The Albufeira Convention 1998. Spain & Portugal

DELIVERABLE D10.
Strategies and recommendations for river basin management in Tagus
STRIVER Report No. D10.2
Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins
Title Strategies and recommendations for river basin management in Tagus
Author(s) Antnio Betmio de Almeida, Maria Manuela Portela, Marta Machado, Santiago Beguera, Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, J. Ignacio Lpez-Moreno, Noem Lana-Renault, Jos Mara Garca-Ruiz, Dale Campbell and Alistair Rieu-Clarke Report No. STRIVER Report No. D10.2 ISBN Organisation name of lead contractor for this deliverable IST-CEHIDRO (Portugal and CSIC (Spain) No. of pages 50 p. Due date of deliverable: February 2009 Actual date of deliverable: June 2009 Dissemination level1 PU Key words IWRM, Tagus, flooding, Albufeira convention, hydropower, water scarcity
Title of project:
Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins (STRIVER) Instrument: SUSTDEV-2005-3.II.3.6: Twinning European/third countries river basins. Contract number: 037141 Start date of project: July 2006 Duration: 36 months Project co-funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) Disclaimer The information provided and the opionions given in this publication are not necessarily those of the authors or the EC. The authors and publisher assume no liability for any loss resulting from the use of this report.
PU PP RE CO
Public Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services)
Contents
Summary Annex: de Almeida, A.B., Portela, MM, Machado, M., Beguera S, Vicente-Serrano, SM., Lpez-Moreno, JI., Lana-Renault, N., Garca-Ruiz. JM., Campbell, D., & Rieu-Clarke, A. 2009. The Tagus River Basin Spain and Portugal. STRIVER Policy Brief No. 19 de Almeida, A.B., Portela, M.M., Machado, M., Beguera, S., Vicente-Serrano, S., Garca-Ruiz, J.M., Lana-Renault, N. and Lopz-Moreno, N. 2009. A comparative assessment of IWRM principles in Tagus (Spain and Portugal). STRIVER Policy Brief No. 14 de Almeida, A.B., Portela, M.M. and Machado, M. 2009. A case of transboundary water agreement - the Albufeira Convention. STRIVER Technical Brief No. 9 Portela, M.M., de Almeida, A.B. and Machado, M. 2009. Development in river basin management in Portugal past and future perspectives. STRIVER Technical Brief No. 10 Beguera, S. Vicente-Serrano, S.M, Lpez-Moreno, J.I., Lana-Renault, N., Garca-Ruiz, J.M. de Almeida, A.B., Portela, M.M. & Marta Machado. IWRM status in the Tagus basin, Spain. STRIVER Technical Brief No. 11 5
Summary
This deliverable constitute of the following five Policy and Technical Briefs attached to this report:
de Almeida, A.B., Portela, MM, Machado, M., Beguera S, Vicente-Serrano, SM., Lpez-Moreno, JI., Lana-Renault, N., Garca-Ruiz. JM., Campbell, D., & Rieu-Clarke, A. 2009. The Tagus River Basin Spain and Portugal. STRIVER Policy Brief No. 19 de Almeida, A.B., Portela, M.M., Machado, M., Beguera, S., Vicente-Serrano, S., Garca-Ruiz, J.M., Lana-Renault, N. and Lopz-Moreno, N. 2009. A comparative assessment of IWRM principles in Tagus (Spain and Portugal). STRIVER Policy Brief No. 14 de Almeida, A.B., Portela, M.M. and Machado, M. 2009. A case of transboundary water agreement - the Albufeira Convention. STRIVER Technical Brief No. 9 Portela, M.M., de Almeida, A.B. and Machado, M. 2009. Development in river basin management in Portugal past and future perspectives. STRIVER Technical Brief No. 10 Beguera, S. Vicente-Serrano, S.M, Lpez-Moreno, J.I., Lana-Renault, N., Garca-Ruiz, J.M. de Almeida, A.B., Portela, M.M. & Marta Machado. IWRM status in the Tagus basin, Spain. STRIVER Technical Brief No. 11
STRIVER POLICY BRIEF

Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins PB No. 19
The Tagus River Basin Spain and Portugal

With the two capital cities Madrid and Lisbon located along its banks, the Tagus River is a major river in Spain and Portugal. With increasing pressures due to climate change, and problems of scarcity and flows there is a need to develop good monitoring and collaboration mechanisms between the two countries.
The STRIVER Policy Brief series translate the results from the EC FP6-funded STRIVER project into practical and useful information for policy makers and water managers
The Tagus River Spain and Portugal

Antnio Betmio de Almeida, Maria Manuela Portela, Marta Machado (IST-CIHEDRO, Portugal), Santiago Beguera, Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, J. Ignacio Lpez-Moreno, Noem Lana-Renault, Jos Mara Garca-Ruiz (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones, CSIC, Spain), Dale Campbell and Alistair Rieu-Clarke (UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science)
Abstract
Because the Tagus is subject to increasing pressures because of demands from urban areas and agriculture, as well as climate change, the Tagus Segura water transfer and natural impacts like the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), there is a need to further develop monitoring and coordination mechanisms to govern the basins resources. Each country has a basin plan in place, and a basin authority responsible for Tagus water resources (in Portugal, the Tejo Hydrographic Region Administration, and in Spain, the Tajo Basin Authority). Both countries have established basin plans for their respective sections of the catchment, prepared in a collaborative and consensual way through the Tejo Basin Council (Portugal) and the Tajo Council of Users (Spain). These bodies work within the general national strategies prepared by their respective National Water Councils.
Acknowledgments
The following stakeholders attended the STRIVER workshops and also gave valuable inputs to this brief: Professor Alberto Garrido, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid Nuria Hernandez-Mora, New Water Culture Foundation Beln Ramos, Medio Ambiente en la Organizacin de Consumidores y Usuarios Joo Pedro Avillez, INAG Helder Careto, Geota Alexandra Brito, Conferacin de Agricultores de Portugal (CAP) Dr. Francisco Nunes Godinho, Portuguese Water Council adjunct Miguel Gamboa, IST Ms. Maria Joo Correia, LPN (Nature Protection League)
Fact box
The Tagus River rises in east-central Spain, in the Sierra de Albarracin at an altitude of 1 590 meters, and flows through Portugal where it empties in the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon. It is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. The rivers main tributaries are the: Jarama, Alberche, Tietar, Alagon, Guadelia, Almonte and Salor Rivers in Spain and the Erges, Ponsul, Zezere, and Sorraia Rivers in Portugal. Two European capitals with a total of 11 million people depend on the river for their water supply. It is navigable for about 160 km from its mouth, while dams harness its waters for irrigation and hydroelectric power, creating large artificial lakes. The lower and upper courses pass through deep gorges and are broken by waterfalls. There have been efforts to reforest the land surrounding the river. The Tagus estuary, which is one of the three most important ones in Europe, is of great international interest and is the most important wetland in Portugal. A part of the area is a nature reserve under national law and is also designated as a EU Special Protection Area for wild birds.
STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 19
Major STRIVER Tagus issues and their policy/management recommendations

The following issues and policy/management recommendations are a result of research activities undertaken under the STRIVER project, and discussions with stakeholders during three workshops and a number of field trips (2006-2009). The list of issues does not confess to be either all encompassing or fully reflective of all stakeholder interests. However, every effort has been made to bring in as broader range of perspectives as possible.
Participants during discussions at the Second Tagus Stakeholder Workshop in Lisbon, February 28, 2008
is future pressure on the resources in the headwaters of the Tagus In Spain, the Tagus-Segura water transfer accounts for 10% of the total water use in the Spanish part of the Tagus River Basin, averaging 500 hm3/year. The TagusSegura transfer therefore is a challenge in achieving sustainable water allocation within the basin. Non-controlled water abstractions are causing over-exploitation in some areas. Water allocation is based mainly on longterm average values and assumes normal management conditions. Adaptation of the existing water systems to the concrete circumstances of each year is done reactively rather than adopting an anticipatory approach. Those systems may therefore fail to accommodate drought periods effectively. However, at the bilateral level (State-State) there has been a recent change in seasonal or weakly allocation of water, from fixed annual volume to seasonal flows. The existing basin plans do not fully account for the effects of climate and land cover changes on water availability. The maintenance and improvement of hydrological monitoring systems are fundamental conditions to ensure the effectiveness of IWRM.
1. Water availability and allocation issues In the Tagus there are competing water uses among different sectors (farming, industry, urban water supply) and amongst regions (water transfer); sometimes demand exceeds availability. Increased urbanization, land use and climate change heighten the potential for conflict between water uses, particularly during water shortage periods. In Spain water saving upstream does not necessarily affect water availability downstream due to the Jcar and Segura basin transfers. In Spain, lack of water availability in Madrid in the future is a real possibility, as
In view of the above findings: All water consumptions must be measured and not just estimated. The consumer pays principle must be fairly implemented, and should take into consideration the social, environmental and economic consequences. Water pricing should be designed to promote efficient use of water resources. Distortion due to intrasectoral competition between the two countries should be prevented. There needs to be more incentives for water saving and reuse. New regulations should include hydric efficiency, similar to what has been done with energy efficiency.
Future river basin plans must take into account the effects of climate and land cover changes. In water allocation and planning measures there is a need to consider water quantity and quality together, given that quality determines availability in some rivers. Sufficient resources must be put in place for the maintenance and improvement of the monitoring systems.
2. Water quality and ecological status

