Parque Doñana

[Lavanda]

It looks like things are getting very serious for the National Park of Doñana. The article mentions tourism, yes, but also illegal wells for the fruit industry. Maybe it's time that the Junta de Andalucia had a long, hard think about what they are there for and come up with some sensible and sustainable plans for the future — a future in which it will, probably, rain less and less often.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ploitation

[olive]

Depressing isn’t it.

Farming uses something like 85% of all our Spanish water. The volumes will only continue to go up. As I have said before, no one will compromise agricultural incomes. That leaves a national grid or my preferred option- truly industrial epic desalination plants. Plenty of seawater to plunder and a bonus would be reducing rising sea levels caused by our other madness. That madness just been boosted by consequences of the Russian war - reopening mothballed coal fired power stations, putting climate targets in abeyance, etc etc.

[Lavanda]

As far as I can tell, Olive, there have been regular, super-expensive jamborees all over the world for decades now. The 'great and good' meet up to talk, talk, talk and talk some more about the world's problems BUT they never really do any joined-up thinking and never do anything other than issue statements and set targets. The G7 (or 8 or 9), recently held in Cornwall did ... what exactly? Use up tax payers money to put a few extra inches on the waistlines of said 'great and good'.

It's depressing, yes.

Apparently, the Junta de Andalucia ARE in breach of various EU rules but do not seem to worry about anything other than the next vote from the agricultural worker. Or am I being cynical? In any event, I think there will be huge problems for everyone in Andalucia soon. I think the desalination plants have to be pretty much essential in any future planning but they were needed yesterday and not in 20 years time.

[gavilan]

serious drought comes ever closer here ...our local reservoir is now down to 10% capacity ... our neighbour has stopped irrigating his avocado orchard ... and yesterday ... when I walked up the trickle that used to be the stream ... I discovered farmers have laid out a 30m long plastic pipe in a desperate attempt to guide/bring water from upstream down into the irrigation channel ... without much success I would add ... cos there aint no water of any volume anywhere ...

[Wicksey]

In our local newsletter today:
The farmers of Torrox begin to irrigate with reclaimed water from two treatment plants, La Viñuela reservoir expected to totally run out of water for irrigation next month: {Translation}
- The persistent drought that is plaguing the Axarquia region is worsening as September progresses with no prospect of the longed-for rains. Faced with this panorama, the Junta de Andalucía has just a few weeks to communicate the news that nobody wants to read or hear, but which the eastern region is awaiting with resignation. From next October, barring a miracle, there will be no water from the La Viñuela reservoir for irrigation. The little that remains in the reservoir will be reserved for supplying the approximately 180,000 inhabitants of 14 of the 31 municipalities.

[olive]

I read that from a different source. The key word for me was reluctantly. My take - no irrigation and your stock ( trees/plants ) die but there is a risk of produce contamination by using part processed water particularly for leaf vegetables like lettuce that are not cooked before eating. Maybe there is a risk of pathogens getting through to the flesh of avocados, mangoes and the like.

It wasn’t that long ago that such water had been used to wash lettuce prior to packaging with disastrous results

[Lavanda]

We had a huge Dutch cucumber scandal here that ruined many growers. It was supposed to be down to contaminated water. In the end, however, the blame was found to lie with German packing factories or some such thing. Too late for the cucumber growers, though.

[olive]

More info on Donana here.

https://english.elpais.com/spain/2022-0 ... etely.html

Illegal wells? It isn’t rocket science. Hidrografia should make it law that any drilling requires a licence with big fines for the drilling companies found drilling without the customer applying for a valid licence.I have yet to find a legal borehole in our area with its unique , visible Hidrografia regsistered meter despite there being dozens.

[Lavanda]

Our finca borders a stream, dry in Summer but, usually, quite impressive after rain. When we built our house we had visits from the Hidrografia Office for the Guadiana and they told us that they have right of access up to 30m on either side of any water course. They wanted to make sure our buildings were not in the wrong place. All was well and we never saw them again.

Our borehole required a license, costs thousands, in all, and we are legal. All the non-Spanish people have legal boreholes. All the local Spanish neighbours, agriculturalists, or not, are illegal. Everyone knows. No one seems to care.

However, should water become scare we were told several years ago when the rains failed two years in a row, then Sephora, would cap all illegal wells. That would be interesting …