REMODELING AND RECOVERY OF THE EBRO RIVER AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
BETWEEN THE RIVER'S DELTA AND THE TOWN (VILLAGE) OF FLIX

The section of the river to be remodelled is subject to strong water flow variations, with an average of 400 m3/s that in the low water season draws down below the 100 m3/s (the minimum which is known is 12 m3/s on the 29th of August 1962).
- See attached charts: "Average flows in August" and "Water level in the Ebro River on its way through the town of Tortosa"

When the flows are high, the only thing to be done is to protect the riverbanks against possible floods, but when the water level is extremely low the river is completely useless for most of its purposes, particularly, if we take into consideration the last thirty years low water seasons.

To correct this fact, it is necessary to develop a definitive option capable of being satisfactory as much to the social point of view as to the economical and ecological and which allows a global solution to all problems merging in one work as a whole a group of benefits to make it easy to execute the project, its presentation at the request of the state and European authorities and to obtain the financial support to carry out the works and its maintenance.

The only alternative is the construction of different structures in the river to maintain a stable water level, independently of the level's flow, and so achieving the following aims:

• Urban development benefits when stabilizing the riverbanks in low waters and leaving them as they are in high waters. This allows taking advantage of the spaces nearby the above-mentioned riverbanks for urban use, equipment, parks or bank leisure areas.
• Environmental benefits as there are no degraded areas and solid waste in the low waters.
• Maintenance and development of the flora and the fish-farm fauna, poultry and, in general, anyone involving animal life in the riverbank ecosystem.
• Maintenance of the water-bearing stratum and improvement of the underground waters along the whole territory.
• Stabilization of the riverbed making unnecessary the continuous and indiscriminate dredging, except for specific situations or during the construction works.
• Hydroelectric use of the energy generated by the small falls that will be constructed with all the benefits that this represents for the general and environmental interests.
• Creation of new jobs, the increasement of the tertiary activities and of the economical and industrial interest in the area.
• Promotion and settlement of aquatic sports as rowing, canoeing, kayaks, swimming, etcetera.
• Creation of adequate and clean resources for leisure, including camping, picnic, bathing and fishing.
• Possibility of private river navigation and public transport by river boat, motor boating or sailing.

To allow the existence of a stable dam in each river step, it is necessary to construct new barrages of low height which do not affect the river in its high water seasons keeping in mind that each barrage must be equipped with:

• Hydroelectric Power Plant
• Fish pass
• Fix pass for canoes and kayaks
• Navigation lock

The order to be established this group is as follow:

• Sluice. Sant Carles de la Ràpita dock (in project of rehabilitation)
• Navigation channel and intermediate sluice (in project of rehabilitation)
• Amposta's sluice and navigation channel (in project of construction)
• Barrage. Sluice. Tortosa's hydroelectric power plant (in project of construction)
• Barrage. Xerta's sluice. Hydroelectric power plant.
• Barrage. Sluice. Benifallet's hydroelectric power plant (in project of construction)
• Barrage. Sluice. Garcia's hydroelectric power plant (in project of construction)
• Barrage. Ascó's power plant (sluice in project of construction)
• Dam. Flix's hydroelectric power plant (sluice in rehabilitation)

To definitely redesign the Riba-roja - Delta section, the proposed solution is the only one technically and economically feasible. Each part on its own (for instance, navigation) does not have enough importance to be presented to the social and financial interlocutors or to the governmental or european authorities.

The construction of the foreseen hydroelectric power plants make viable to finance the basic works to stabilize the river and to recover the navigable route. The necessary barrages, by environmental requirement, must not interrupt the other uses of the river and will be equipped with fish pass, fix pass for canoes and kayaks as well as navigation locks.

However, it would be unthinkable at present time the construction of small falls without fully exploit the renewable energy resources, bearing in mind the environmental benefits that each of them provides to the society as a whole, according to the premises stated in the Ley de la Conservación de la Energía de 1980 (Law for the Conservation of Energy from 1980) and all the connected legislation to encourage the saving of energy, do not depend on fossil fuel, the benefits to the national economy, to encourage the local economy activities and the environmental benefits as to reduce the air pollution emissions.