1926 – 2026
On December 10, Fran Álvarez interviewed Commissioner Javier San Román, head of the centenary of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE), on Los Desayunos de Alto Jalón Radio. During the talk, he revealed the program of events that will tour the basin in 2026 and warned about the problems that threaten our rivers and aquifers.
10/12/2025
In Los Desayunos de Alto Jalón Radio, journalist Fran Álvarez spoke with Javier San Román, deputy commissioner of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro (CHE) and head of the centenary. The commissioner recalled that the CHE was the first entity in the world to manage water by basins and not by administrative borders, a model that continues to attract delegations from other countries.
The centenary, which is celebrated in 2026, will feature a traveling exhibition throughout the basin, a central exhibition in Zaragoza, a commemorative book, and a documentary. Meetings with specialists and an institutional event in October will also be organized, in addition to a centenary web portal. The first exhibition begins this coming December 17 in Reinosa and will visit Miranda de Ebro, Logroño, Vitoria, Pamplona, Huesca, Lleida, and Tortosa.
San Román stressed that opening the tap and having water is not trivial; behind it there are reservoirs such as La Tranquera and Lechago, maintenance work, and personnel who manage these resources. He spoke about climate change and flood management, and invited people to use applications such as “Chequea tu riesgo” to find out if a property is in a flood zone.
Another key point was nitrate contamination. The commissioner admitted that it is his biggest concern: the excess of fertilizers and slurry causes the rivers to flow with excessive nutrients, aquatic plants proliferate, and groundwater deteriorates. Spain has been sanctioned by the EU for failing to comply with the nitrates directive, and San Román called for better agricultural practices and co-responsibility.
The conversation closed with the culture of water and the debate on the source of the Jalón River. San Román encouraged turning the toponymic discrepancies into a reason for celebration and learning about the history and toponymy of the territory.
To learn more about the EHC and its centenary, please consult the centenary section of the chebro.es website and visit the chebro100.com calendar for more updates. If you found this news helpful, please consider subscribing to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next ones.
This piece is an adaptation of the interview conducted on December 10 in Los Desayunos de Alto Jalón Radio; you can read the original chronicle in El Alto Jalón.
