Complicated project will return water to Almeria’s Cabo de Gata salt beds

RAMON FERNANDEZ-PACHECO visited the Cabo de Gata salt beds on August 5.

The former Almeria City mayor who now heads the regional government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment and the Blue Economy, was there to see first-hand the damaged channel which prevents seawater from flowing into the now-dry salt beds.

These dried up owing to the torrential spring rains which washed stones and gravel into the area, blocking and damaging the all-important channel.

As well as a going commercial concern, Las Salinas are also home to thousands of birds, most of which have had to migrate to wetlands in other Spanish provinces or further afield to Europe and Africa.

Thanking the Junta’s Environment Delegation to Almeria province and the Union Salinera salt production company for their efforts in solving the problem, Fernandez-Pacheco listened to plans for repairing and reopening the channel while also preventing a possible repetition.

Joseph Perez, Union Salinera’s industrial director for Spain, explained that specialists have now been brought in to remove sediment from the channel.  This is expected to take between six and eight weeks, he added.

Talking to the Spanish media, Fernandez-Pacheco said he was confident that work would be carried out on schedule, provided that this was not interrupted by adverse weather conditions in the shape of heavy rains or a DANA high altitude depression.

This could hinder the complicated project which involves work on subterranean galleries that will be carried out by experienced miners from Asturias and Leon in the north of Spain, the Environment chief explained.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.