There are still many problems threatening water quality within the basin, such as deficient water treatment, especially in small towns; over-exploitation, which increases the concentration of pollutants and nutrients; and diffuse pollution sources. In Madrid and in the metropolitan Lisbon area (including Lisbon, Barreiro, Almada, Montijo), for example, lack of capacity to treat all wastewater is a major challenge, even to accomplish the goals of EC Directives. The lack of capacity to treat wastewater also contributes to significant pollution of the estuary.
In view of the above findings: Illegal water extraction should be prosecuted. There is a need to increase investment in wastewater treatment, and control wastewater dumping, gravel excavations and effluents from farms and irrigation systems. Water quality should be adapted to use requirements, e.g., industrial use might tolerate lower water quality than drinking water. More water quality control is required, with greater funds and resources for monitoring. Ecological quality evaluation must be implemented in order to verify if the good status objectives of the EC Water Framework Directive are to be met by 2015. An ecological flow regime should be implemented in order to achieve good ecological status/potential. The polluter pays principle must also be implemented effectively and fairly. Lessons could be learnt from air pollution regimes.
3. Stakeholder participation water management
in
Inflateable barrier at the Tagus River. Photo by Geoffrey D. Gooch The current water quality monitoring and modelling system is still insufficient. There are problems with the introduction of alien invasive species.
Although a significant effort has been made in the last few years to make all technical data available to the public, information about the decision-making process is still deficient. Transparency in decision-making can help ensure a balanced use of water and reduce negative social and environmental impacts. Capacity building is a pre-requisite to public participation. Basic education on water issues is still lacking. Water resources management has been considered during decades a predominantly technical issue, so public participation was not incorporated in the past, although notable developments have occurred in recent years through the
adoption of the Water Framework Directive. However, the question of who participates in what decisions and how, remains a key challenge. Active involvement and public consultation in decision-making remains largely an aspiration rather than an effective tool by which to manage water resources equitably and sustainably.
Overlapping competences between different authorities, as well as a lack of dialogue and coordination of policies can lead to inefficiency and inequity since weak institutions can result in the allocation of water being determined largely on the basis of power. In Spain, different interests are represented by the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs. In Portugal, intra-sectoral coordination is needed between the different ministries directly or indirectly involved. The interstate Albufeira Convention does not sufficiently account for water quality issues, or management of extreme events. Intra-river basin management and coordination between Spain and Portugal is at an embryonic stage.
Stakeholders at the 3rd STRIVER Tagus Stakeholder Workshop in Madrid in April 2009 In view of the above findings: More effort is needed to facilitate and promote stakeholder involvement in decision-making. Management at local levels needs to be coordinated effectively to fully account for public trust. Water users should be provided with more education campaigns focused on promoting best practices. At the same time, education and information tools should be made available (e.g., teaching materials, water footprint calculator, etc. Real time information on the quality of drinking water could be implemented in order to make people conscious of water quality and motivate public trust.
4. Legal and institutional aspects

Major efforts have been made to put a legal framework in place that facilitates good water governance and IWRM although notable challenges remain. There is ineffective law enforcement.
In view of the above findings: There is a need for stronger support to monitor implementation of laws relating to access to information, participation and IWRM. Water basin authorities should have the necessary resources to monitor and enforce regulations. Capacity building, stronger institutional coordination and awareness raising is also needed. Long term policies independent of government shifts are needed. Policy-makers need to consider the longterm ecosystem impacts and the impact on flows in Portugal of water transfers to the southeast of Spain. Co-ordination of the Spanish and Portuguese Tagus river basin authorities should be promoted further, and transparency to the public improved. Supranational coordination, considering the entire Tagus Basin, should be enforced in the elaboration of each of the new River Basin Management Plans. The production of a final joint document is desirable. The Albufeira Conventions provisions relating to water quality and the co-coordinated management of extreme events should be strengthened.
The STRIVER Policy and Technical Brief series translate the results from projects into practical and useful information for policy makers and water managers. The Briefs are also available online: www.striver.no About STRIVER STRIVER- Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins is a three year EC funded project 2006-2009 under the 6th framework programme (FP6) coordinated jointly by Bioforsk and NIVA. The point of departure for STRIVER is the lack of clear methodologies and problems in operationalisation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as pointed out by both the scientific and management communities.13 partners from 9 countries participate as contractual partners in addition to an external advisory board. Title of project:
Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins (STRIVER)
Instrument: SUSTDEV-2005-3.II.3.6: Twinning European/third countries river basins. Contract number: 037141 Start date of project: July 2006 Duration: 36 months
Project funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006)
Disclaimer
The information provided and the opinions given in this publication are not necessarily those of the authors or the EC. The authors and publisher assume no liability for any loss resulting from the use of this report.
Front-cover photo: Tagus River in Portugal. (Photo by Geoffrey D. Gooch) Editor: Per Stlnacke (Bioforsk) Launch-date: 30 June, 2009 STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 19
STRIVER POLICY BRIEF

Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins PB No. 14
A comparative assessment of IWRM principles in Tagus River basin (Spain and Portugal)
Results from a comparative assessment on the IWRM principles and practices in the Portuguese and Spanish sub basins of Tagus River are systematized. Important similarities and differences between the two sub basins are identified as well as some critical issues subject to improvement.
The STRIVER Brief series translate the results from the EC FP6-funded STRIVER project into practical and useful information for policy makers and water managers
A comparative assessment of the IWRM principles and practices in Tagus River basin (Spain and Portugal)
Antnio Betmio de Almeida, CEHIDRO/IST, Portugal Maria Manuela Portela, CEHIDRO/IST, Portugal Marta Machado, CEHIDRO/IST, Portugal Santiago Beguera, IPE-CSIC, Spain Sergio Vicente-Serrano, IPE-CSIC, Spain Jos Mara Garca-Ruiz, IPE-CSIC, Spain Noemi Lana-Renault, IPE-CSIC, Spain Nacho Lopz-Moreno, IPE-CSIC, Spain
Abstract
The Tagus River basin is shared between Portugal and Spain. In both parts of the basin there are reference management plans that were elaborated under the inspiration of the basic IWRM principles and implemented during the last decade. Within the STRIVER project a comparative assessment of the IWRM principles and practices in the Portuguese and Spanish sub basins was conducted. The comparison focused on the following five main issues, identified as being particularly relevant for a sustainable development: a) the environmental aspect; b) the efficient use of water; c) the institutional dimension; d) the capacity building; and e) the transboundary issues. This Policy Brief summarises some of the conclusions thus achieved. Important similarities and differences between the two sub basins are identified as well as some critical points that should be improved. This assessment can provide a contribution for future recommendations, regarding the new generation of management plans that are being prepared in both countries according to the European Water Framework Directive.
Fact box 1
Introduction
This technical brief resumes the results achieved in [1], providing an assessment of the extent to which IWRM principles have been followed in Tagus basin in recent years. For this purpose a comparative analysis, or twinning approach, followed by a synthesis of results, addressing specific constraints, is presented. This exercise facilitates the identification of weaknesses and strengths of IWRM performance in the two parts of the Tagus basin: the Spanish and the Portuguese ones. Three planning documents were utilized as example of the implementation of IWRM: the Portuguese River Basin and National Water Plans and the Spanish Hydrological Plan. The comparative assessment focuses on five components of IWRM, particularly relevant with regard to the overall goal of a sustainable development, namely: a) the environmental aspect; b) the efficient use of water; c) the institutional dimension; d) the capacity building; and e) the transboundary aspects.
aquatic ecosystems. In both countries the potential water stresses are related principally to water availability for the different sectors, especially because of the contrasting interests between agriculture and urban water supplies. In Spain a water transfer canal system from Tagus basin to Segura basin was implemented in 1978 with a yearly volume of transferred water not exceeding 600 hm3. In a second phase the water transfer can reach 1000 hm3. Almost all of this volume of water is lost in the Mediterranean Sea diminishing the total availability in the Tagus basin. b) Environmental strategies and plans In order to protect the water resources and to cope with the different sources of pressures, specific water resources plans or policies were developed. The two main planning documents in the Tagus basin are the Portuguese and the Spanish hydrological river basin plans. Both plans enhance sustainable development and environment protection and include socio-economic aspects. The main objectives of the Spanish plan are to ensure present and future water demand; to implement efficient water management; to protect water resources and the environment; to ensure water quality; to protect from hydrological extreme events and to protect cultural and recreation uses. In Portugal, the plan provides a similar general framing as well as the strategies and the programmatic targets for the future planning activities. In Spain, some new initiatives were recently put in place to protect the environment, such as the National Strategy for River Restoration; the National Plan of Water Quality: Water Treatment 2007-2015; the Action Plan for Sewage; the Plan of Priority Actions for Hydrological and Forestry Restoration; and the Nature Net 2000 for the protection of natural sites according to the Nature 2000 Directive. The latter applies in Portugal as well. In this country the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) resulted in a New Water Law (58/2005). This law will lead to
Protection of the catchment and the environment

To compare how the protection of the water resources and of the environment is accomplished in the Portuguese and Spanish parts of the basin four main sequential topics were considered: a) water pressures and impacts; b) environmental strategies and plans; c) implementation of relevant management instruments; and d) management and integration of the different environmental aspects. a) Water pressures and impacts The agriculture, industry and hydropower production, and, in general, the socio-economic development, are the driving forces in Tagus basin, although the relevance of each sector varies according to the local constraints. In Spain and Portugal, water abstraction for irrigation, urban supply and industrial polluted rejections impact the water quantity, sometimes compromising the terrestrial and
a new generation of river basin plans whose studies are about to begin. In Spain the AGUA Programme (Actions for the Management and Use of Water) will lead to the preparation of the New Hydrological Plan for the Tagus basin. c) Implementation of relevant management instruments Some of the management related issues considered in the Portuguese and Spanish plans dealt with water resource assessment; monitoring; controls, standards and guidelines; risk assessment and management; environmental impact assessment; and communication and access to environmental information. Regarding the water resources assessment, both plans have evaluated the surface and groundwater resources of the Tagus River basin. For example, Portugal has performed an assessment based on 50 years of data (from 1940 to 1990) and has estimated the water consumption by sector, identifying the withdrawals from surface and groundwater sources. Controls, standards and guidelines, as for example the quality standards for drinking water, are present in the two parts of the basin and are enforced by national regulations. Both countries apply the Waste Water Directive. Systematic monitoring activities are taking place on the Tagus basin. Flood risk is included in the water and land management. Flood mapping systems were developed for the basins as measures to manage the flood risk. d) Management and integration of the different environmental aspects The following aspects were analyzed (Table1): natural ecosystems and biodiversity; soil, water, air, climate and landscape and Integration of the different environmental aspects. The levels of protection for riparian zones and associated ecosystems range from corrective relation - such as the case of Portugal, where
all the fluvial corridors (50 m from the backline) are considered protected areas - to the protection of relevant water related ecosystems, such as the Laguna de Los Llanos de Pealara in Spain. In Tagus basin there are several natural parks and protected areas to preserve the ecosystem habitat and biodiversity.
Table 1 - Qualitative assessment of the level of in different environmental aspects in Tagus river Tagus Level of integration in: (ES) Freshwater management and coastal zone management Land and water management Green water (for biomass production) and blue waters (water flowing in rivers and aquifers) Surface and groundwater management Quantity and quality in water resources management Upstream and downstream water related interests Medium Medium integration Basin Tagus (PT) Medium Medium
Medium High Medium Low
--Medium Medium Medium
Measures to ensure efficient and equitable use of water

