Guadiana

Guadiana basin district

Where is it located?

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.

2022-2027 Hydrological Plan

 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.

What are the shared water bodies under study?

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