RIO JÚCAR: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, ROUTE, TRIBUTARIES, FLORA, FAUNA - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

The Júcar river, known in ancient Rome as Sucro, is a torrent on the European continent, located in eastern Spain. It has a basin that covers 22,500 km², while its route has an extension of 504.42 km. It is born in Cuenca and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Despite not being the most impressive river in the country, it has inspired authors such as Luis de Góngora and Azorín, who wrote a poem entitled En los pinares del Júcar. Likewise, the narrator Vicente Blasco Ibáñez has novels set in the vicinity of the Júcar, for example the novel Entre naranjos, which was brought to television.

The Júcar river has a tendency to grow towards the lower zone, where the plain is located. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Fev assumed (based on copyright claims).

In the cinema, the Júcar has a participation in the film Volver by the famous and Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar. Another artist who has had Júcar as inspiration is the impressionist painter Aureliano de Berute, who created Orillas del Júcar.

The name of the river Júcar, or Xúquer in the Valencian language, has been the subject of research, while some maintain that its name derives from the Indo-European “seik”, or flow, and “or”, water or river; others affirm that his birth comes from the Latin "ota", high, and "gara", top. This last theory seems to be related to its source located in the mountainous area of ​​Cuenca.

History

The lands where the Júcar River runs for many years were ignored. Cuenca, belonging to the Iberian Peninsula, was taken by the Roman Empire, without being inhabited. This changes in 714 AD. C. when Muslims see their potential and build the Kunka fortress.

Its location, between two gorges that the Júcar had helped to excavate, was a strategic point at a military level, but also to inhabit. Soon the fertile lands allowed the cultivation of various products. Until the 12th century, Muslims could live in relative and prosperous peace.

Cuenca belonged to the Taifa of Toledo, one of the small provinces into which the Muslim kingdom was divided when the Christians began the process of conquering the Iberian Peninsula. After multiple treaties, sieges, captures and losses; in 1177 the territory was taken by Alfonso VIII.

After being taken by the Christian kingdom, Castilla-La Mancha lived periods of peace interrupted by multiple internal and external confrontations. In 1982 the Statute of Autonomy of Castilla-La Mancha was approved allowing it to have self-government.

Floods

The Júcar river has a tendency to grow towards the lower zone, where the plain is located. The largest of these floods occurred in 1982 when the torrent destroyed the Tous dam in an event known as the Tous Pantanada, which left 30 victims.

Other floods that occurred between 1987 and 2000 led to the Global Plan against Floods in the Ribera del Júcar being proposed in 2000, a project that, through various measures, seeks to anticipate upcoming floods so that they do not affect the population.

Myths and legends

Taking its route through multiple towns with a variable population number, the Júcar River is not exempt from stories that circulate by word of mouth. With supernatural overtones, they all tell stories magnified by the weather in their surroundings.

The first of them narrates that at the beginning of the Júcar sickle, in the Villalba waterfall, is the Devil's Window or the home that Satan inhabited. It is said that if you visit this place and look at the empty space below, you could be thrown over the cliff.

A tragic love story gave rise to the name of Piedra del Caballo, a point on the Júcar River where it is said that a man named Fernando crashed into a stone while trying to gallop away. This after almost murdering his twin brother Diego, who had fallen in love with a girl.

Due to a confusion in the delivery of letters, Fernando ends up opening a letter that Beatriz, his brother's beloved, had sent. He goes to meet him and when Diego finds out, he challenges him to a duel that he loses, remaining convalescent.

Another more luminous legend tells that under a bridge (that of San Antón) there is a sacred cave. This was visited at some point by Alfonso VIII and there the Virgin received him with a lighted lamp. Finally, a legend tells that the stone crosses in San Julián el Tranquilo mark the place where the inmates were thrown when found guilty.

General characteristics

It is located in Castilla-La Mancha, a Spanish area widely recognized worldwide for the novel The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha. After leaving the mountains, the Júcar is in lands of plains and valleys, where it takes shape in its own style, since the predominant forms are curves. One of the most striking features is its vibrant green color in the waters.

Further on come rocks at least 100 meters high. In the middle of these rocks the river makes its way flowing in a more reduced way, since the space between the rocks becomes much shorter. All this is called the Júcar Canyon, responsible for creating waterfalls due to its structural composition.

The depth of the river is wide enough to be able to swim, and in turn, to practice with canoes. Its average flow is 49.8 m ³ / s with a rainfall regime in its head that increases in spring, while in the middle and lower part it depends on the autumn rains.

This flow has a Mediterranean-type climate, characterized by a long season of heat and drought in summer; as well as shorter winters and with the presence of rains. Due to these, the river has had floods that cause floods such as the Riada de San Carlos and the Pantanada de Tous.