Several initiatives were undertaken to improve the efficient use of water and to spread the perception of water as having social and economic value. Some of the most important initiatives are the polluter/userpay approach (in the Portuguese side) and a set of incentives for new water-saving technologies and efficient transport and for replacement of water intensive crops and cultivars (in the Spanish side). For monitoring and for recording and control of all the water uses, a metering system is already in place, as a consequence also of the adoption of policy in which water payment is based on the utilized volumes and not on a flat basis. In general, water is recognized as an economic and social good. The perception of the social relevance of the water resource leads to the adoption of strategies to preserve the environmental value of the rivers, as opposed to the economic value that is well understood.
The price of water in both countries is based on real costs and gained benefit. In the Portuguese part, everyone pays with the exception the minor users and abstractors, while in the Spanish part there is a political price to help farmers. Local political priorities are implemented in terms of different price levels imposed to certain user categories or according to the average welfare level of the concerned society. Policies give irrigation a special consideration, since required fees are more or less political fees to sustain the agricultural sector.
Fact box 2
Water availability (Million m3) Portugal Spain Total 6 400 (34,4%) 12 230 (65,6%) 18 630
a) Institutions and water law The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands that river basin districts are established. Spain and Portugal are therefore bound to set up an administrative system for water management based on hydrological basin boundaries. The present systems in Spain and Portugal are in many ways similar. Each has a basin plan in place, with each having a separate basin authority responsible for the management of the water resources in the basin (in Portugal, the Tejo Hydrographic Region Administration, and in Spain, the Tagus Basin Authority). In both basins, the plans were prepared in a collaborative and consensual way through the Tejo Basin Council (Portugal) and the Tagus Council of Users (Spain). These bodies provide the participation of the basin stakeholderes and work within the general national strategies prepared by their respective National Water Councils (again with the stakeholder participation, but representative of national as opposed to basin interests). In Portugal, the national Water Institute is responsible for the implementation of the different basin plans, with the basin authority taking this function in Spain. At the national level in Spain, water resources management is controlled by the Water Authority, which works under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment, and the Rural and Maritime Environment. The Water Institute in Portugal by which is responsible the Ministry for Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development serves a similar function at the ministerial level. In both countries, there is no specific coordinating body. However, the constitution of the National Water Councils in both countries goes some way to alleviating this potential difficulty both are made up of representatives from all relevant ministries, sectoral users, NGOs, regional authorities and technical bodies. Finally at the supra-national level, both countries have obligations with respect to water policy and information provision under the Albufeira Convention, which has established the
Water uses (Million m3) Portugal Spain Total 2 647 (41.3%) 3 447 (28.2%) 6 084 (32.7%)
Institutional analysis and stakeholder involvement in water management

This issue comprehends three aspects: a) institutions and water law; b) institutional structure; and c) stakeholder involvement. Effective and equitable governance is crucial for the implementation of IWRM plans. Stakeholder participation is also very important. Citizens and communities know the environment in which they live and by sharing information decision makers can both be better informed, and take account of differing interests and perspectives. Active stakeholder involvement is fundamental to provide feedback in the basin management.
Conference of the Parts to coordinate transboundary cooperation over the river, this organization being quite effective. Allocation networks In the Tagus basin, Spains Water Law demands that a particular hierarchy of uses be respected in the context of a drought supply to population; agricultural uses; electricity generation; industrial uses; aquiculture; recreational uses; navigation and aquatic transport; and other uses. Interestingly, environmental requirements are not covered in this prioritization list. In Portugal the priorities for water use, which apply in periods of scarcity, are water distribution to the public, followed by agricultural and industrial uses. b) Institutional Structure The following organograms give an outline of the institutional structure in place for water management in the Tagus River basin for the Portuguese and Spanish parts.
c) Stakeholder involvement Both countries have achieved different levels of public participation in the water management process and have ratified three UNECE conventions which have provisions for access to information and public participation: Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, 1991 (Espoo, Convention). Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, 1992. Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) The Albufeira Convention about the cooperation for the protection and sustainable use of the waters of Portuguese-Spanish basins and the additional protocol of the Convention states that all information related to the Convention must be available. The WFD also foresees the access to information and public participation. Despite these issues, the stakeholder and public participation have been relatively limited in terms of decision-making process. Access to information: Portugal The Tagus River Basin plan was presented to public discussion from November 2000 until January 2001. All the studies were made available in meetings and in official websites (of the Water Institute). Stakeholders fora, where key sectors were represented and where strategic decisions were discussed, were promoted via the National Water Council and the Tagus Basin Council. After the public discussion period, the Water National Council issued a favourable opinion about the plan. Access to decision-making: Portugal During the elaboration of the Tagus River Basin Plan, the law in force imposed a framework for integrated water resources management, also ensuring public participation in the decision of the basin process. According to the Regulatory Decree, that approved Tagus River Basin Plan, the
Figure 1 Spanish (top) and Portuguese (bottom) institutional structure organograms.
elaboration of such plan was closely followed by the Water National Council and by the Tagus Basin Council, the latter acting as a mechanism for water resources management at a regional level where all the state agencies related to water utilization, as well as all the water users were represented. Despite all the legal dispositions concerning stakeholders and public involvement, it should be noted that the public sessions related to the plan mainly had participants from those sectors such as agriculture and industry with a strong interest in the outcomes of any decisions. The general public was not usually aware of the importance of involvement in questions related to water use and conservation. No financial support was provided to ensure the participation of the stakeholders in the meetings. Access to Information: Spain The WFD and the AGUA Programme require the elaboration of a new Hydrological Plan for the Tagus basin. The elaboration of such plan involves a greater participation of the regions and also more public participation. In April 2008, some meetings were held in separate groups, including: water managers, social network, private companies/industry, end users and institutions. Participants are continuously informed about each step of the process, relevant activities, etc. For instance, several documents related to the initial steps of the planning process were uploaded with free access in a web page. The AGUA Programme also promotes public/social participation in the elaboration of hydrological plans. Access to decision-making: Spain The conception of the new plan should avoid unbalanced situations as discrepancies in allocation are perceived among stakeholders in terms of water scarcity and the balance between urban and irrigation consumption as well as problems like inefficiency of irrigation systems which leads to overestimating water availability. In Spain for the elaboration of the new Hydrological Plan, local end users, local environmental organizations and independent water experts will form the planning body.
Traditionally, the agricultural sector and, especially, irrigation communities had a very important role in the social structure and organisation of local communities. The Hydrological Plan of The Tagus Basin respects the historical rights that are still preserved in some private irrigation systems. All the new water utilizations require permission/ /concessions licences.
Capacity building
Capacity building is the process of development and strengthening of the abilities of people, institutions and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives. Effective IWRM requires an enabling environment and conscious and competent actors. Capacity building can take place at different levels that go from central and regional political institutions and departments, to NGO's and civil society, farmers, fishermen, small businesses etc. In Tagus basin, the type of capacity building that is mostly to be found is the kind of information provided by environmental NGOs and aimed at increasing knowledge of environmental problems. There is also to a certain extent information provided by the Spanish and Portuguese water authorities aiming at decreasing the negative impacts of excessive and often unnecessary use of water in agriculture (e.g. for irrigating olive groves) or even for personal hygiene or teaching the young people the main concepts related with the water cycle and with water resources preservation. Figure 2 illustrates the main web page of the Portuguese Water Institute in September 2008, showing the link to the web site designed for the young people (INAG Jovem). Special information regarding the ongoing public inquiries (Aviso Discusso Pblica) or droughts (Secas) and the protection of the coastal areas (Arribas) was also provided. In the Spanish part of the basin, the water management is highly centralized in the Tagus Water Confederation (TWC). Apart from this confederation, the regional (Community of Madrid, Community of Castilla La Mancha,
Community of Extremadura) and local (municipal) authorities have competences attributed in water management. The water management is highly specific and centralized, and there is little public involvement, despite the effort made in the last years to promote transparency and public participation.
Quercus (National Association for the Nature Conservation). Also, whenever special situations occur, as during the drought of 2005, warnings are spread (through the media) teaching the public how to preserve water or energy. Also, the SNIRH website from the Water Institute always has campaigns providing relevant information regarding the water resources. It has also a HydroLibrary where a large number of articles, books and specific publication are always available. Equivalent information though more focused in the environmental questions is also provided in the webpage of the Portuguese Environment Agency. Nowadays there is a joint program between the Education Ministry and the Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development Ministry (Eco-School Program) which acts at the levels of the under graduated schools and high schools providing information related with all the environmental areas, including the water resources. Also the so called Eco-Centers aiming at spreading information related with the environment are being created, either by the Portuguese Environment Agency or by the local Municipalities.
Figure 2 - Examples of capacity building improvement in the main web page of the Portuguese Water Institute in September 2008 (www.inag.pt).
Apart from what is mentioned in the plan, there are a number of initiatives leaded by the TWC, the public administration and other organizations (including NGOs, farming organizations, etc.) devoted to capacity building. These campaigns focus mostly on good water use practices, and they are aimed at the families, farmers, etc. Some examples are campaigns promoting a rational use of water such as those by the foundation agua-dulce.org, or the campaign for a responsible consume (including water) by the TWC. In Portugal, the public entities with competency in all issues related with water resources are the Water Institute (INAG), at the national level, and the Hydrographic Region Administrations (HRA) at the regional level. Those who work in the different agencies need to have a background compatible with the activities they develop which ensures the required capacity building. Besides that there are also other organizations and groups that contribute to capacity building, such as farmers or fishermen organizations or NGOs, such as the LPN (Nature Protection Association) and the
Transboundary issues
In 1998 an Agreement on the cooperation for the protection and the sustainable use of Spanish and Portuguese transboundary basins, also known as the Albufeira Convention was signed by Portugal and Spain. It came into force in 2000. In the Tagus basin (as in the other four transboundary basins between Spain and Portugal), important actor in transboundary water management is the Conference of the Parts which includes representatives of the Spanish and Portuguese Governments. A number of governmental and departmental working groups also exist. Concerning information exchange, there is an Information Exchange Work Group, and agreements stipulate the type of data that has to be exchanged in order to monitor water management in transboundary basins.
Conclusions
This comparative assessment, according to the five selected IWRM themes, has revealed some similarities and differences between the Portuguese and the Spanish Tagus River sub basins. There is some similarity regarding the economic development with socio-economic pressures linked to agriculture, industry and/or hydropower production. Economic growth often comes at the expense of the environment, and sometimes also of social equity - creating grounds for conflicts between water users. An effective institutional framework, guidelines and policies are needed to ensure that mitigation measures are devised, to sustain both natural resources and important human and cultural values. Water quantity is a common problem for the Tagus basin. Scarcity of water is related to conflicts over the allocation of water both between sectors and between urban and rural areas. Urban versus rural consumption of water is a big issue, especially in relation to the major cities of Madrid and Lisbon. In the Spanish part of the Tagus basin, waste water treatment from small towns and from Madrid is insufficient, causing problems for agricultural crops which depend on water quality. Runoff from agriculture and leaks from old power stations are other important sources of pollution in this area. It seems that in the Portuguese part of the Tagus river water pollution is not a major source of problem. All the basin reports refer to water standards and monitoring programs, but monitoring is said to be insufficient in most basins. Another aspect of environmental protection is the existence of protected areas. The Tagus basin has natural parks and protected areas to preserve the ecosystem habitat and biodiversity. However, if these areas represent only a small fraction of the river basin, and elsewhere the resources are managed in a non-sustainable way, such areas may not be sufficient.
From the technical point of view, both Portugal and Spain have developed plans or policy actions to protect most of the environmental aspects. However, it is difficult to assess the status of implementation and the effectiveness of such measures. Both countries apply the user-payer approach based on costs and benefits, and Spain has incentives for the adoption of new water saving technologies and efficient transport, and of non water-intensive crops and cultivars.
Protected Areas Natura 2000 sites (Directive 92/409/CEE) Special Protection Area (Directive 79/409/CEE) Tejo Watershed
Figure 3 - Protected areas in the Portuguese Tagus River basin.
Transparency in the decision making process can help to ensure a balanced use of water and to reduce negative impacts on society and environment. In the Tagus basin, public participation in decision making has been relatively limited, however the river basin plans that are required under the WFD will open up the decision making process more. Capacity building may be important to achieve effective public participation and is included in many water policies and strategies of Tagus basin.
Fact box 3
During 2008, a focus group experience was conducted in the Tagus Basin in which different groups of stakeholders were asked to discuss about some topics relevant for IWRM. The minutes of these series of workshops reflect the opinion of the stakeholders about the implementation of IWRM in the Tagus Basin. Following are the main conclusions drawn from the meetings held in Madrid. (Key: A: administration; F: farmers; E: ecologists; I: industry; X: fishermen associations.) Water availability. Water availability in the basin is threatened mostly by the Tajo-Segura water transfer (AFEXI), and in second place by urban growth (FE). There is a problem of water scarcity and uncertainty for agriculture, and there is not enough regulation (F). Water allocation / equity issues. The Tajo-Segura water transfer is a major equity issue for the basin, and it is solved politically (AFEXI). There is a discrimination of small companies and individual users in favor of large companies (EI). Water concessions are seen as a property, and not a temporal concession (X). Water quality. The water quality is low in the middle and lower parts of the basin (AFEXI) due to deficient water treatment in small towns (AFEXI), illegal waste water dumping from the industry (AEXI), illegal gravel extraction (E) and intensive farming (E). Law is not strong enough against pollutants (A). There is not enough control of water quality (AEX), due to not enough funds and resources for monitoring (A). Ecological flow, environmental impact. The minimum ecological flow is not respected in many cases (EXI), and there is a lack of a well established methodology for determining the ecological flow (AXI). Besides, ecological flow regulation is not imposed to old dealerships (A). There is not enough protection of the riparian environment (AF). Water cost, new technology and efficiency. There is fear that increasing the water costs to meet the market prize will be very negative for the agriculture (F). Modernizing the irrigation systems is expensive, more than water is, so there should be public subsidies to promote modernizing and water saving (F). Administration. There is a problem of mixed competences and lack of coordination between the water administrations (AFEXI). Besides, there are territorial and political conflicts between regional administrations (AEI). Law enforcement. In general, there is not enough enforcement of the water and environmental laws (AEXI). EU Water Frame Directive. There are difficulties in adapting to the EU Water Frame Directive in time (A). Information and participation. Although an effort has been made to make all hydrological data public on the web (A), it is very difficult to get information beyond the technical data, so the decision-making process is not completely transparent (FEXI). Public participation is still very restricted (FEXI), and many times the opinion of the users or the request for information is ignored by the administration (EXI). Public participation is not an important issue even for some people from the administration (A). There are doubts about the success or even the convenience of public participation in IWRM due to sectorial and territorial conflicts, so there is a risk to convert the process of IWRM in a political fight (AE). However, the situation is improving and a draft version of the new basin management plan will be released and discussed with the public in 2009 (A), and meetings with the stakeholders are also planned (A). IWRM. IWRM is currently not implemented in the catchment due to a lack of transparency and public participation (FEXI). Water resources management is seen as a mere technical issue, and most managers are engineers (I). Capacity building. There is a need to improve the education of the society with respect to IWRM (FEXI).
10
The first impression from the institutional analysis and stakeholder participation is that the implementation of IWRM still has a long way to go. Strategies and basin plans are generally available or under preparation. Institutional coordination is problematic, exacerbated by the multitude of bodies involved, patchy definition of roles and functions and no doubt a lack of financial capacity. There is a need for the improvement of the stakeholders participation in the river basin management in order to allow the stakeholders to interact on a regular basis before conflicts may escalate and also allow stakeholders access to information which will improve their capacity to implement IWRM. Such organizations can help to prevent conflicts between upstream and downstream users and to provide a communications platform to help fulfill legal requirements for stakeholder access to information and decision-making in river basin management. Regarding the transboundary, regulated by the Albufeira convention, problems may occur related with drought and low flow management.
References
This STRIVER Policy Brief is based on the following research reports and scientific literature: Nesheim, I., McNeill, D., Stlnacke, P., Sekhar, N. U., Grizzetti B., Allen, A. A., Barton D., Beguera-Portugs S., Berge D., Bouraoui F., Campbell D., Deelstra, J., GarcaRuiz, J.M., Gooch G. D., Joy K., Lana-Renault, N., Machado M., Manasi S., Nhung D. K., Paranjape S., Portela M. M., Rieu-Clarke A., Saravanan V. S., Thaulow, H., Vicente-Serrano, S.,71 P. 2008. The first IWRM assessment report for the four case basins: Glomma, Tagus, Sesan and Tungabhadra. STRIVER Report D5.1.
11
The STRIVER Policy and Technical Brief series translate the results from the project into practical and useful information for policy makers and water managers. The Briefs are also available online: www.striver.no About STRIVER STRIVER- Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins is a three year EC funded project 2006-2009 under the 6th framework programme (FP6) coordinated jointly by Bioforsk and NIVA. The point of departure for STRIVER is the lack of clear methodologies and problems in operationalisation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as pointed out by both the scientific and management communities.13 partners from 9 countries participate as contractual partners in addition to an external advisory board. Title of project:
Disclaimer
Editors: Per Stlnacke and Johannes Deelstra (Bioforsk) Launch date: 17 April 2009
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STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF

Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins TB No. 9
Tagus River near the Portuguese-Spanish border
A case of transboundary water agreement - the Albufeira Convention

The Albufeira Convention (1998) regulates the transboundary waters in the shared basins between Spain and Portugal. This brief gives insights into this convention and the historical development of bilateral cooperation between Spain and Portugal around water management, natural resource and integrated basin management.
A case of transboundary water agreement - the Albufeira Convention

Antnio Betmio de Almeida, IST, Portugal Maria Manuela Portela, IST, Portugal Marta Machado, IST, Portugal
Abstract
The relations between Portugal and Spain from the perspective of river basin
management date back to the 19th century and the signing, in 1864, of the Treaty of Limits, which stipulates that boundary-spanning resources should be used for mutual benefit and without harm to the interests of the other party. Between 1864 and 1968, a further four international instruments were signed whose main aim was to promote the production of hydroelectric power. However, it was only from 1994 onwards that significant steps were taken to progress bilateral cooperation in the field of transboundary river basin management. At that time, negotiations were started on the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Waters in Portuguese-Spanish River Basins (Albufeira Convention), which culminated in the signing of the Convention in 1998 and its entry into force in 2000. The Albufeira Convention is notable for extending the scope and reach of Portuguese-Spanish relations in matters relating to waters, not only broadening the geographical scope to include all areas within the river basins, but also introducing innovative substantive issues [3].
Fact box
The Albufeira Convention (1998) includes the Tagus, Minho, Lima, Duero/Douro, and Guadiana Rivers, that all flow to from Spain to Portugal. The Convention cover themes such as bilateral information exchange, information to the public, assessment and dialogue on transboundary impacts, pollution control and prevention, water uses, droughts and resource scarcity, assignment of rights, dispute resolution, etc. The Convention follows very closely the recommended rules of international water law, particularly the 1997 New York Convention (ILC Draft Articles) and the International Court of Justice dispositions.
Source: Costa, L., Vergs, J.C., Arraqu, B. Shaping new Lusco Spanish Convention. http://www.ualg.pt/5cigpa/comunicacoes/Shaping%20a%20new%20Luso%20Spanish%20Convention%20%2 0(15.10.2006).doc.
STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 9
The physical and historical context

Portugal shares with Spain five river basins (Figure 1), the areas of which represent 40% of the total area of the Iberia Peninsula, 42% of the area of Mainland Spain and 64% the area of Mainland Portugal. It should be stressed that most of the border between the two countries (68%) coincides with river stretches. Table 1 shows the distribution between Portugal and Spain of the areas of the shared basins. The bulk of those areas (78%) is located in Spain, being mostly in an upstream position.
understand the relevance, namely for the downstream country, of the shared basins and of the transboundary rivers. The highly pronounced spatial and temporal irregularity of the Portuguese hydrologic regime makes even more important to its water budget the contribution of the water flowing from Spain.
Table 2: Reservoir capacity in the shared river basins
Reservoir capacity River (Castilian/ /Portuguese) hm3 Mio/Minho Limia/Lima Duero/Douro Tajo/Tejo Guadiana Total 2880 170 1670 11140 9220 31080 Spain hm3/km2 0.18 0.13 0.1 0.2 0.17 0.15 hm3 0.2 400 1080 2750 460* 4690 Portugal hm3/km2 0 0.34 0.06 0.11 0.04 0.08
*Before the construction of Alqueva dam in the Portuguese stretch of Guadiana River. The Alqueva reservoir is the largest artificial reservoir in Europe, having a net capacity of 3,150hm3. Source: INAG (2001), Portuguese National Water Plan.
The institutional agreement between Portugal and Spain in what concerns water resources management began in the 19th century and since then several conventions or treaties were signed:
Figure 1: Portuguese- Spanish river basins Table 1: River basins shared between Portugal and Spain
Basin area River (Castilian/ /Portuguese) Spain Mio/Minho Limia/Lima Duero/Douro Tajo/Tejo Guadiana Total 16230 1300 79000 55800 55300 207630 In km
2
In percentage Total 17080 2480 97600 80600 66800 264560 Spain 95 52 81 69 83 78 Portugal 5 48 19 31 17 22
Portugal 850 1180 18600 24800 11500 56930
Treaty on Limits (1864); Rules for the Uses of International Stretches of Rivers (1866); Convention on Limits (1926); Convention for the Use of the International Stretch of River Douro and its Tributaries (1927); Convention for the Use of the International Stretches of Rivers Minho, Lima, Tejo, Guadiana and Chana and its tributaries (1968) Most of the previous agreements aimed at ensuring a convenient exploitation of the hydropower resources along the international stretches of the shared rivers.
Source: INAG (2001), Portuguese National Water Plan.
The specific reservoir capacity (that is, the capacity of the existing reservoirs expressed in hm3 per km2) is, in general, higher in Spain than in Portugal (Table 2). Taking into account that almost 40% of the Portuguese water resources flows from Spain, it is easy to
Albufeira Convention
Between 1993 and 1998 a new framing for the transboundary waters was negotiated leading
to a new water resources Portuguese/Spanish convention that was signed in the town of Albufeira (Algarve) in 1998: the so called Albufeira Convention which came into effect in January 2000. This new convention followed very closely the recommendations of the 1997 New York Convention and was influenced by the principles included in the main international treaties related to transboundary waters (e.g. Espoo and Helsinki conventions) as well as by the philosophy of the EU Water Framework Directive, WFD1 in what concerns, among other topics, the need for harmonized
objectives for waters and aquatic ecosystems, coordination of measures, river basin plans and management authorities, public participation and exchange of information. The 1998 Albufeira Convention has a Preamble, 35 Articles, two Annexes and an additional protocol: the interim river flow regimes (see Fact box). Some main issues of this Convention are: Information exchange related with the status of the water, the water uses and the water infrastructures. Evaluation of the transboundary impacts.
Albufeira Convention (1998) Structure and main topics

