How the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation and Other River Basin Authorities Manage Spain’s Water Resources
The Ebro River basin within the Iberian Peninsula.
The FItas Reservoir in Huesca Province.
T
18 | IRRIGATION LEADER | October 2020
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your experience and how you came to be in your current position. Ramón Lúquez: I am a civil engineer. I have been pursuing my career within the Ebro HC for 14 years. I specialize in the construction, management, use, and maintenance of hydraulic infrastructure and worked first on the right bank of the Ebro basin and then on the left. For the last 2 years, I have held the position of deputy technical director and operations manager. In this position, I coordinate the management of the various operational zones in the basin—in total, there are 18 operational councils that help administer its distinct subareas—as well as manage energy generation and forestry-related activities. irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EBRO HC.
he territory of Spain is divided among nine river basin authorities known as hydrographic confederations (HCs), which control and manage major water infrastructure, water-related public property, and hydrological planning within their respective areas. The HCs control and operate large state-owned reservoirs and canals that deliver water to local irrigation communities (districts) and other users. One of the largest of the confederations is the Ebro HC, which manages the Ebro River basin, located in northeastern Spain. In this interview, Ramón Lúquez, the Ebro HC’s deputy technical director and operations manager, tells Irrigation Leader about Spain’s basin-based water resources management system and the activities of his agency.
