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Estudio del estado ecológico de los ríos de la cuenca hidrográfica del Júcar (España) mediante el índice BMWP’

2004; Volume: 23; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.23818/limn.23.28

2660-8537

J. F. Martínez Mas,

Historical and socio-economic studies of Spain and related regions

The design of the Biological Network, based on the use of hydromorphological, physical, chemical, and biological indicators, allowed a diagnosis of the quality in 221 sampling points in 104 rivers of Júcar's Basin (Jucar, Turia, Mijares, Vinalopo, Palancia, Serpis and small basins) to be carried out during the year 2000 and to establish its ecological status.In this work the results obtained with the BMWP' index are presented.The rivers with a high ecological status are located in the high altitudes, so much of the main rivers as of the tributaries of first and second order.Most of the reference points (12.7%) are located at altitudes higher than 800 m.The rivers located at middle-altitudes (800-200 m) are very regulated and they present, in general, an ecological status between good and acceptable, with few reference points (6.8%).Last, the rivers located in lowlands (< 200 m) are, mostly, in a poor or bad ecological state, making it very difficult to find rivers in good ecological status and almost impossible to establish reference points with a high ecological status (0.5%).The correcting measures proposed for the rivers of the Júcar's Basin are centered in the improvement of the hydromorphological, physical, and chemical characteristics, and therefore of the biological communities, with the final purpose of achieving the highest ecological and chemical status possible for surface waters like the WFD (Water Framework Directive) demands.