The image of Zaragoza and the Ebro are inseparable. Its riverbed is part of the history of the city, which managed to fully integrate it into its street thanks to the works undertaken for Expo 2008. Now, the Zaragoza council intends to do the same with the capital’s other major river, the Huerva. , which after decades of neglect and abandonment has become a “dark room” in the center. To do this, they will invest around 25 million euros (own and European funds) to subject it to a regenerative process that will recover it and give it a new life before 2027.
“The regeneration of this river is a pressing need. It is a transformation project, which will allow us to settle a historical debt with all residents and create a valuable environmental legacy for future generations,” said the popular mayor, Natalia Chueca, this Wednesday during the opening of the first phase, valued at about 8 millions of euros.
The objective is for these first works to be completed in April of next year to immediately begin the next phase, so that the new river park is available to citizens “as soon as possible,” the councilor specified.
The declared purpose of the star project of this legislature – together with the new La Romareda football stadium – is to integrate Huerva into the urban scene, so that it becomes part of the daily life of citizens when it comes to walking, exercising, socialize or as a passage area on your daily trips.
To achieve this, it is planned to create a river park with paths and cycle paths, walkways, grass stands, children’s play areas and hospitality kiosks. The concrete walls and fixed structures that now limit access to the river will be demolished and, in their place, green slopes and terraces will be enabled to allow their integration with the rest of the street and a landscape improvement with trees and flowers.
The banks will also be cleaned, now full of weeds, garbage and other waste, and actions are included to improve the environmental state of the waters and protect the environment from possible floods (new sanitation collectors, a storm tank or the implementation of probes to measure water turbidity, among others).
These measures have led to the project being endorsed by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE, based in Zaragoza), which included it in its 2022-2027 Hydrological Plan. “It is an exciting project,” signed its new president, Carlos Arrazola, also present at the event.
The Huerva River has a length of 128 kilometers and flows into the Ebro as it passes through Zaragoza, where it was buried in several sections a century ago by the architect Félix Navarro. After decades in which institutions and neighbors turned their backs on him, his resurrection has been promoted by up to three different governments -PSOE, Zaragoza en Común and PP- in the last 15 years, but without ever materializing.
At the moment, with a horizon of three years (2024 to 2027), the Zaragoza City Council already has committed 20 million euros from the Government of Aragon for its execution in this period, as well as another 5 million European funds through the Biodiversity Foundation.
