The Valencian engineering firm VIELCA Ingenieros is participating, together with the Consellería of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery, in the emergency hydrological-forestry restoration works being carried out in the area of the Buseo reservoir basin (Valencia), an action aimed at reducing the risk of flooding, minimizing the environmental damage resulting from the high torrentiality of rainfall in the area and protecting the reservoir.
The project, promoted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has an investment of €2,468,400 (including VAT) and involves the construction of four masonry dams between 7 and 11 meters high, dimensions that reflect the importance and scale of this hydraulic engineering project. The dams are located in the Reatillo ravine, the Agua ravine, the Arcolla ravine, and the Hoz ravine.
Upstream
Unlike the work being carried out at the Buseo dam itself, which is the subject of a separate project aimed at preventing dam failure and potential downstream damage, this engineering work is located upstream of the reservoir. The dike works have a preventative effect, designed to partially retain water and sediment flowing through the watershed during critical rainfall events. Therefore, the work includes the construction of transverse barriers in various ravines and watercourses. This reduces runoff velocity, retains sediment, and mitigates flooding, decreasing peak flow rates and promoting water infiltration.
As Vicente Candela, director of VIELCA Ingenieros, explains, “the idea is to mitigate the DANA storm’s effect at its source, in the upper reaches of the basin, to slow down the flow of water. The objective in this case is not to retain the water for storage, but to reduce peak flows.” The construction of these dikes stems from a project drafted more than forty years ago, which was never implemented in this basin and which the Regional Ministry, through the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has now revived. VIELCA’s work consists of providing technical assistance to the Regional Ministry’s project management, recalculating, designing, and staking out the dikes, surveying, taking monthly measurements of the progress of the work, and certifying the work. In addition, they are responsible for coordinating all aspects of health and safety during the construction, as well as preparing reports that calculate the peak flow that passed through this area on the day of the DANA storm. According to these studies, on October 29, 2024, the resulting peak flow, specifically at the point where the Reatillo River dam will be built, was 674 m3/s.
The Buseo reservoir’s watershed belongs to the districts of Los Serranos, Camp de Turia, Utiel-Requena and Hoya de Buñol, and covers an area of 21,830 hectares to the west of the province of Valencia.
Ready by the end of June
One of the dikes has already been built, and two others are under construction, thus advancing an intervention considered strategic for the hydrological and environmental protection of the area surrounding the Buseo reservoir. According to the Ministry’s timeline, as outlined in the project, these emergency works must be completed by the end of June.
VIELCA Ingenieros’ participation reinforces the company’s role in developing hydraulic infrastructure and engineering solutions focused on adapting to extreme weather events and protecting the land. According to Candela, “many projects like this will be carried out in the Valencian Community in the coming years, as these are preventative measures, an effective safeguard against flooding.”