Preamble and 35 Articles. Annex I: Information exchange Annex II: Transboundary impacts Additional protocol (updated in 2008): interim
river flow regimes.
Fact box
water uses river flows Part IV: Exceptional Situations (Arts. 17 to

19):
accidental pollution incidents floods droughts and water scarcity Part V: Institutional Clauses (Arts. 20 to 23): co-operation bodies: Conf. of Parties, Com. for
the Application and Development of the Convention
Annex to the additional protocol: bases for the

interim river-flow regimes.
Part I: General clauses (Arts. 1 to 4): definitions, scope and objectives and cooperation forms
Part II: Co-operation (Arts. 5 to 12): exchange of information information to the public transboundary impact assessment mechanisms for co-operation communication systems mechanisms for emergency and alert situations safety of infra-structures Part III: protection and sustainable use of
waters (Arts. 13 to 16):
Part VI: Final Clauses (Arts. 24 to 35): affected rights mechanisms for consultation conflict resolution force of the existing Conventions on rivers extinction of the existing International Rivers Commission
force of the Convention denouncement of the Convention entry into force of the Convention
water quality pollution prevention and control
Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council Establishing a framework for Community Action in the field of Water Policy.
Co-ordination of programmes of measures for protecting waters and ecosystems, pollution prevention and control, ensuring sustainable uses of water; Co-ordination of programmes of measures for controlling floods, droughts and pollution accidents; Joint authorities to implement the regime of the Convention. The Convention establishes water allocation rules: except for one of the rivers (the Lima river), yearly guaranteed stream flows to Portugal in normal hydrologic years were initially established. Under exceptionally dry years, the non-significant term rule applied: the water supplied to Portugal should guaranty the ecologic flows required under those conditions, these flows being established by a specific technical commission (CADC). For the Guadiana River, the definition of normal years also accounted for the water storage in the reservoirs located in the basin. The Convention created an intergovernmental technical commission - the Commission for the Application and Development of the Convention, CADC which is responsible for analyzing and for preparing proposals related with issues involving the interpretation and application of the Albufeira Convention. This Commission includes several work groups (WG), such as the flow regime, droughts and emergency occurrences WG; the information exchange WG; the safety of infrastructures and floods WG; the WFD and water quality WG. It also includes a sub commission devoted to public participation (Figure 2). The application of the convention is controlled in several measuring points, as shown in Figure 3. A political Conference of the Parties (headed by a Minister of each State) to take decisions was also created. The first Conference of the Parties took place in Lisbon on 27th July 2005, bolstering the work of the Commission for the Application and Development of the
Convention (CADC) through the stimulation of its various working groups.
Support from the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Ministry
CADC Portuguese Delegation
CADC Spanish Delegation
Support from the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry
Working Groups (WG) and Sub Commission Flow regime, droughts and emergency occurrences WG Portuguese Technical Secretariat Information exchange WG Infrastructures safety and floods WG WFD and water quality WG Public participation sub commission Spanish Technical Secretariat
Figure 2: Organogram of the Commission for the Application and Development of the Convention, CADC.
Figure 3: Control points of the application of Albufeira Convention (adapted from [1]].
The second Conference of the Parties was held on 19th February 2008 in Madrid, at which joint maps defining water masses were approved. Of note was the approval of a new flow regime
based on a quarterly guarantee of minimum flow rates, with weekly minimums under certain conditions. The Albufeira Convention can be understood as the result of a long history of successfully collaboration between Portugal and Spain in what concerns the harmonious share of the international natural water resources. This collaboration allowed the construction since the late fifties of important dams mainly for hydropower purposes in the river reaches along the border or near the border as it happens in most of the transboundary rivers (Table 3 and Figures 4 and 5). Some of those dams, as Alcntara dam, also have an important role in the flood control, mitigating the flood impacts downstream in Portugal.
Table 3: Dams with transboundary impacts, located at or near the border.
Name Country River Year of completion 1969 Installed Height capacity (MW) 17.5 -390 180 210 1139 525 915 240 (m) 33 -80 100 87 139 83 135 96
Frieira/Freiria Sela Miranda Picote Bemposta Aldeadvila Saucelle Alcntara Alqueva
Spain Spain
Mio/Minho
Mio/Minho Under design 1960 1958 1964 1963 1956 1969 2004
Portugal Duero/Douro Portugal Duero/Douro Portugal Duero/Douro Spain Spain Spain Portugal Duero/Douro Duero/Douro Tajo/Tejo Guadiana
Figure 5: Alcntara (Spain, Tajo/Tejo River) and Alqueva (Portugal, Guadiana River) dams.
An example, among others, of the good collaboration between Spain and Portugal was the simulation exercise of Alcntara dam failure, organized by the civil protection authorities of both countries. To ensure the balance, between Portugal and Spain, of the capacity installed along the international reaches of the transboundary rivers a last hydropower scheme is still waiting to be built: the Sela scheme located in Mio/Minho River (see Figure 4). To guarantee an equitable distribution, the installed capacity in such scheme will be split between the two countries.
Figure 4: Dams with transboundary impacts, located at or near the border.
Despite the special features of each transboundary basin, the Albufeira Convention ensures a global and transversal policy, except in what concerns the flow regime of the Tagus River where the Tajus/Segura water transfer is considered, as established since the Convention of 1968 Some of the critics pointed out to the Convention involved the guaranteed flows (which had been set too low, their temporal pattern within the year being as important as their value, at least for Portugal) and the criteria for the exceptional years (being not so an exception: e.g. for Tagus River their probability of occurrence was about once in each four years [2]).
References
This STRIVER Technical Brief was based on the following research reports and scientific literature: [1] Borges, O. A Conveno de Albufeira e o novo ciclo de planeamento, El nuevo ciclo de planificacin hidrolgica en Espaa - La elaboracin de los planes hidrolgicos, Madrid, Spain, 30 de Maro de 2007; [2] Correia, F.N. O regime de caudais na Conveno Luso-Espanhola (The flow regime in the Luso-Spanish Convention) Workshop on the Water Resources LusoSpanish Convention, IST, Lisbon, Portugal, 1999; [3] Council of the European Union, Brussels, 29 February 2008, 7167/08, ENV 136; For public information (websites): www.cadc-albufeira.org www.inag.pt www.inag.pt/inag2004/port/a_intervencao/ planeamento/pna/pna.html http://cnpgb.inag.pt/gr_barragens/gbingles /index.htm www.chguadiana.es/ www.chtajo.es/ www.chminosil.es/ www.chduero.es/
New Outcomes
In February 2008 the Conference of the Parties approved the CADC proposal for a new flow regime protocol. This new protocol defines a more detailed flow regime which, for Douro, Tejo and Guadiana Rivers, specifies, under normal hydrological situations, minimum flows along different periods of the year. The Conference of the Parties also approved a new protocol related with the environmental evaluation of the transboundary effects. A permanent technical secretariat for the CADC was also created. This will improve the capacity of the CADC for monitoring and analyzing the transboundary issues in the Iberian shared river basins (Figure 1).
The Future
Joint river basins authorities should be created between Spain and Portugal for the shared rivers basins aiming at elaborating and implementing integrated river basin management plans. This would improve the ecological integrity of the shared river basins and would guarantee the sustainability of water use and of development of the shared basins.
Portuguese Natural Park of International Douro River.
Disclaimer
Editors: Per Stlnacke and Johannes Deelstra (Bioforsk) Launch date: 15 April 2009

Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins TB No. 10
" evolutionary
adaptive process " of

improvement of the w ater resources management
Adapted from [1]
Development in river basin management in Portugal past and future perspectives

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) has created a new legal framework in Europe around the IWMR process. The recent development of new IWRM authorities, concepts and practical tools in Portugal, as well as some of the short and medium-term perspectives are presented this brief
Development in river basin management in Portugal past and future perspectives

Maria Manuela Portela, IST, Portugal Antnio Betmio de Almeida, IST, Portugal Marta Machado, IST, Portugal
Abstract
As a consequence of the Water Framework Directive, WFD, deep transformations occurred in the IWMR process in Europe. The recent evolution of the IWRM authorities, concepts and practical tools in Portugal, as well as some of the short and medium-term perspectives are presented. It should be stressed that the new water resource framing applies to any Portuguese River basin, including the Tejo/Tagus River basin, which mainly became part of the recently created Lisbon and Tagus Valley Hydrographic Region.
Fact box
The Tagus basin divides the Iberian Peninsula into two parts with similar areas, being a transition between the wet Peninsula and the dry Peninsula. In fact there is a considerable difference among the tributaries of Tagus River, those located in the right/North bank having much more water than the ones of the left/South bank. The Tagus River basin has the highest population occupation of the Iberian Peninsula with three millions of inhabitants living in the Portuguese sub basin and six millions in the Spanish sub basin, both capitals Lisbon and Madrid - being located there. In Portugal, the basin extends for three regions Centre, Lisbon and Tagus Valley and Alentejo with a very concentrated settlement in the costal regions of Metropolitan Lisbon area and of Setbal Peninsula and with disperse settlement in the rest of the basin, thus introducing a pronounced asymmetry between the coastal and the inner zones. In Spain, the basin extends for five autonomic communities three of those communities representing more than 90% of the basin area: Castilha-La Mancha, Extremadura and Madrid, with 48.0, 30.0 and 14.4 %, respectively. 80% of the population of the basin is concentrated in the Madrid community. The general pattern of the population distribution is similar in the Portuguese and Spanish sub basins with a significant percentage of the population living very small areas the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Madrid. The concentration of the population allied with an intensive economic activity demarcates those areas from the rest of the territory of each country. Though the Tagus River is the third Iberian river in basin area and in water availability (after the Duero and the Ebro Rivers), it provides water to the majority of the population of the Peninsula, even supplying water to more one and a half more million inhabitants by means of the TagusSegura transfer.
Background
Freshwater
management is crucial for sustainable development, both in developed countries, where water is still being wasted, and in developing countries, which cannot hope to achieve the economic and social development they seek unless they can guarantee their populations a safe water supply. Instruments for water resource management have an important role to play in preventing water-related conflicts, through assessing the resources spatial and temporal variability along the river basin. It is therefore important to design a long-term water policy in order to promote more adequate land use and better protection of water quality and associated ecosystems. In this context, it is also important to mention the need to tie integrated water resource management in with the prevention of and protection against extreme hydrological conditions [4].
II
challenges brought about by a new policy approach, socio-economic evolution scenarios and the main pressures on water resources. These Plans established a set of goals and measures, a timescale for their enforcement, and mechanisms for their implementation and assessment [5].
The Water Framework Directive and the Portuguese Water Law from 2005
In 2005, a new Water Law, WL (Law 58/2005, 29th December 2005) came into force in Portugal, strengthening the water resources planning process by establishing the basis and the institutional framework for the future water management policy. This new law aims at providing the means for the sustainable management and protection of the water resources to be undertaken by regional water management authorities with assigned territories designed around river basins. The Law 58/2005 transposes into the Portuguese law the applicable European legislation on the subject, namely the Directive 2000/60/CE, of October 23, 2000, known as the EU Water Management Framework Directive, WFD, which, in fact, was the driven force for a new era in terms of the water resources management policies and practices.
6/2001, 5 Dec - Guadiana RBP

