SPAIN - Molino Bajo Weir - Cabrillas River, Guadalajara
Promoted by: AEMS-Ríos con Vida
The removal of the dam will reconnect 20 km of barrier-free river.
Removal process in detail:
The entire structure of the dam will be eliminated, dismantling the masonry and blocks of natural rock in the area that form it, so that the most voluminous pieces can be reintegrated into the channel or bank, while the rest of the rubble will be extracted and transported to a landfill. . The dismantling of the structure may allow for manual work carried out by volunteers with the help of light machinery.
The pool below the dam will be preserved as a valuable habitat for fish. The sediments accumulated in the dammed basin in the area closest to the dam can be redistributed in the work area to regularize and reconfigure an initial channel profile that can be remodeled and stabilized by the hydromorphological processes of natural fluvial dynamics. Efforts will be made not to damage the existing riverbank vegetation and plantations may be carried out on the banks of the reservoir basin most exposed to erosion through cuttings or other bioengineering techniques, helping to delimit, stabilize and regenerate the banks.
The removal of the dam will favor the free flow of aquatic organisms and sediments, increasing the natural fluvial processes and the biodiversity of the river, creating especially favorable conditions for the fish community.
