The river restoration works in the Saja River, which is being carried out in several sections of its channel as it passes through the municipalities of Cabezón de la Sal, Reocín and Mazcuerras, have already been completed, practically, in terms of civil works and the works will continue until March next year, focused on the environmental improvement of the environment.
This was confirmed on Wednesday by the delegate of the Government of Spain in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, and the president of the Cantabrian Hydrographic Confederation (CHC), Bárbara Monte Donapetry, during a technical visit accompanied by the mayor of Cabezón de la Sal, Victor Reinoso, and the first deputy mayor, María Jesús García.
The actions, promoted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) and funded with more than 9 million euros, began in 2023 and are carried out in two key sections of the Saja River with a double objective: to reduce the risk of flooding and restore the river ecosystem, returning to the river its natural dynamics and environmental value.
After visiting the works, the delegate of the Government stressed that "for the first time in this area the Government of Spain has addressed the problem of flooding in this area with a structural, ambitious and long-term solution". "For this," he said, "an investment of almost 10 million euros has been put on the table, which is proof not only of the magnitude of the project, but also of the firm commitment of the Executive with this Region and with Cantabria."
"Previously, emergency actions had been carried out to improve the drainage of the area, but it is now, with this structural solution, that a substantial reduction in the risk of flooding will be achieved," said Gómez de Diego.
Caranceja–Casar de Periedo
In the stretch that runs between the nuclei of Caranceja and Casar de Periedo, in the municipal terms of Reocín and Cabezón de la Sal, the works are executed in 90%. The intervention consisted, among other actions, in the recovery of old arms of the river, which have been given continuity downstream of Casar, and which will act as an overflow channel in episodes of flood.
One of the key milestones has been the construction of a drainage project under the N-634 road, as it passes through Caranceja, which has made it possible to hydraulically reconnect the historical channels. Thus, it remains pending to act on the lower stretch of the channel, conditioned by the presence of supply services. Once the corresponding company intervenes, the avenue channel will be finished, predictably this summer
In Casar de Periedo, work is being done to provide continuity to a defence wall parallel to the currently discontinuous road. The technical solution, after having been evaluated with the Road Demarcation, will be presented this week to the City Council and the Neighborhood Board for its immediate execution.
Saint Lucia–Virgin of the Rock
In parallel, in the stretch between the bridge of Saint Lucia and the bridge Virgen de la Peña (Cabezón de la Sal and Mazcuerras), the works have already been completed. The hydrogeomorphological recovery has been completed and motas of delimitation of the river space and defense elements such as hedges, retention barriers and buffer zones have been executed, which improve the lamination of avenues and reinforce the protection against possible overflows.
This project, which covers about 6 km, has also included the elimination of transversal obstacles, the reactivation of historic arms and the improvement of margins. One of the most outstanding elements has been the recovery of old arms and pools on both sides of the valley, as well as the execution of 8 kilometers of pedestrian river path, designed for the use and enjoyment of neighbors and visitors.
The president of the Confederation has stressed that, after the execution of these works, the urban centers would already be protected against flooding. "This performance protects the nuclei of Caranceja and Casar de Periedo, as well as all the nuclei in these six kilometers between the bridge of Saint Lucia and the bridge of Virgen de la Peña," he said. At the same time, he stressed that, in addition to protecting citizens, "they are actions that naturalize the environment, which is in the interests of citizens".
Environmental improvement and fight against invasive species
Thus, once the civil work is practically finished, during the next months, until March 2026, the efforts will focus on the environmental restoration of the environment. This includes the elimination of invasive alien species and the planting of native species such as alisos or fresnos, to recover the biodiversity of the Cantabrian river ecosystem.
One of the most aggressive species is the Japanese Reynoutria, which has densely colonized the shores of the Sakha. The CHC is testing for the first time in Spain an innovative method patented in Holland that uses electric shocks to weaken the plant and prevent its regeneration. This experimental technique, developed with the support of Tragsa, is being evaluated as an alternative to other methods such as successive shorts or geotextiles, which have been equally tested and have shown little effectiveness.
For his part, the mayor of Cabezón de la Sal has thanked all the agencies that have collaborated to make this work so important for the municipality a reality. "For us it is a life insurance, since with this work they are going to mitigate those floods of the river like the one we suffered in 2019. And, besides, this is also now a lung for Cabezón de la Sal, (0:56) to do sports activities, walks and the recreation of the neighbors," he said.