th
th
VIII XI XIII XII X VII XIV XV III
II 17/2001, 5 Dec - Minho RBP III 18/2001, 7th Dec - Tejo RBP
IV
IV 19/2001, 10th Dec - Douro RBP V

5/2002, 8 Feb - Mira RBP
th
VI 6/2002, 12th Feb - Sado RBP VII 9/2002, 1st Mar - Mondego RBP VIII 11/2002, 8th Mar - Lima RBP
th IX 12/2002, 9 Mar - Ribeiras do
Algarve RBP
15/2002, 14 Mar - Vouga RBP

th
th
The new IWRM authorities and tools

According to the WL and, consequently, to the WFD, new public authorities were created and called upon to assist in the planning and execution of regulations and measures for the implementation of sustainable water use. Among these authorities the more important ones are the newly created (in October 2008) Hydrographic Region Administrations, HRAs (in number of 10), and the existing, though restructured, National Water Institute, INAG. The HRAs, like the INAG, belong to the Ministry for Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development (see fact Box) and are regional entities, specialized in the water
XI 17/2002, 15 Mar - Cvado RBP

VI I V IX
XII 18/2002, 19th Mar - Lea RBP XIII 19/2002, 20th Mar - Ave RBP XIV 23/2002, 23rd Mar - Lis RBP XV
26/2002, 26th Mar - Ribeiras do Oeste RBP
Figure 1: Regulative Decrees that approved the 15 Portuguese River Basins Plans (Mainland Portugal).
In Portugal, the drawing up of the National
Water Plan (NWP), in 2001, and 15 River Basins Plans (RBPs), in 2000, was based on a process of characterising and diagnosing the current water resource situation, the
domain and with administrative and financial autonomies.

3 years for Member States to prepare 2000 WFD entered into force Article 22 and 25
Transpose requirements to national legislation Article 23 2003 Define River Basin Districts/Hydrographic Regions and Authorities 2004 Characterize river basins: pressures, impact and economic analysis Identify significant trends in groundwater pollution Establish environmental monitoring programmes Publish and consult on a work programme for the production of the first River Basin/ /Hydrographic Region Management Plans (RBMPs/HRMPs) Establish environmental quality standards (EQSs) for surface water Report monitoring programmes to the EC 2007 Publish and consult on summary of significant water management issues (SWMI) for each River Basin District Publish and consult on drafts of the RBMPs/HRMPs Publish the first RBMP/HRMP for each River Basin District/Hydrographic Region 2009 Establish programmes of measures (PoMs) in each River Basin District/Hydrographic Region in order to deliver environmental objectives Report RBMPs, including PoMs to the EC 2010 Introduce water pricing policies Article 9 Article 14 Article 3
6 years to analyse issues and prepare the River Basin Management Plans
Article 5
According to the article 29 of the Water Law the HRMPs should provide the support to the management, to the protection and to the environmental, social and economic valorization of the water resources including the estuaries, the coastal areas and the aquifers, besides the surface waters. The HRMPs will become part of the municipal master plans, replacing the river basin plans of 2001/2002.
2005
Article 17
Article 8
2006
Article 14
Article 16
2008
Article 14
3 years to put programmes of measures in place
Article 13
Article 11
District Border
Hydrografic Regions
RH1 - Minho/Lima RH2 - Cvado/ Ave/Lea RH3 - Douro RH4 - Vouga/Mondego/Lis RH5 - Tejo/Ribeiras do Oeste RH6 - Sado/Mira RH7 - Guadiana RH8 - Ribeiras do Algarve RH9 - Aores RH10 - Madeira Coastal Waters
Ensure all POMs are fully operational 2012 Report progress in implementing the first RBMPs/HRMPs 2013 Review progress of the first RBMP/HRMP cycle Main environmental objectives specified in the first RBMPs/HRMPs met? Review and update first RBMP/HRMPss Main environmental objectives specified in the second RBMPs/HRMPs met? 2021 Review and update second RBMP/HRMPss Main environmental objectives specified in the third RBMPs/HRMPs met? 2027 Review and update third RBMPs/HRMPs
Article 11
Article 15
3 years to achieve specified objectives
2015
Article 4 Articles 13, 14 and 15 Article 4 Articles 13, 14 and 15 Article 4 Articles 13, 14 and 15
Figure 3 General location of the 10 Hydrographic Region Administrations, HRAs. Table 1 - Hydrographic Region Management Plans, HRMPs. Development and public participation schedules.
Schedule Development of the HRMPs
December/2007
Further 6 years planning, consultation and implementation cycles
2015
Phase/activity
Preliminary synthesis of the existing management problems (at the AHs level) Preliminary versions of the first HRMPs
December/2008
Figure 2 Water Framework Directive, WFD, implementation timetable adapted from [2].
December/2009
Conclusion of the first HRGMs Implementation of the measures foreseen in the HRMPs Preliminary synthesis of the existing management problems (at the HRs level) Preliminary versions of the first HRMPs Environmental Report, in the scope of the Strategic Environmental Assessment
Until 2012
The HRAs became the main water resources planning authorities being responsible for promoting the so called Hydrographic Region Management Plans, HRMPs.
June/2009
June/2009
Public participation
January/2008
Fact box
Ministry for Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development. Organogram (Decree-Law n. 207/2006)
Financial Controller
Financial Controller
Consulting Board
National Water Council
National Council for Environment and Sustainable Development
National Commission for Waste Management Support
Other Structures
Commission for the Climate Changes
National Commission for the National Ecologic Reserve
Stat Direct Administration
Central Services
Department of Prospective and Planning and International Relations Regional Coordination and Development Commission North
Supervisory Authority for the Environment and Territorial Planning
General Secretariat
Portuguese Environment Agency
Directorate-General for Territoral Planning and Urban Development
Portuguese Geographical Institute
Peripheral Services
Regional Coordination and Development Commission Centre
Regional Coordination and Development Commission - Lisbon and Tagus Valley
Regional Coordination and Development Commission Alentejo
Regional Coordination and Development Commission Algarve
Stat Indirect Administration
Central Organism
Water Institute
Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Institute
Institute for Construction and Real Estate
Financial Institute for the Regional Development
Regulative Institute for Waters and Waste
Chiado Reconstruction Remainder Fund
Peripheral Organism
Hydrographic Region Administration North
Hydrographic Region Administration Centre
Hydrographic Region Administration Lisbon and Tagus Valley
Hydrographic Region Administration Alentejo
Hydrographic Region Administration Algarve
State entrepreneurial sector
Parque Expo 98, S.A.
guas de Portugal, S.A. [AdP]
Sintra Parks S.A.
The HRMPs were conceived as multifaceted tools for the water resources planning. They shall also allow reporting to the European Commission the evolution towards the application of the WFD, in what concerns the fulfillment of the environmental objectives in 2015, and they will enable the public information.
Some of the general principles embedded in the HRMPs are: the globality principle which foresees the integrated assessment of the technical, economic, environmental and institutional issues; the rationality principle which states the articulation between the demand and the
Coastal water Inner water Transition water
River water
Territorial water
Groundwater
Coastal water Groundwater

B a s e l i n e
River water
B
1 nautical mile
Water heavily modily Lake waters
Fact box
Figure 4 - Water bodies according to the WFD and to the HRMPs adapted from [3].
offer and the safeguard of the water resources preservation; the integration principle according to which an articulation among the regional planning, the land management and the conservation and preservation of the environment should exist; the participation principle which states the need to involve the economic agents and of the populations as a way to enhance wider consensus. Among other aspects, each HRMP must include a general description of the corresponding hydrographic region, a characterization of the existing pressures, both naturals and resulting from the human activity, and a program of measures envisaging the pursuit of the environmental objectives established in the Water Law. According to this Law, the plans should be object of public consultation during
the development, phases.
revision
and
updating
Table 1 General content of the Hydrographic Region Management Plans, HRMPs translated from [3].
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 General description of the Hydrographic Region, HR Characterization of the pressures and relevant anthropogenic incidences Identification and characterization of the protected areas Assessment of the water status and monitoring networks Development prospective scenarios Economic analysis of the water utilizations Environmental goals Measures programmes Other mandatory information
Part 10 Public participation Part 11 Environmental strategic assessment Part 12 System of promotion, control and appraisal of the HRMPs
While the River Basin Plans developed between 2001 and 2002 were mainly use/quantity-goal oriented, the HRMP are essentially environment/quality goal oriented
sectors to achieve the environmental goals; to diminish potential conflicts caused by lack of information or of knowledge; to increase the probability of success of the implementation of the HRMP. The public participation process is based on three main issues:
Prospective scenarios
Characterization of the hydrographic regions
Environmental objectives
information disclosure; public enquiry; active involvement of the stakeholders.
Implementation assessment
Programmes of measures
Information disclosure
Public enquiry
Active involvement of the stakeholders
Figure 5 - The Hydrographic Region Management Plans, HRMP - adapted from [1].
Figure 7 Public participation process adapted from [3].
The public involvement is accomplished by means of meetings, brochures and advertisements in the newspaper, in the Internet and via email. All the information related with the process is available in the website of the Water Institute (electronic format) and in the documentation centre of the same Institute (paper format).
Figure 6 Evolution of the objective and of the domain from the River Basin Plans, RBP, to the Hydrographic Region Management Plans, HRMP adapted from [3].
For the implementation of the WFD and, accordingly, for the development of the HRMPs is indispensable the public involvement as a way: to guaranty a more sustainable decision processes; to ensure a better understanding of the environmental problems and of the possible contributions from the different
Figure 8 - Main webpage of the Water Institute with the link to the public participation in the HRMP process.
Proactive management plan

