Thousands of Fish Die as Connection Between Two Reservoirs in Cuenca and Guadalajara is Closed

The closure of the connection between the Entrepeñas and Buendía reservoirs, located between the provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca, has resulted in the death of thousands of fish, mostly carp and barbel, during their spawning process. The decision to close the connection of these reservoirs, situated at the headwaters of the Tajo River, from where the Tajo-Segura transfer originates, was made by the Tajo Hydrographic Confederation several weeks ago following heavy rains in March and April to make use of the water provided by the precipitation.

After the rainy period, the Confederation decided last Friday to close the transfer between the two reservoirs, leading to the death of thousands of fish trapped in the canal connecting the two reservoirs. The Town Hall of Sacedón (Guadalajara), located near the Tajo headwaters, described the Confederation's decision as an "ecological crime and attack" and demanded accountability "for cutting off the flow during spawning." The town hall mobilised dozens of volunteers to save as many fish as possible, and its mayor, Francisco Pérez Torrecilla, publicly denounced that "the canal has been completely closed without considering the situation of the fauna, demonstrating once again the absolute inability of the Tajo Confederation to manage, protect, and defend either the ecosystems or the interests of the riverside municipalities of Entrepeñas and Buendía, something that cannot go unpunished."

The citizen group "Red del Tajo" has also condemned these actions, criticising the closure of the canal between the two reservoirs "without a progressive reduction of the flow, turning the canal into a lethal trap for thousands of fish," according to its spokesperson, Miguel Ángel Sánchez, who called for its immediate reopening.

In response to this controversy, the Tajo Hydrographic Confederation, an agency under the Ministry for Ecological Transition, explained on Saturday that the closure of the transfer between the Entrepeñas and Buendía reservoirs was carried out "due to the progressive decrease in contributions to the Tajo headwaters system." Regarding the massive fish mortality caused by the closure of the connection between the two reservoirs, the Tajo Hydrographic Confederation stated that "numerous carp were trapped in pools disconnected from the watercourse, leading to the reopening of the gates to allow a flow of 900 litres per second, which has enabled many stranded specimens to move downstream to be extracted and transported in trailers to the Buendía reservoir." Furthermore, it emphasised that the carp is an exotic invasive species and that the loss of specimens "cannot be considered an ecological catastrophe or ecological attack."

A reopening of gates that both the Red del Tajo and the Town Hall of Sacedón have deemed a late and insufficient decision.