A Living Mediterranean River: Restoration and Management of The
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mediterranean climate landscapes JENNIFER NATALI, MATT KONDOLF, CLARA LANDEIRO, JULIET CHRISTIAN-SMITH, TED GRANTHAM A LIVING MEDITERRANEAN RIVER RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE RIO REAL IN PORTUGAL TO ACHIEVE GOOD ECOLOGICAL CONDITION PUBLISHED BY The Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning and the Portuguese Studies Program of the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Urban and Regional Development Working Paper WP-2009-01 University of California Water Resources Center Contribution Number 209 Institute of European Studies Working Paper ISBN-13:978-0-9788896-3-0; ISBN-10: 0-9788896-3-0 FEBRUARY 2009 View over Bombarral to the Rio Real The course at University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), MEDITERRANEAN-CLIMATE LANDSCAPES (International and Area Studies 229 and Landscape Architecture 229) involves comparative study of natural processes, planning, policy and legislation in Mediterranean- climate regions. Graduate students conduct original research, develop plans and designs to enhance environmental and social conditions by working collaboratively with faculty and students from Portuguese universities. In Spring 2007, the course focused on the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) and its implementation in Mediterranean climates. At the international workshop held in Bombarral, Portugal (May 25 to June 1, 2007) students from UC Berkeley and the Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (UTL) investigated how implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive might impact the local community of Bombarral in the Rio Real Basin, northwest of Lisbon. The international team of students worked with local officials and land owners to develop restoration strategies that would address the priorities of the community and the stipulations of the WFD. This work is very relevant to the current process of WFD implementation. This report and the research upon which it was based were supported by grants from the Luso-American Foundation (Lisbon, Portugal), the Pinto-Fialon Fund (administered by the Portuguese Studies Program) and the Beatrix Ferrand Fund of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, both at the University of California, Berkeley. Further information on the Portuguese Studies Program at UC Berkeley is available online at: http://ies.berkeley.edu/psp/portuguesestudies/ EDITORS Jennifer Natali, Matt Kondolf, Clara Landeiro, Juliet Christian-Smith, Ted Grantham A LIVING MEDITERRANEAN RIVER RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE RIO REAL IN PORTUGAL TO ACHIEVE GOOD ECOLOGICAL CONDITION TABLE OF CONTENTS MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE DRAINAGE BASIN MANAGEMENT 4 EUROPEAN Union’s WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 6 THE RIO REAL BASIN 8 FLOOD MANAGEMENT 12 Arturo Ribeiro, Julian Fulton, Laura Norlander, Patricia Terceiro AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS + MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 20 Andre Chan, Lyndsey Fransen, Timothy Minezaki, Carla Santos RISKS OF THE GIANT REED 26 Arielle Simmons, Eike Flebbe, Cecilia Simões, Melissa Parker CLIMATE APPROPRIATE URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT 32 Rebecca Leonardson, Brooke Ray Smith, Rui Teles URBAN WATERFRONT REGENERATION 38 Cristina Santos, Maria Matos Silva, Nadine Soubotin, Theresa Zaro CONCLUSION + ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 44 CLIMATE INFLUENCES OUR USE OF THE LAND AND ITS RESOURCES 4 MEDITERRANEAN-CLIMATE DRAINAGE BASIN MANAGEMENT R IVE R In Mediterranean climates, mild year-round relationships among climate, economy ANEAN temperatures support comfortable human and our entangled legal and political RR settlement with rich agricultural regions. institutions challenge the restoration EDITE The climate’s long summer drought, potential of Mediterranean-climate river M seasonal river flow, high inter-annual systems worldwide. variability in precipitation, and episodic CALIFORNIA AND PORTUGAL LIVING floods threaten these settlements, leading A to highly manipulated hydrologic systems. In California, native fish species continue The degree of hydrological alteration and to decline in highly-altered river systems consequent ecological change is typically that strain to supply water to a growing much greater in Mediterranean-climate human population. In Portugal, 40% of rivers than humid-climate systems. Dams, the 1,853 water bodies are classified as “at diversions, irrigation channels, storage risk,” including surface waters of the Rio and distribution facilities simultaneously Real basin, while another 20% of water restrict flow regimes, support economic bodies have insufficient data to be assessed 1 development and destroy the native at present. The extent and sources of biological communities in Mediterranean