The achievement of the good status of rivers includes both having adequate liquid and solid (sediments) flows to maintain aquatic ecosystems and good water quality. This quality can be affected by the effluents of urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants, agricultural and livestock activities and by the lack of sufficient flows due to the intensive use of water resources.
On the other hand, there are few studies analysing the role of forest areas in the basin water balance that quantify the forest water demand (Salmoral et al., 2011; Willaarts, 2012). This information is very useful for water management at the basin level, since there is ample evidence confirming that land-use changes and, in particular, the changes in the extent and coverage of forest uses can modify the forest water demand and in consequence the water supply and availability.
Currently, the Water Observatory analyses the pollutant assimilation processes associated with urban effluents in rivers and the implementation of environmental flow regimes in Spain. A better understanding of these processes will help define the actions that prevent the degradation or facilitate the recovery of the good status of rivers.