The main water division of the river is in the mountain ranges, in the border area of ​​Cuenca and Teruel. In addition, in Los Montes Universales, an area that will be discussed at the source of this river, there is that clear division made by the Atlantic rivers with those that go towards the Mediterranean.

Birth, route and mouth

The Júcar river has its source at 1,506 meters of altitude in Los Montes Universales, more specifically in an area called Ojos (or Ojuelos) de Valdeminguete. This place is located north of Tragacete, a municipality in the province of Cuenca.

The Serranía de Cuenca, in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, is the main witness to the source of the Jucar River. After leaving this point, the torrent runs through two provinces after Cuenca: Albacete (also in Castilla-La Mancha) and Valencia.

Unlike other rivers, the Júcar does not have the traditional course divided into three (upper, middle and lower), since its course between the mountainous area and the plain occurs abruptly, without a transition space in which it go forming a slope.

Find your route through the eastern part of the Channel, following the direction from west to east of this area. Then he reaches the city of Alarcón, a fundamental point for him, where he is held. From here it continues until reaching the confluence with Cabriel.

Being a river that crosses several cities, the inhabitants of the following lands have seen the influx of the Júcar river for a long time. Continue through Albacete, passing through the Ayora-Cofrentes Valley. At this point, the transitional buttresses of La Mancha and La Ribera are used to generate energy with a hydroelectric system.

All this route makes possible the water supply in the city of Valencia, as well as the irrigation of the coastal plains. After traveling some 504.42 kilometers on the way, it manages to flow into the Mediterranean Sea in Valencia, specifically in the town of Cullera.

Reservoirs

In addition to its geographical importance and visual appeal, the Júcar River is used for human benefit through reservoirs. This with the purpose of supplying water to the nearby populations for their consumption, as well as to produce energy and serve to irrigate crops.

Reservoirs also allow water to be regulated, preventing the risk of flooding. Of these dams, the Tous dam stands out, which after being affected by the rising of the river, started operating again; and Alarcón, the only one to be financed entirely by farmers in the area in 1941.

Other reservoirs found in the course of the Júcar are the La Toba Reservoir, El Picazo Reservoir, Molinar Reservoir, Embarcaderos Reservoir and El Naranjero Reservoir.

Contamination

Despite being a river that makes life and runs through a natural park, there are several spokespersons who have warned about different situations that harm the Júcar river beds, including the fact of the existence of numerous dams that generate changes in the ecosystem and the direct interference of the human being as a factor.

Like the vast majority of negative impacts at the environmental level, it was taken into account when prohibition measures began to be established for the surrounding residents. Due to the contamination of the Júcar river, bathing in its waters was prohibited, since the artificial beach of Cuenca and El Chantre were affected by the contamination.

Human waste

The Júcar river is very extensive and is made up of several places. Specifically, the El Chantre area has a periodic problem, generated by a natural course of the rivers according to the time of year, in which the river flow decreases every summer. It is affected because populations use the stream as the final route for their fecal waste.

The municipalities that are neighbors of the river make up the accumulation of this waste dumped without any type of sanitation or purification.

Chemical agents (pesticides)

Various ecologists have made calls regarding the impact that pesticides are having in Spain in general, and more specifically in the Júcar river, where since 2016 the level of incidence of these substances in the river has multiplied.

Following this research through the scientific nature, academic institutions such as the University of Valencia and the Polytechnic University have made research advances in a scientific article, referring to the possible threats to the biodiversity present in the Júcar.

The extensive route that the river has facilitates an increase in the number of agricultural companies that make life in its surroundings, which translates into more poison that ends its journey in the waters of the river.

Spain, one of the countries with the highest amount of pesticide use, has set off alarms about this situation. A study published the analysis of a total of 57 pesticides, of which 34 were found in the Júcar river.

In the long term, the effects of these substances present in the river ecosystem have direct action on humans, especially on the citizens who are around them, who are at risk of serious health problems.

In addition to the diseases generated on humans, a large number of animals have died and the number continues to increase. In areas where pesticide levels are considerably high, the lack of species that made life in earlier times has become notorious.

In order to establish a limit to the abuses that are carried out due to the excessive concentration and use of pesticides, a request has been made for a reduction of up to 50% of these harmful substances, within a maximum period of 10 years. Meanwhile, farmers claim their innocence justifying that the amount of products they use is not so high.

Economy

The main contribution of the Júcar river is manifested in agriculture, especially in its last section. From the 17th century until now, its waters are used to irrigate crops in the area in the alluvial plain. Of these, in addition to rice and plantations for textile use, orange groves stand out.