ecological deterioration remain elusive drainage basins. Overcoming the complex as scientists and policy-makers struggle 1 Commission of European Communities 2007 “WATER IS NOT A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT LIKE ANY OTHER BUT RATHER A HERITAGE W HICH MUST BE PROTECTED , DEFENDED AND TREATED AS SUCH .” --Directive 2000/60/EC of the EU Parliament and Council 5 MEDITERRANEAN-CLIMATE DRAINAGE BASIN MANAGEMENT DE P A R T M ENT OF LANDSCA to develop methods and plans without irrigation are managed by multiple understanding pressures and impacts, overlapping agencies with conflicting baselines, and relationships between land mandates. use and water quality. P While the European Water Framework A E R Water quality goals are often framed Directive (WFD) promises a basin-scale CHITECTU as chemical issues to be resolved with institutional structure with the scope wastewater treatment plants and reduction and authority to develop and regulate R in non-point source pollution. The wider catchment management plans, the long- AND ENVI E scope of ecological impacts caused by standing local needs for flood defense, hydro-morphological alterations, however, water treatment and water supply R rise to the forefront as major obstacles for infrastructure will be implemented by ON Mediterranean-climate river restoration municipalities, land owners and farmers M efforts due to the important economic on the ground. Collaboration among ENTAL services provided by water infrastructure. researchers in other Mediterranean-climate P Typically, high-maintenance levees for flood regions holds promise for identifying a LANNING protection, dams for water storage and broad range of solutions. hydropower, and diversions for agriculture source: Grantham 2008 6 R According the River Basin Characterization reports IVE carried out in 2004, The European Parliament and Council's basin-specific goals by 2015. Every six R water uses with the most significant negative impact adoption of the Water Framework Directive years, the steps are repeated in an adaptive on water status include (WFD) in 2000, requires its 27 member management cycle. ANEAN agriculture, navigation, power generation and states to make substantial progress RR urban development. towards improving the ecological, chemical In implementing the framework, each Urban dwellers pay most and quantitative status of rivers, lakes, river basin unit defines its own unique EDITE of the financial costs of institutional authority that unites upstream M water supply and waste groundwater and coast waters by specific treatment. deadlines.1 The framework emerged out of and downstream interests and crosses Photo: A new wastewater political boundaries in order to open LIVING an on-going dialogue over the ecological treatment plant in the Rio A communication between local, regional, Real basin addresses many restoration of substantially modified water quality concerns and national institutions as well as non- in the basin, but does European water bodies. It establishes a not address industrial, coherent and comprehensive decision- governmental stakeholders. As rivers agricultural and rural cross international and political borders, water treatment nor the making process for managing water overall ecological health resources by defining a sequenced, iterative so do management plans, requiring of the drainage basin. approach to achieving 'good ecological unprecedented levels of cooperation. status' for all water bodies. The first step Transparency in decision-making, began with a baseline characterization documentation and participation are for each river basin that was completed in explicit requirements. Each basin must 2004. Authorities then analyze pressures implement the classification process, set and impacts in order to plan, legislate and environmental objectives, coordinate implement effective management practices management activities and execute and improvements as they strive to achieve regulatory action to achieve objectives. 7 EU WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE DE P A R The framework recognizes the economy’s responses to complex water management T M influence on human behavior. In addition challenges faced by diverse cultures and ENT OF LANDSCA to creating plans and implementing policy, climates. Ultimately, the WFD may help each river basin authority must develop societies adapt to future environmental its own water pricing system. The basin challenges, such as the impacts of climate authority must take stock of its unique change, by increasing the resilience of P supply and demand conditions along with ecosystems and reducing the impacts of A E R local environmental, economic and social floods and water scarcity. CHITECTU priorities. While the framework does not define prices across the EU, it defines a EU-wide, approximately 40% of surface R common pricing process. The accounting waters are classified as "at risk" of not AND ENVI E 2 for who uses, pollutes, pays and subsidizes achieving