VIII Water Engineering Conference

The Escuela Universitaria Politécnica de La Almunia (EUPLA) and the Universidad de Zaragoza, with the support of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE) and the Local Organizing Committee, held the VIII Jornadas de Ingeniería del Agua (JIA2025) on October 22 and 23 at the Paraninfo building.

The event brought together researchers, administrations and companies to address the main challenges of water management in a context of climate change and digital transformation, consolidating Zaragoza as a benchmark in water knowledge and cooperation.

A program that combined science, technology, and water management

The program included plenary lectures, round tables and thematic sessions on hydrology and river dynamics, water use and management, water infrastructure and water and the city.

As a novelty, a monograph entitled “The evolution of river basin management in the face of the new challenges of society” was developed, with the participation of representatives of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico and of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro.

Among the keynote presentations was that of Rafaela Matos, a researcher at the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) in Lisbon, who opened the conference with Water Critical Infrastructures, Defense and Security – Quo Vadis? focused on critical infrastructures and water security.

Complementary activities: training and technical visits

JIA2025 began on October 21 with a pre-workshop on the EUPLA campus, which offered specialized courses in hydraulic modeling, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), SPHerimenthal and physical modeling in hydraulic works.

On the same day, a guided tour of Roman Zaragoza -including the Forum Museum, the River Port and the Roman Theater- and an official reception were held at the Zaragoza City Hall, in collaboration with Zaragoza Turismo.

On October 24, a technical visit was made to the Casablanca Locks and Hydrological Area and to the Canal Imperial de Aragón, where the participants learned about the actions of the Life Ebro Resilience P1 Project, focused on environmental restoration and improvement of river safety.

A forum for sharing knowledge and solutions

The VIII Water Engineering Conference combined scientific rigor with practical application and was consolidated as a space for sharing experiences and results between universities, administrations and entities in the water sector.

With its open and participatory approach, the IWEB2025 strengthened cooperation on sustainable water management and adaptation to the challenges posed by climate change.