Project: Improvement and modernization of irrigation in Rioja Alavesa and Sonsierra Riojana, main transfer l

The project consisted of placing 35,475 m of piping to capture the water at the hydro-electric power plant in Berganzo, up to the final access chamber in the town of Laguardia, passing through the farms in several municipalities.

The installation of this main piping to provide an area of 4,800 hectares of grapevine crops in La Rioja Alavesa-Sonsierra Riojana, with a backup water supply of 1000 m3 for use in times of shortage, required the intervention of the Tragsa Group to modify the entire project because of the inability to carry out the initial project. The Tragsa group worked together with the public administration to achieve the best solution in line with the real needs.

This first phase of the plan to improve the irrigation network required using backhoe loaders to excavate and fill the more than 35 km of trench, located in a complicated area, due to 41% of the soil being rocky, which also required digging a tunnel measuring 134 m long and 2.5 m high in order to work around the Sierra Calabria, as well as the construction of various pipe jacking rigs measuring 1200 mm in diameter, situated under several roads, in order to get the water to descend bygravity.

The subsequent assembly of the piping by installing all the items necessary: elbows, valves, spools, suction cups, drains and anchors, as well as the construction of 28 reinforced concrete access chambers on the main line to connect to branches and forks to the reservoirs for runoff water, enables direct irrigation from the main line during the time of concession (12/01 to 5/31), and indirect irrigation from the reservoirs of Laguardia and Rivas de Tereso, whenever they need an additional backup water supply, especially during the flowering period, with the idea of ensuring the harvest.