Management plan and surveillance monitoring for an urban lake in a coastal touristic town

Abstract

Urban lakes have been created for different purposes, such as storing rainwater and avoiding flooding of adjacent urban areas. As an added value, they can be important recreational areas with an intrinsic aesthetic value. These artificial systems are characterised by very shallow waters, large amount of nutrient inputs and reduced water flow. These characteristics make them very prone to eutrophication process with the consequent deterioration of water quality and aesthetic value. The objective of this study is to present the management plan for a small urban lake (11,264 m2 and 1.5 m average depth) in Tavernes de la Valldigna (Valencia, Spain). This urban lake was constructed in a natural depression after the important flooding caused by the Júcar River overflow (15,000 m3/s peak flow) and the breaking of the Tous Dam in 1982. It works as storm tank and it has a pumping station to alleviate flow directly to the Mediterranean Sea. Around the lake, there is a recreational area that is mostly used in summer during touristic season. Since its construction it has suffered repeated events of fish deaths and bad odours that cause the alarm of residents and tourists. Municipal authorities worried by the environmental health risk and the economic impact on the tourism industry decided to undertake a restoration project. The results of this study present the initial status diagnosis and the propose d management plan. For guarantying the success of the implemented measures, a surveillance monitoring is designed.