Likewise, the Júcar river contributes to the surrounding populations in tourism, since in this it is possible to practice various activities that attract both foreigners and locals, such as sport fishing and canoeing. In the section between Cofrentes and Cortes de Pallás there is a navigable tourist route.

Finally, it is important to note that the industries located in this area supply their waters from the Júcar River thanks to the different dams. An example of this is the Cofrentes nuclear power plant, which uses the Júcar for cooling the plant.

Main cities that travels

In its first section, characterized by the gorges and canyons that it has formed in the limestone over time, the Júcar river first meets Cuenca, enters the town of Alarcón, and then enters the city of Albacete.

Leave the mountainous area to enter La Ribera in Valencia, through the city of Cofrentes. Visit the cities Carcagente, Alcira, Algemesí and Sueca, to finally arrive at the last city that bathes with its waters in Cullera.

Tributaries

It is natural that large rivers, thanks to their structure and strength, have water channels that complement them. These can end up creating unions with other rivers of equal or greater size.

The river Júcar has on its sides a series of companions that enrich the view and the biodiversity. Among the rivers that stand out as tributaries are:

- The Zarra River: this tributary is located in La Hoz, a place recommended by tourists for its visual attraction.

- The Cabriel River: it could be said that it is the most important tributary thanks to its economic influence, since the hydroelectric plants are fed by the encounter between it and the Cofrentes and Alarcón areas.

The Cantabán River: the valley is constituted by this until it reaches the meeting with the Júcar River itself and with the Cabriel River.

Meanwhile, other smaller rivers that also contribute are the Escalona River, Belmontejo River, Sellent River, Albaida River, Magro River, Valdemembra River, Huécar River, Moscas River and Abengibre River.

Flora

At the beginning of its route, the Júcar River is characterized by the presence of riverside vegetation that depends strongly on the humidity in the soil, with the presence of willows and poplars. Further on, you can see holm oak, juniper and pine forests on the slopes.

Its final section, having the presence of saline water from the Mediterranean Sea, has a large number of plants adapted to the environment that can cause drought. Some of the characteristic species of this part of the river are the pig grass, the marine daffodils and various types of reeds.

Algae and water lilies are also present in the freshwater lagoons that form along the Júcar river, along with the reeds. These species, as well as other aquatic species such as Bergia aquatica or Ammania coccinea usually cause problems in the fields by invading the land.

Fauna

Like many other ecosystems, the water factor being present, the possibilities for the habitat of the fauna multiply. The Júcar River is undoubtedly one of these cases. There are approximately 69 vertebrate species that are internationally important and inhabit its surroundings.

Breeding birds add up to a total of 95 species, in addition, in migratory times the Júcar delta serves as a stopover point for these birds. At the beginning of the river route, you can find birds of prey such as vultures and eagles, in the caves that are formed thanks to the rocks.

The well-known otter (Myocastor coypus) is a semi-aquatic rodent that has had an equal role in this ecosystem, since it has been spreading around the northwest, thanks to the crops on which they feed.

Since the introduction of the hand of man, together with his ideas to expand the economy, there have been several species that have been affected, either by a significant change in the spaces or by the introduction of alien species. environments of the Júcar river.

The fish that used to live in the riverbed have been affected by the introduction of the Wels catfish, the fish population has decreased considerably. This change began with the Mequinenza reservoir in 1974, however, over the years the catfish have spread.

One of these species that have given way to others considered invasive, as well as to pollution, is the Júcar madrilla (also known as loina or luina). This is a freshwater fish endemic to the Júcar basin that is currently in danger of extinction.

Another colonizer that has taken away their spaces from the Iberian crayfish is the Procambarus clarkii (American crab), a crustacean that adapts in a formidable way to environments, taking away the spaces from its Iberian cousin. Another species that is specialized in reproducing is the zebra mussel.

Due to its ability to multiply and expand its territory, submarine port machinery is affected by its presence. Due to the large number of mussels, the dams and power plants are feeling this impact, not counting on the river's own species that have been displaced.

References

1. Bachiller, C. El Júcar, an increasingly polluted river that demands public "commitment" (2019). Taken from eldiario.es.
2. Conejos, M. The floods of the Júcar river can be predicted up to 500 years (2002). Taken from abc.es.
3. Júcar Hydrographic Confederation. Life and history around the Júcar. Taken from chj.es.
4. García, J. Where is the Júcar River born? Virtual and photographic tour from Tragacete to its traditional origin (2018). Taken from purasierra.com.
5. Torres, R. The origin of the name “Piedra del Caballo” (2019). Taken from eldiadigital.es.
6. Yubero, F. In search of the magic of the Júcar river (2009). Taken from lanaveva.wordpress.com.