Water.- The Tagus-Segura Water Transfer Commission authorizes 180 hm3 for the months of April, May and June

The Central Operating Commission of the Tagus-Segura Aqueduct (ATS) has agreed to authorize the transfer of 180 cubic hectometers (hm3), corresponding to 60 hm3 for the months of April, May, and June. This decision was made during the session held this Tuesday to analyze data from the Entrepeñas-Buendía system and existing forecasts, continuing the session that was interrupted on Monday.

According to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the headwater reservoirs hold an effective volume of 1,344.7 hm3 as of April 1st, which means that, according to current regulations, the system is at level 1. The semi-annual application of the rule for the next semester predicts that it could return to level 2 during August and September.

At the meeting held this Monday, the Guadiana River Basin Authority reported on the situation of the flooded area in the Tablas de Daimiel National Park and submitted a request for 2.09 hm3 to meet the water supplies through the 'Manchega Pipeline' during the April-June quarter.

Furthermore, the Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works (CEDEX) has presented its report commissioned by Ecological Transition with proposals for the technical update of the operating rule of the Tagus-Segura transfer, necessary to comply with the ecological flows foreseen in the Tagus Hydrological Plan and which must be "progressive" until 2027.

Thus, the Commission has been informed of the upcoming start of the processing of the Royal Decree to modify the rules, which will allow compliance with the first of the steps of the ecological flow of the Tagus River, set in the Hydrological Plan at 7 cubic meters per second (m3/s) in Aranjuez and 13 m3/s in Talavera de la Reina.

To this end, it has been proposed that the combined storage limit in the Entrepeñas and Buendía reservoirs between levels 1 and 2 be increased to 1,600 hm³, and the monthly transfer volumes for levels 2 and 3 to 24 hm³ and a maximum of 11 hm³, respectively. The draft Royal Decree that will implement the modification of the rules to guarantee the flow of 13 m³/s in Talavera will require a specific report from the ATS monitoring committee, which will meet soon.

For its part, the Ministry has emphasized that all the details of the report and the subsequent steps will be explained to both users and the affected autonomous communities, without prejudice to any contributions received during the public consultation process to which the draft update of the royal decree must be subject. The draft regulatory provision must also include the report of the National Water Council prior to its approval.