Torre Pacheco is turning a flood risk into a green space for the public to enjoy

A project to restore the ecosystem of the Rambla Sur will also protect residents and the Mar Menor

Torre Pacheco has launched a project to reduce the risk of flooding while at the same time restoring the environmental and aesthetic value of the Rambla Sur and providing social benefits.

The Rambla Sur has always acted as a natural watercourse for intense surface run-off during periods of heavy rainfall, but this led to serious safety issues and material damage following the urban development of the municipality.

According to the town hall, the aim is to address this problem by applying advanced ecological engineering principles, based on nature-based solutions to restore the river’s natural balance.

This will cover a 1,410-metre stretch of this channel in order to protect more than 8,600 residents and safeguard over 1,239,230 square metres of urban land against flooding.

It will involve partial removal of rigid linings to recover the channel’s natural shape and slow water flow during torrential rain, and adjusting gradients and deepening the most flood-prone sections to increase its flow capacity.

Furthermore, retention basins and controlled flooding areas will be created to act as temporary water-holding zones, preventing overflow into nearby urban areas.

Revegetation of the riverbanks with native species will help to stabilise sediments and restore its role as an ecological corridor that allows animals to find food, breed and move, and supports other natural processes like seed dispersal.

In parallel, pedestrian and cycle paths will be created on both sides of the watercourse, so that this restored natural space can be enjoyed by residents.

“We want the rambla to stop being a barrier and become a green meeting place for the community,” municipal representatives said during the project’s presentation.

The drainage system will be optimised to divert “first flush” water (the initial run-off carrying higher loads of pollutants) towards the wastewater treatment plant (EDAR), thus reducing the pollution reaching the Mar Menor and protecting the fragile lagoon ecosystem.

Work is due to start on November 1, 2025 and is scheduled to take six months to complete.

The project, called “The Memory of Water: Renaturalisation of the Rambla Sur”, will be carried out by Orthem, a company belonging to the Hozono Global Group, which specialises in environmental engineering and management of green infrastructure.

It will involve a total investment of €3,536,260, of which €2,767,123 will be subsidised by the national government’s EU-supported Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).

Through this initiative, Torre Pacheco is adapting its urban model to climate change, transforming a flood risk into a multifunctional green space that will benefit public well-being and restoring the ecology of the natural landscape.

Image: Orthem