In Foronda, the Water Agency URA, attached to the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government, has begun an operation to recover an old meander of the Zalla River that was previously cut, partially filled, and separated from the natural flow of water.
The aim is for the water to resume the river's original path and restore the continuity of a meander approximately 600 meters long, through an excavation of about 200 meters. This intervention, with an investment of around 50,000 euros, will improve the river's ecological and landscape functionality.
A significant portion of the old riverbed remains clearly recognizable on the ground, maintaining its morphology and a riverside forest with mature trees. However, a cut made in the past diverted the waters, and part of the old arm was filled in, altering the meander's function. Consequently, the stretch lost part of its functionality as a river ecosystem.
The intervention focuses precisely on this discontinuity: the filled area is being excavated to reconnect the remaining sections of the old riverbed. The project also involves addressing part of the existing forest plantation on the site.
The distinctiveness of this intervention lies in the relationship between the necessary work and the environmental outcome sought: with just 200 meters of excavation and an investment of approximately 50,000 euros, the functionality of nearly 600 meters of meander will be restored.
“"We are not building a new river, but returning water to a course that never completely disappeared. We are recovering a relatively small connection so that a meander of nearly 600 meters can function again and to give the river back part of its space and natural dynamics."
“"Sometimes, restoring a river doesn't require major works. In Foronda, much of the work has already been done by the river itself: the old course remains and preserves much of its structure. Our intervention essentially consists of removing the discontinuity so that water can find that path again."
The recovery of the Foronda meander aligns with this approach to river restoration: leveraging the river's own capacity and existing structures, and acting only where necessary to restore its continuity and functionality.
