Arrocampo Reservoir

The Arrocampo reservoir as system to refrigerate the Almaraz Nuclear Plant

The refrigeration of the Almaraz nuclear power plant was the first reason for the construction of the reservoir.

The water is taken from the Tagus and cover a U-shaped circuit of 25 km which allows the cooling of the heat generated by the two nuclear reactors of the plant. (See the illustration of the water circulation in Arrocampo) (...) The walls of thermic separation (pantallas de separación térmica in Spanish) (PST) are 11 km long and 8 m high (...). The tops of these walls are used by great cormorants and great egret as standing, resting and sleeping areas.

The Arrocampo reservoir as a wetland

• Biomass (ecology): biomass of reservoir waters is very important on all trophic levels, including Phytoplankton and zooplankton.
• Fish: Angling is often practiced on weekend and feast days. There are sometimes a lot of recreational fishermen at the principal access to the reservoir, near the local route Almaraz-Saucedilla. Species available include: Carps, Common barbel, Tench (Tinca tinca), Gambusia, Largemouth bass or black bass (this species is very common and the size is often spectacular), European eel.
• Birds: Before the creation of Arrocampo reservoir (1976), there were a lot of wild birds in lands of Almaraz, Saucedilla. White storks, cattle egrets, lesser kestrels ... are traditional birds of this area. Now there are two special protection areas: one is the parish church of Saucedilla (17 pairs of lesser kestrels on its walls and roofs) and the other one is all the Arrocampo reservoir.

Gallery

Image:Muro en el embalse de Arrocampo.jpg|Wall of thermic separation in the reservoir Image:Enea (embalse de Arrocampo).jpg|Typha plants (bulrush, cattail) in Arrocampo Image:Caballos y embalse de Arrocampo.JPG|View of reservoir from a Saucedilla hill Image:Cormoranes en la PST de Arrocampo.jpg|Great cormorants on the wall of thermic separation (CNA phot.) Image:Pescadores en Arrocampo1.JPG|Anglers in Arrocampo Image:Plantas de enea en Arrocampo.jpg|Cattail plants Image:Mojón VP Arrocampo.JPG|Angling Image:Muro embalse Arrocampo.jpg|End of thermic separation wall

The Arrocampo reservoir as a [[Special Protection Area]] ([[Special Protection Area|SPA]]) for wild birds

Needs rewording:

The ornithologist Javier Briz Lázcoz, secondary teacher (Instituto Zurbarán, Navalmoral de la Mata), biologist, bird photographer and great connoisseur of Arrocampo reservoir, creator and designer of the Arrocampo ornithologic park has drawn up, all through years and conscientiously, this exhaustive list of birds in Arrocampo. (He is a member of SEO/BirdLife and consultant of Extremadura Government):

--

• White stork: nest & reproduction (n & r)
• Cattle egret:
• Great cormorant
• Lesser kestrel: (n & r)
• Purple heron: (n & r)
• Squacco heron: (n & r)
• Little grebe: (r & r)

• Great crested grebe: (n & r)
• Great bittern: (rare)
• Little bittern: (n & r)
• Night heron: (n & r)
• Little egret: (n & r)
• Great white egret
• Grey heron: (n & r)
• Eurasian spoonbill: (n & r)

• Greylag goose
• Egyptian goose: rare
• Ruddy shelduck: rare
• Eurasian wigeon
• Gadwall: (n & r)
• Common teal
• Mallard: (n & r)
• Northern shoveler

• Common pochard
• Tufted duck
• Black-winged kite: (n & r)
• Black kite
• Red kite
• Marsh harrier
• Hen harrier
• Montagus harrier
• Common buzzard
• Booted eagle
• Water rail
• Spotted crake
• Little crake
• Purple swamphen
• Northern lapwing
• Sanderling
• Dunlin
• Ruff
• Common snipe
• Black-tailed godwit
• Eurasian curlew
• Common redshank
• Moorhen
• Avocet
• Greenshank
• Wood sandpiper
• Common sandpiper
• Black-headed gull
• Lesser black-backed gull
• Gull-billed tern
• Whiskered tern
• Common kingfisher: (n & r)
• European bee-eater: (n & r)
• Sand martin: (n & r)
• Red-rumped swallow: (n & r)
• Yellow wagtail
• Grey wagtail

• Pied wagtail
• Bluethroat
• Cetti's warbler: (n & r)
• Zitting cisticola: (n & r)
• Savi's warbler: (n & r)
• Moustached warbler
• Sedge warbler
• Reed warbler
• Great reed warbler
• Bearded tit: rare
• Spanish sparrow: (n & r)
• Avadavat: (n & r)
• Collared pratincole
• Little ringed plover
• European golden plover

The Arrocampo ornithologic park (Saucedilla)

The Arrocampo ornithologic park is located in the municipality of Saucedilla, near the reservoir. It was designed by the ornithologist Javier Briz.

• Monfragüe National Park: the proximity of this national park (...)
• Route 1: Arrocampo: (...)
• Route 2: Cerro Alto: (...)

File:Interior oficina información Saucedilla.jpg|Interior of the Information Office of SPA Arrocampo reservoir File:Observatorio aves1.JPG|Bird hide File:Mojón Parque Ornitológico de Arrocampo (Saucedilla).JPG|Route 1 marker

File:Balsa Dehesa Nueva.jpg|Pool on Route 2 File:Observatorio aves Saucedilla.JPG|Bird hide File:Cigüenas 31.JPG|White storks near the reservoir

References

Bibliography

• El embalse de Arrocampo, 1996, Ed. Central Nuclear Almaraz.
• Almaraz, un entorno para admirar, by Javier Briz and Óscar J. González; Madrid 2011; Ed. Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo. Photographs book with extraordinary birds pictures of Óscar J. González, photographer and biologist. This book is not sold in bookshops but it is possible to get it at Centrales Nucleares de Almaraz-Trillo, in: comunicacion@cnat.es

References

1. ''El embalse de Arrocampo'', 1996, Ed. Central Nuclear de Almaraz. This book is the basic reference of this article.
2. [http://www.birdinginextremadura.com/birdex/live/rutas-recomendadas/embalse-arrocampo.html Birding in Extremadura, Ed. Junta de Extremadura] {{webarchive. link. (October 4, 2013)