The areas of the Guadiana basin, a river that flows through the centre and southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The total area of the basin is 67,174 km2.
In Spain, it flows through the three autonomous communities of Castilla La Mancha, Extremadura and Andalusia. In Portugal, it crosses the traditional regions of Alentejo and Algarve.
Four zones can be differentiated according to hydrographic, administrative, socio-economic and environmental criteria. The eastern system comprises the main stem of the Guadiana and tributaries up to the tail of the Cijara reservoir, not including the latter. Within it, the Upper Guadiana subsystem comprises the Guadiana up to the confluence with the Jabalón, including the latter, i.e. the whole area of La Mancha where the exploitation of the aforementioned groundwater bodies is of great importance.
The Central system comprises the basins of the Guadiana and tributaries from the Cijara reservoir to the Guadiana on the border with Portugal. This system contains the large reservoirs of the basin, which supply the largest towns in this system and the large irrigable areas of Vegas Altas and Vegas Bajas.
The Ardila system mainly comprises the basin of the Spanish part of the Ardila and Múrtigas rivers. It is a large independent basin of rivers that flow directly into Portugal.
Finally, the Sur system comprises the Guadiana estuary area and its main tributaries in the area, the Rivera de Chanza and the system of large reservoirs Chanza – Andévalo.
On the Portuguese side, the Guadiana Hydrographic Region – RH7 covers a total of 32 municipalities, 10 of which are totally included in RH7 and 22 are partially included.
The hydrographic network can be classified in RH7 as very dense, presenting, as a general rule, the slopes of the watercourses in rectilinear or complex shapes, as well as including valleys.
In tectonic terms, there are three tectonic and palaeogeographic zones represented in the Basin: the Central Zone, the Ossa-Morena Zone and the South-Portuguese Zone. There are a significant number of faults, which are of great importance in the modelling of the relief and in the establishment of the hydrographic network of the Guadiana Basin.
In general, it can be said that the Guadiana Basin is poor in coastal forms, with Aldeia-Nova, near the mouth of the Guadiana, three levels of raised beaches, at 13, 32 and 46 m above sea level, the current beach of Vila Real de Santo António, formed by a mobile sandbank influenced by coastal drift, and the small dunes of Monte Gordo, standing out.
The hydrological plan for the Spanish part of the Guadiana Basin District currently in force was approved by Real Decreto 1/2016, January 8, approving the revision of the Hydrological Plans for the basins districts of Guadalquivir, Ceuta, Melilla, Segura, Júcar and Western Cantabrian, and for the Spanish part of the basins districts of Miño-Sil, Duero, Tajo, Guadiana, Ebro and Eastern Cantabrian Sea, in compliance with article 83 of Royal Decree 907/2007, of July 6, which approves the Hydrological Planning Regulations.
On December 22, 2021, the public consultation period for the Draft Hydrological Plan Project for the Spanish part of the Guadiana River Basin for the period 2022-2027 ended. After that period, the proposals, observations and suggestions that, where appropriate, are considered appropriate will be incorporated into the hydrological plan project proposal, which will require the mandatory report of the Water Council of the demarcation. Said hydrological plan project proposal, with the agreement of the Committee of Competent Authorities on the program of measures in its corresponding sphere of competence, will be submitted to the Government through the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, for its approval. The approval of this new review will lead to the repeal of the second cycle Hydrological Plan, approved by Royal Decree 1/2016, of January 8. Once this review has been formalized, it will be notified to the European Commission, a milestone that must occur no later than March 22, 2022.
En Portugal, actualmente, el Plan de Gestión de la Región Hidrográfica del Guadiana en vigor fue aprobado mediante Resolución del Consejo de Ministros n.º 52/2016, de 20 de septiembre, reeditada por la Declaración de Rectificación n.º 22-B/2016, de 18 de noviembre, mediante la que se aprueban los Planes de Gestión de la Región Hidrográfica de Portugal Continental para el período 2016-2021.
