Case Study 1: Matarraña River Basin - Euwareness

Use rights and practices
Some uses of water in the Matarraña river basin date from centuries and they are
mostly related to irrigation. Most of the irrigation channels still working today were built
by the Arabic population who settled down in the Peninsula, and the most antique
irrigation communities existing today date back to the early XIXth century. Nowadays,
there are 39 irrigation communities located in 10 municipalities along the Matarraña
river basin, each of them having their own irrigation channels and their own water
concessions. Concessions for using water were given along the XIXth and XXth
century, and users understand they have them in perpetuity. Plots (peace of land) are
ascribed to irrigation channels and by this they have their use rights to irrigate.
Irrigation communities have their own statutes and rules of functioning, and it is them
those deciding how to distribute water taken directly from the river. The 39 irrigation
communities are represented at the Central Union, which is the institution deciding on
how to distribute water coming from the Pena dam along the river basin.
As it has already been mentioned, nowadays water for irrigation in the Matarraña river
basin can be taken either from the river or from the Pena dam. Water can be taken
from any of the two sources in order to cover different type of uses.
Regarding population supply, water is taken both from the river and from the Pena
dam. In Valderrobres, it is also taken from a well opened recently, and in the lower
basin (Fabara and Nonaspe), water for population supply is also taken from the
Ribarroja dam in the Ebro river in cases of extreme scarcity. Each municipality has a
concession of water for population supply in perpetuity (although some animal farms in
some municipalities are also connected to the municipal water network). The prize of
water is fixed by each municipality. Given the water scarcity problems, a rivalry
between use of water for population supply and agriculture often emerges. To this
respect, the Central Union considers that municipalities consume too much water and
has asked the CHE to fix gauging stations in the municipalities in order to know the
amount of water consumed in each of them.
Regarding irrigation, water is also taken both directly from the river and from the Pena
dam. In case it is taken directly from the river, the concessions given to the irrigation
communities by the CHE have a maximum quantity of water (litres/second/Ha), as far
as the river has water enough to cover needs in all the river basin). It is irrigation
communities those deciding how to distribute water among users. It must be taken into
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