To finish it can be stated that the development of the HRMPs started a new era of proactive
Figure 4 Continuous and adaptative IWRM perspective adapted from [3].
management where the past and the future decisions are intertwined towards the fulfillment of the different goals, with emphasis for the environmental ones.
Commission on Sustainable Development, United Nations, New York, 29 April 2004. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/ statements/portugal_2904.pdf [5] Nunes Correia, F, 2005, Turning Political Commitment into Action, Statement of Mr. Franscisco Nunes Correia, Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development at the Thirteenth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. United Nations, New York, 21 April 2005. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd13/ statements/2104_portugal.pdf
References
This STRIVER Technical Brief was based on the following references: [1] Brito, Antnio Guerreiro, 5th December 2008, A reforma institucional para a gesto da gua em Portugal: as Administraes de Regio Hidrogrfica ... novas ferramentas para uma nova poltica, Administrao da Regio Hidrogrfica do Norte, MAOTDR.
http://www.unizar.es/fnca/congresoiberico/docu mentos/ppt_p0402.pdf
[2]http://www.euwfd.com/html/wfd_implementation_
timetable.html
[3] INAG, 2007. Planos de Gesto de regio Hidrogrfica. Sesso Tcnica, Sesso Pblica sobre os PGRH, 2007. http://www.aprh.pt/pdf/270607_SessaoPub lica.pdf. [4] Martins, J. E., Statement by Mr. Jos Eduardo Martins, Secretary of State for the Environment at the Twelfth Session of the
() whenever the Tagus River flows, something always happens, because a river has its own glories and its own dramas. Like the men. A river lives, breaths, works, builds and destroys. So do the men. But men love and fall in love (..). () A river has its own glories and its own dramas, but it does not fall in love. The Tagus River does not think it acts. It acts according to the circumstances. It acts and it builds, it acts and it destroys. Like a man. But a man thinks and knows the doubt.
(Alves Redol, Portuguese writer, 1911-1969)
The STRIVER Policy and Technical Brief series translate the results from the project into practical and useful information for policy makers and water managers. The Briefs are also available online: www.striver.no About STRIVER STRIVER- Strategy and methodology for improved IWRM - An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins is a three year EC funded project 2006-2009 under the 6th framework programme (FP6) coordinated jointly by Bioforsk and NIVA. The point of departure for STRIVER is the lack of clear methodologies and problems in operationalisation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as pointed out by both the scientific and management communities.13 partners from 9 countries participate as contractual partners in addition to an external advisory board.
Title of project:
Project funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) The information provided and the opinions given in this publication are not necessarily those of the authors or the EC. The authors and publisher assume no liability for any loss resulting from the use of this report.
Editors: Per Stlnacke and Johannes Deelstra (Bioforsk) Launch date: 15 April 2009 Disclaimer

Strategy and methodology for improved Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) An integrated interdisciplinary assessment in four twinning river basins TB No. 11
IWRM status in the Tagus basin, Spain

An overview of the main conclusions of the STRIVER project in the Spanish part of the Tagus Basin, regarding water availability, water allocation, water prizing, water quality and pollution, environmental impact and ecological flows, institutional aspects, law enforcement, implementation of the EU Water Frame Directive, information and public participation, and capacity building.
IWRM status in the Tagus basin, Spain

Santiago Beguera, Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, J. Ignacio Lpez-Moreno, Noem Lana-Renault, Jos Mara Garca-Ruiz. (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones, CSIC, Spain), Antnio Betmio de Almeida, Maria Manuela Portela, Marta Machado (CEHIDRO/IST, Portugal)
Abstract
An overview of the main conclusions of the STRIVER project in the Spanish part of the Tagus Basin, regarding water availability, water allocation, water prizing, water quality and pollution, environmental impact and ecological flows, institutional aspects, law enforcement, implementation of the EU Water Frame Directive, information and public participation, and capacity building.
References
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente 1999, Plan Hidrolgico de la Cuenca del Tajo, Madrid (Engl: Tagus Basin Hydrologic Plan). Plan Hidrolgico Nacional, Law 10/2001 , modified in 2004 and 2005. Water Law29/1985, modified by Law 46/19
Introduction
This report summarizes the major outcomes of the analysis of the status of IWRM in the Spanish part of the Tagus basin. The conclusions presented on this document are based on our own analysis of hydro-climatologic data from public information sources and the main documents regulating IWRM in Spain (see references above), plus the information provided by the stakeholders during the I and II Tagus Stakeholder Meetings and in the focus groups meetings (see fact box 1). A total of ten issues were selected, ranging from natural aspects such as the water availability and quality to the institutional legal and social framework of IWRM in the basin. Although some of the principles of IWRM were not accounted for in the current Basin Plan, the new plan that is now being elaborated represents a good opportunity for implementing them.
Fact box 1
Stakeholder participation in the framework of the STRIVER project

Promoting stakeholder participation from the earliest stages of the project was a key objective in STRIVER. Thus, a total or three stakeholder meetings were held at different stages of the project, ensuring a fluent feedback between scientists and stakeholders. The meetings, held in Toledo (December 2006), Lisbon (February 2008) and Madrid (April 2009), brought together stakeholders from Spain and Portugal, representing several groups from the managers to the users of water. In addition, five focus group meetings were held in Madrid during 2008, with groups of water managers and users. During these meetings, the participants were asked to freely discuss about a series of general topics related to IWRM in the basin. This experience raised a series of new questions and points of view that enriched further the information obtained by other means.
Issue 1. Water availability

A reliable estimation of the availability of regulated water in a basin must be in the foundations of any water resources management plan. Performing such estimation is a highly technical task, and must address not only the average annual and monthly volumes, but also the expected inter-annual oscillations and the likelihood of extreme events. It must also provide future scenarios associated to different likelihoods, provided the current knowledge about possible changes in the climate system and also in the land uses in the basin. At this respect, the water allocation scheme in the Tagus Basin Hydrologic Plan is based on long-term average values, and neither the inter-annual variability nor the likely future trends are considered in an explicit manner. Adaptation of the plan to the specific circumstances of each year is done following an heuristic approach based on experience. The influence of changes in land use and land cover in the headwaters is another issue not considered in the Basin Plan, although there are evidences of its importance in other Iberian basins. In the Tagus, there are evidences of an increase of the vegetation cover due to the abandonment of traditional forest logging activities and a decline of grazing in the headwater areas. There are, however, no studies about the influence of these changes on runoff production and hence on the rivers discharge. It is interesting to note that future problems in water availability due to natural or seminatural drivers was not identified as a primary problem by the stakeholders, despite the scientific evidences about its importance.
Issue 2. Water allocation, including equity issues

Guaranteeing a balanced territorial and sector balance in the access to water is a key objective of the Tagus Basin Plan. Water allocation in the basin is defined in the current Hydrological Plan of the Tagus Basin and is the sole responsibility of the Tagus Basin Administration Office. The regional governments, however,
are taking more responsibilities in the last years, what has led to the arousal of conflicts between regions. Local governments such as Madrid Region, where the expansion of urbanization and speculation with the soil is the greatest, and power stations, play a major role in water decisions. Active participation of the all the concerned sectors within the basin, encouraged by the Water framework directive and the A.G.U.A. Programme, should balance the sectoral weight in future water management. As for now, the Basin Plan includes a description of the different water users, and they are sorted according to their priority for water allocation. There is a pre-defined water allocation for each user that is applied during normal conditions. In case of a hydrological drought, limitations for water used are established, and the priority of users is modified. Possible conflicts arising from the shortage of water are usually solved at the political level, in some occasions even in the States parliament. The major water pressures in the Tagus basin are linked to the agriculture, due to both the irrigation system in the basin (2000 Hm3/year) and the water transfer to the Segura basin (500 Hm3/year). Second to agriculture is the industrial sector (1400 Hm3/year), including refrigeration of nuclear plants. Urban consumption is third (1000 Hm3/year), but it shows a steady increase over time. Among stakeholder groups, only the farming organizations perceive a scarcity of water, especially during dry years. They consider that there is a sector unbalance favoring the urban and industrial users. In general, farmers considered that the regulation capacity should be increased to allow further expansion of the irrigated lands. An urban model based on a high consumption of water has led to problems of water supply in the Madrid region. The increasing urbanization provokes conflicts for water distribution (i.e., irrigation vs. urban consumption). The water transfer Tagus-Segura represents a complex policy of water distribution that gene-
rates many political conflicts between different regions in Spain. During the meetings with stakeholders, it was mentioned repeatedly as the major problem for the Basin. In the A.G.U.A Program water for SE Spain is supplied entirely by desalinization plants, thus allowing cancelling the water transfer.
Issue 3. Water prizing

The pricing of water is very low in Spain, specially for farmers and households. There are historical reasons for this, since having an unlimited access to water has been considered a basic right and a symbol of progress. In the case of irrigation water, there is a political price in order to reduce the production costs. It is often said that irrigated agriculture is subsidized in Spain by means of keeping the prize of water way below its real market prize. One of the aims of the A.G.U.A Program is to fix water pricing according to the real costs (acquisition and treatment) and to the economic benefits generated by its use. It is expected that this measure will promote investments in water saving technologies. In the present moment, urban supply infrastructure and irrigation infrastructure are not wellconserved and there are important water leaks. Water prizing is considered a major issue by farmers. There is fear that increasing the water costs to meet the market prize will be very negative for the agricultural sector, and there is a clear opposition to it.
fluent discharge management of the Hydrological Plan of the Tagus Basin defines the standards for rivers and for lakes and reservoirs. However, even the members of the Tagus Basin Authority recognized during the meetings that there are still many problems threatening water quality in the basin. All stakeholder groups mentioned that the water quality is low in the middle and lower parts of the basin, and pointed to deficient water treatment in small towns as a major cause. There is also illegal waste water dumping from the industry, illegal gravel extractions and effluents from intensive farms. According to the CHT, mentioned that there is not enough control on water quality due to not enough funds and resources for monitoring and control.
Issue 5. Environmental impact and ecological flows

One goal of the Basin Plan is to protect the water resources altogether with the environment and other natural resources. However, there is the perception that the minimum ecological flow is not respected in many cases, and that there is a lack of a well established methodology for determining the ecological flow. This last remark was also made by the members of the CHT. A reason given for not reaching the ecological discharge was due to the Tagus-Segura water transfer and to the water supply for Madrid. There have been problems with the introduction of foreign invasive species. The current Basin Plan does not include information on vulnerable flora, fauna or ecosystems, nor about geology, soils or landscape values. There are other initiatives for protecting the basin environment, such as the A.G.U.A Program, the National Strategy for River Restoration, the National Plan of Water quality 20072015, the Action Plan for 0 Sewage, the Plan of Priority Actions for hydrological and forestry restoration and the Nature 2000 network.
Issue 4. Water quality and pollution