Actualmente, se está trabajando en la revisión del referido Plan para el período 2022-2027. Durante la primera mitad de 2021, los proyectos de los Planes de Gestión de las Regiones Hidrográficas se sometieron a consulta pública durante un plazo de seis meses.
Rivers and reservoirs
SPAIN Code
ES040MSPF000133810
ES040MSPF000133810
ES040MSPF000133810
ES040MSPF000134070
ES040MSPF000206650
ES040MSPF000134030
ES040MSPF000140000
ES040MSPF000133760
ES040MSPF000140200
ES040MSPF00020664E
ES040MSPF00020664D
ES040MSPF00020664A
ES040MSPF000140300
ES040MSPF000133660
ES040MSPF000140500
ES040MSPF000140800
ES040MSPF000120380
ES040MSPF000140900
ES040MSPF000141200
ES040MSPF000141400
ES040MSPF000206500
PORTUGAL Code
PT07GUA1399
PT07GUA1410
PT07GUA1400
PT07GUA1404I
PT07GUA1407
PT07GUA1420
PT07GUA1420
PT07GUA1428I1
PT07GUA1428I2
PT07GUA1487E
PT07GUA1487D
PT07GUA1487A
PT07GUA1470I
PT07GUA1470I
PT07GUA1480I
PT07GUA1490I1
PT07GUA1490I3
PT07GUA1490I2
PT07GUA1501I
PT07GUA1562I
PT07GUA1591
ES / PT Name
Río Gévora I / Rio Xévora
Río Gévora I / Rio Xévora
Río Gévora I / Ribeira de Soverete
Río Abrilongo / Ribeira Abrilongo
Embalse de Abrilongo / Albufeira Abrilongo
Río Gévora II / Rio Xévora (HMWB – Jusante B. Abrilongo)
Arroyo Tamujoso / Rio Xévora (HMWB – Jusante B. Abrilongo)
Río Caya / Rio Caia (HMWB – Jusante B. Caia)
Río Guadiana VIII / Rio Guadiana (Jusante B. Caia e Açude Badajoz)
Embalse de Alqueva (Rivera de Mures) / Albufeira Alqueva (Montante Ribeira de Mures)
Embalse de Alqueva (Lucefécit) / Albufeira Alqueva (Entrada rio Lucefécit)
Embalse de Alqueva (Principal) / Albufeira Alqueva (Principal)
Arroyo Cuncos II / Ribeira de Cuncos
Río Alcarrache II / Albufeira Alqueva (Braço Alcarrache)
Río Godolid II / Ribeira de Saus
Río Ardila IV / Rio Ardila
Río Ardila III / Rio Ardila
Río Múrtigas II / Ribeira de Murtega
Río de Salareja / Ribeira de Safareja
Rivera del Chanza III / Rio Chança
Embalse del Chanza / Albufeira Chança
ES / PT Category
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio (Albufeira)
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio (Albufeira)
Río / Rio (Albufeira)
Río / Rio
Río / Rio (Albufeira)
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio
Río / Rio (Albufeira)
ES / PT Nature
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Muy modificada / Fortemente modificada
Natural / Natural
Natural / Fortemente modificada
Muy modificada / Fortemente modificada
Natural / Natural
Muy modificada / Fortemente modificada
Muy modificada / Fortemente modificada
Muy modificada / Fortemente modificada
Natural / Natural
Natural / Fortemente modificada
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Muy modificada / Fortemente modificada
Cuenca del Guadiana: Aguas de transición
SPAIN Code
ES040MSPF004000210
ES040MSPF004000200
ES040MSPF004000180
PORTUGAL Code
PT07GUA1603I
PT07GUA1629I
PT07GUA1632I
ES / PT Name
Puerto de La Loja / Guadiana-WB3F
Sanlúcar de Guadiana / Guadiana-WB2
Desembocadura Guadiana (Ayamonte) / Guadiana-WB1
ES / PT Category
Transición / Transição
Transición / Transição
Transición / Transição
ES / PT Nature
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
Natural / Natural
A way to make Europe
Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
through the Interreg VA Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2014-2020