 27 of February “the Pedrogão dam reservoir will undergo an increase in quota in its water plan throughout the day” and that on the days 28 and 29 February “the level of the Guadiana river is expected to rise to flood flows downstream of the Pedrógão dam”, Remata.
communication, the SMPCS justifies that this alert is the result of articulated communication between EDIA and EDP Produção “to maintain the ecological flow regime defined for the Alqueva and Pedrogão reservoirs”, conclude.
Filling Alqueva and Pedrogão
According to the EDIA page, to 23,00 last day 20 February the Alqueva dam was at capacity 149,94 meters to 2,06 meters of total filler, with a volume of 3609,52 hm3, with a percentage of 86,97% of its total capacity 4150 million cubic meters.
To 23,00 last day 21 February, the Pedrogão dam was at capacity 84,36 meters to 0,46 meters of total filler, with a volume of 96,69 hm3, with a percentage of 91,21% of its total capacity of 106 million cubic meters.
13 January 2010: Discharges kill cattle in Alqueva
The sudden rise of the waters of the Guadiana River, caused by Alqueva discharges, dragged 71 cattle heads to death. The animals, who were grazing at Herdade da Lezíria do Guadiana, near Quintos, Beja, were surprised by the strong current caused by the flow of one million liters per second of water from Alqueva. Altogether, according to the owner's accounts, three cows drowned, 24 sheep, 27 goats and 17 sheep.
Alqueva: Simulation of a flood in the Guadiana river
On 1 March, Alqueva freed 300 m3/s from Pedrógão dam, thus simulating a flood flow, essential for “cleaning” the bed of the Guadiana river to the mouth, ensuring compliance with the natural regime of that watercourse.
In the concession contract signed between the Portuguese State and EDIA, the simulation of a flood flow is planned, downstream of the Pedrógão dam, if natural inflows, in a non-dry year, do not reach values equal to or greater than 300m3/s since the beginning of November in the Pulo do Lobo section.
At the time, EDIA predicted that the flow to be discharged “should undergo a gradual increase for approximately 3 hours and a gradual decrease of identical duration in the final phase. This condition is called Flood Flows. The volume released with this operation, next to 46 hm3, represents less than 5% of the volume placed in Alqueva during the month of December, not putting into question the supply guarantee that Alqueva offers.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
Photo: portugualfotografiaaerea.blogspot.com