A major goal of the Basin Plan is to ensure water quality for each use (especially in the case of drinking water) and for the environment. The Tagus Basin Administration Office has different systems to control water quality, such as the SAICA (Automatic System of Water Quality Information) system. There is also an inventory of authorized effluent discharge points. The Chapter V- Water Quality and ef-
Issue 6. Institutional aspects (administration)

The Tagus Hydrographic Confederation (CHT) is the main institution responsible for water resources management in the Tagus basin. It was created in 1953, and its attributions were further consolidated by the Water Law of 1985. Its attributions are very broad, and comprise all the aspects of IWRM. Besides, there are other administrative offices which share some of the attributions of the CHT, such as the Isabel II Canal Office, the regional governments of the Madrid Region, Castilla La-Mancha and Extremadura, and even the local (municipal) administrations. Although there are numerous policies and regulations on water management, one of the main problems is that the specific responsibility of the different administrations is not well defined. There is also a lack of coordination. During the stakeholder meetings, it was repeatedly mentioned that there is a lack of coordination between areas, institutions and policies, and that water resources management is not considered as a global problem.
ing the principles of the Water Framework Directive and ensuring an active participation of all the concerned parts. However, members of the Administration mentioned difficulties for meeting all the objectives of the Directive in time. Among the stakeholder groups, the farmer collectives were the only ones to express their concern about the implementation of the Directive. They believed that the agricultural sector is threatened by its principles, and had the impression that there is a lack of information on the implementation of the Directive.
Issue 9. IWRM, information and public participation

In general, the stakeholders expressed their impression that the principles of IWRM are not met in the basin. This is probably a consequence of the fact that water resources management has been considered during decades mostly a technical issue, thus controlled by engineers. The basic principles of IWRM (e.g. Dublin, GWP) where not included in the 1999 Basin Plan, although they will be included in the new plan which is under development. Although an effort has been made to make all hydrological data public on the web, it is still difficult to get information beyond the technical data, so the decision-making process is not transparent. Some users mentioned that requests for information are often ignored by the Administration. Public participation is very low under the current Basin Plan. Public participation was not considered an important issue even for some people from the Administration, who expressed their doubts about the success of public participation in IWRM due to sectoral and territorial conflicts. This idea was shared by some of the non-technical stakeholders. However, it must be noted that public participation has already started, led by the elaboration of the new Basin Plan. Actually, more than 1000 invitations have been sent to different actors, and some meetings with stakeholders
Issue 7. Law enforcement

In general, all the stakeholders shared the common opinion that there is not enough enforcement of the water and environmental laws. Members of the CHT pointed out that there is not enough funding to effectively monitor and control the huge area of the Tagus Basin.
Issue 8. The EU Water Frame Directive

The Water Framework Directive principles and regulations should be totally accomplished by 2015. Within this new context, the Spanish Government launched the A.G.U.A. (Actions for the Management and Use of Water) Program, based on the economic, social and natural value of water. At the same time, a new Hydrological Plan for the Tagus Basin is being elaborated, considerSTRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 11
have already been held. These included water managers, social network, private companies/industry, end users and Institutions. There is up-to-date information about the development of the new Basin Plan in the web (http://nuevoplan.chtajo.es:8080/CHTAJO/info publica3.htm) and by brochures, and there are information offices in Madrid and several other cites in the Basin. All participants in the meetings are informed by SMS of any new developments of the Plan.
Issue 10. Capacity building

The current Basin Plan does not have any specific plans for capacity building. However, during the meetings it was evident that there is a need for improving education and capacity building. Most end users, including members from the Administration, still perceived water as a right, and not as limited resource. The leading ideas of IWRM are not at all widespread among the users and even among the managers. Some groups of stakeholders, such as the farmer organizations, expressed no special interest in the concepts of IWRM.
Fact box 2
Projected trends in water availability in the Tagus basin

The water availability in the Tagus basin is highly determined by climate variability. The figure shows the evolution of a multi-scalar drought index (Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index) calculated from precipitation and temperature data and considering three different time scales in the headwaters of the Tagus basin, which has a crucial importance in Spain since here is the point of origin of the water transfer to the Jcar and Segura basins. The Figure also shows the anomalies (z-values) of river inflows to the Entrepeas and Buenda reservoir system, the reservoir storages and the releases to the Tagus river after the water transfer. Figure shows the close relationship between the variability of the climatic drought index and the evolution of the water resources in the region. River discharges respond to high-frequency droughts but reservoir storages respond to the long-term patterns of climate variability. The response of the releases to the climate variability is lower, mainly since the beginning of the 1980 decade, as a consequence of the increase in the transferred water. Since 1980 the drought periods have increased in frequency and severity, explaining most of the trends in the water resources.
3 2
z-values
1 0 -1 -2 -3 1960 3 2 3-months SPEI Inflows 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
z-values
1 0 -1 -2 -3 1960 3 2 40-months SPEI Reservoir storages 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
z-values
1 0 -1 -2 -3 1960 48-months SPEI Releases 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Given the high relationship between climate variability and water resources in the Tagus basin, there is high uncertainty about the future availability of water resources in the future given the prediction of the Climate Change Models. Despite moderate variations among climate models, all projections point to a consistent decrease in precipitation and a marked increase of temperature in the basin. Such changes may lead to decline the water resource available in the basin up to 17% by 2060 compared to current conditions (Ayala-Carcedo, 2003*). *Ayala-Carcedo, F.J.(2003). Impactos del Cambio Climtico sobre los recursos hdricos en Espaa y viabilidad fsica y ecolgica del Plan Hidrolgico Nacional 2001. En Arrojo y Del Moral eds. La Directiva Marco del Agua: Realidades y Futuros. Fundacin Nueva Cultura del Agua, Zaragoza, 253-271
Fact box 3
The Tajo-Segura water transfer

The water transfer Tagus-Segura, started in 1978, supplies water to the irrigated areas in southeast Spain. The original plans estimated a volume of water transfer of about 1100 hm3 per year, but in practice only seldom the volume exceeded 500 hm3 per year. The Figure shows the spatial location of the Water transfer system, from the reservoirs of Entrepaas and Buenda in the headwaters of the Tagus basin to the Mediterranean basins of the Jcar and the Segura. The source of the water transfer is Bolarque reservoir, from where the water is pumped to La Bujeda reservoir, which is used as an upper reservoir (7 million cubic metres) of the Altomira power station. The channel flows into the Alarcn reservoir, in the Jcar basin, in the vicinity of which, and by means of an inflow-outflow system, the other stretch of channel runs into the Talave reservoir, now in the Segura River Basin. The transportation of the resources to the basin occurs physically by means of a canal with a capacity of 33 m/s, which theoretically would be enough to transfer the above-mentioned 1,000 million cubic metres per year in a continuous flow. Inside the basin, the infrastructures permit the distribution of these transferred resources to their different areas of use. The evolution of the transferred flows between 1978 and 2003 is also shown. There were high increases of the water transfers from 1995 until now.
700
600
500
Water transfer (Hm3)
400
300
200
100
0 1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
X Data
The volume of water transfer must be approved year by year (and even month by month or season by season during dry years) by the Spanish Government, according to the volume of water stored in the Entrepeas and Buenda reservoirs. Nevertheless, the water transfer from the Tagus river has encountered strong opposition from the regional government and farmers of Castilla-La Mancha, since they maintain that during the dry years there was no water surplus in the Tagus upper basin. The recent 2005-2006 drought caused minimum reservoir storages in the Entrepeas and Buenda system and controversial political decisions to approve the transfer under this extreme condition. Several citizen demonstrations in both Tagus and Segura basins, in favour and against the water transfer, respectively were recorded that year.
Fact box 4
The Tagus Wordle

The Tagus Wordle art has been constructed from the transcription of the interviews held with different focus groups in the Basin. A computer program selected the key words based on their prominence, and placed them randomly. The font size is proportional to the number of occurrences of the word, so the resulting word cloud can be seen as a conceptual map of the meetings.
Disclaimer
Editors: Per Stlnacke and Udaya Sekhar Nagothu (Bioforsk) Launch-date: 30 June, 2009
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DELIVERABLE D10.

Strategies and recommendations for river basin management in Tagus

STRIVER Report No. D10.2

Title Strategies and recommendations for river basin management in Tagus

STRIVER Report No. D10.2

STRIVER Report No. D10.2

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF

The Tagus River Basin Spain and Portugal

The Tagus River Spain and Portugal

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 19

Major STRIVER Tagus issues and their policy/management recommendations

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 19

2. Water quality and ecological status

3. Stakeholder participation water management

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 19

4. Legal and institutional aspects

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 19

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 14

Protection of the catchment and the environment

Medium High Medium Low

--Medium Medium Medium

Measures to ensure efficient and equitable use of water

Institutional analysis and stakeholder involvement in water management

Figure 1 Spanish (top) and Portuguese (bottom) institutional structure organograms.

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 14

Figure 3 - Protected areas in the Portuguese Tagus River basin.

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 14

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 14

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 14

STRIVER POLICY BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 14

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF

Tagus River near the Portuguese-Spanish border

A case of transboundary water agreement - the Albufeira Convention

A case of transboundary water agreement - the Albufeira Convention

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 9

The physical and historical context

Portugal 850 1180 18600 24800 11500 56930

Source: INAG (2001), Portuguese National Water Plan.

Albufeira Convention (1998) Structure and main topics

water uses river flows Part IV: Exceptional Situations (Arts. 17 to

Annex to the additional protocol: bases for the

water quality pollution prevention and control

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 9

Convention (CADC) through the stimulation of its various working groups.

Support from the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Ministry

CADC Portuguese Delegation

CADC Spanish Delegation

Support from the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 9

Frieira/Freiria Sela Miranda Picote Bemposta Aldeadvila Saucelle Alcntara Alqueva

Figure 4: Dams with transboundary impacts, located at or near the border.

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 9

Portuguese Natural Park of International Douro River.

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 9

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF

adaptive process " of

Adapted from [1]

Development in river basin management in Portugal past and future perspectives

Development in river basin management in Portugal past and future perspectives

STRIVER TECHNICAL BRIEF / ISSUE NO. 10

6/2001, 5 Dec - Guadiana RBP

VIII XI XIII XII X VII XIV XV III

IV 19/2001, 10th Dec - Douro RBP V

The Albufeira Convention 1998. Spain & Portugal

The Albufeira Convention 1998. Spain & Portugal