Gallego River

Benito G, Perez-Gonzalez A, Gutierrez F, Machado MJ (1998) River response to Quaternary subsidence due to evaporite solution (Gallego River, Ebro Basin, Spain). Geomorphology... 

T13 (SP14) Gallego River in Villanueva de Gallego (Zaragoza)... 

Fig. 3 Nitrate and phosphate river water concentrations for the period 1981-2009 at the main Ebro channel (Sastago and Tortosa sites), at Aragon Gallego and Segre left margin tributaries, and at the Jalon and Matarranya right margin tributaries. Data are monthly values...

The Ebro headwater tributaries still have a natural flow regime [16], whereas the fluvial regimes of the main tributaries reaching the Ebro mainstream in the central and lower part of the catchment (Segre, Cinca, Gallego and Aragon rivers) are slightly to moderately altered. 

Finally, it should be mentioned that three out of the eight Spanish chlor-alkali plants operating with the mercury process are located in the Ebro River basin in the cities of Sabinanigo and Monzon - along the tributaries Gallego and Cinca Rivers, respectively - and Flix along the Ebro River (Fig. 1). Indeed, mercury emissions from the Hix and Monzon have already been reported [28]. Therefore, the mid-low Ebro River watershed might be considered as a hot spot of aquatic pollution of mercury in Spain. 

On the other hand, the industrial activity of the other two mercury cell chlor-alkali plants have caused important Hg pollution in Sabinanigo (capacity of 25 x 103 Mg chlorine/year) and Monzon (31 x 103 Mg chlorine/year) (see Fig. 1), two small and industrial cities located in the middle course of the Gallego and Cinca Rivers, respectively, two tributaries of the Ebro River [31]. 

Raldua D, Pedrocchi C (1996) Mercury concentrations in three species of freshwater fishes from the lower Gallego and Cinca Rivers, Spain. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 57 597-602... 

Here, we discuss these issues within the context of the Ebro river basin and one of its sub-catchments, the Gallego. We present climate change scenarios for the basin and discuss the integration of climate change scenarios in general with several aspects of the Ebro s hydrology and also discuss potential impacts of climate change on pollution. 

These results suggest that winter precipitation in the Gallego, although projected to increase by 4.1% and 2.2% in December and January, respectively [35], will not be enough to recharge aquifers and rivers which are likely to be depleted due to lower precipitation during the rest of the year (by as much as 52% in July). Water scarcity is therefore likely to become an increasing problem in the future, especially as temperature, and hence evapotranspiration, is projected to increase. 

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