Fernando Delgado-Ramos

University of Granada | UGR · Department of Structural Mechanics and Hydraulic Engineering

The main objective of hydrological planning is to regulate and administrate, in a sustainable way, the management of water resources, simplifying in systems the territory and its elements related to water management, to satisfy the demands (outputs of the system) and adjusting to the water availability (inputs to the system). Hydrographic systems a...

The European Commission highlighted that in Spain: “there is a lack of adequate incentives for efficient use of the resource and the adequate contribution to the recovery from different users is not guaranteed” and recommended to “present transparently subsidies and cross-subsidies”. This paper develops a robust hydro-economic methodological approa...

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Droughts and water scarcity events are predicted to be more frequent and intense in the future, especially in Mediterranean countries. However, are the most recent drought management plans (DMPs) built on the latest technical, engineering, and scientific knowledge, as well as the learning experiences from managing historical droughts? The most sign...

In an ever-growing environment of uncertainty, complex interactions and climate extremes, the effective implementation of Public Participation (PP) into water management is sought as a key step to address water challenges and achieve holistic solutions. This requirement was already set out in the EU Water Framework Directive (Art. 14) 20 years ago....

Climate change is anticipated to exacerbate the frequency, the intensity, and the duration of droughts, especially in Mediterranean countries. This might lead to more serious water scarcity episodes and fierce competition among water users. Are we really prepared to deal efficiently with droughts and water scarcity events? This paper sheds light on...

Accurately forecasting streamflow values is essential to achieve an efficient, integrated water resources management strategy and to provide consistent support to water decision-makers. We present a simple, low-cost, and robust approach for forecasting monthly and yearly streamflows during the current hydrological year, which is applicable to headw...

Low plasticity soils have been traditionally rejected as impervious material in embankment dams. These soils have been usually assumed to have a deficient behavior in the face of internal erosion due to their great tendency of crack. Due to the good experiences that exist in Spain, such as Arenoso dam or Zufre dam, the Technical University of Madri...

La erosión interna se produce cuando el material que constituye una presa de materiales sueltos es arrastrado de forma incontrolada por el flujo que atraviesa dicha estructura. Las partículas se desprenden y son arrastradas aguas abajo poniendo en riesgo la integridad de la estructura. Este fenómeno es la segunda causa de accidentes y roturas en pr...

En general, los materiales arcillosos poco plásticos, han sido poco recomendados o incluso rechazados para la constitución de la barrera im-permeable en presas y balsas de materiales sueltos. Estos materiales han sido acusados de una mala respuesta frente a la erosión interna, por su debilidad frente a este fenómeno. Cabe destacar que la erosión in...

Forecasting streamflow accurately is essential to achieve an efficient integrated water resources management strategy and provide consistent support to water decision-makers. We present a simple, low-cost and robust approach for forecasting monthly and yearly streamflow during the hydrological year in course, applicable to headwater catchments. It...

At the Negratín Dam (southern Spain) two main springs derived from the water reservoir were detected on the west side of the mountain ridge, matching the location of the left abutment of the dam. The seepages appear when the level of the stored water exceeds 622 m above sea level (m a.s.l.), where some paleochannels are embedded in the silts. The w...

Internal erosion is a major cause of failure in embankment dams, specifically, is the second common cause after overtopping. This phenomenon is strongly influenced by the behavior of clays, which are used as seepage control material for its low permeability. Due to the importance of this material, it is essential to set the limit parameters for usi...

Granular filters are required to perform two basic functions in embankment dams: (a) prevent the migration of base soil particles, and (b) allow drainage of seepage water. Traditionally, retention function (a) has been evaluated using Particle Size Distribution (PSD) and drainage function (b) using Permeability (kf), but usually permeability have b...

In recent years, due to the rise in petroleum prices and greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy has been recommended as a power source for different types of facilities. For the period 2010 to 2020 the European Commission has established three key objectives related to climatic change and energy sustainability, such as reductions of CO2 emissio...

Actividad sísmica registrada en las presas de Béznar y Rules, Cuenca del Guadalfeo: Conclusiones y propuestas de mejora del Sistema.

Culverts are essential elements of any road infrastructure. A culvert failure or malfunction may affect not only the culvert itself, but also it could cause serious problems on the road and its surroundings, such as floods, roadway damage, traffic interruption, and even fatal accidents. Although there are extensive bibliography and regulations rela...

This paper describes a new method for predicting trihalomethanes (THMs) presence in networks of water supply systems, using a low-cost device that permits a fast monitoring of concentrations without need of complex analysis made in laboratories. This method, based on statistical models, allows the estimation of THM concentration by monitoring param...

The process of internal erosion in an embankment dam with granular filters can be divided in five stages : (i) formation of the crack through the core, (ii) erosion of material from the crack walls due to the shear stress applied by flowing water, (iii) transport of eroded particles to the filter, (iv) retention or percolation of these particles wi...

This paper analyses the influence of activated sludge technologies on the Particle Size Distribution (PSD) of urban wastewater treatment plants operating under real conditions. The activated sludge treatment systems selected for the analysis are the most widely used in wastewater treatment installations: (a) double step activated sludge, (b) medium...

This article analyses the relation between wastewater quality parameters and particle size distribution (PSD) in three real wastewater treatment plants with different biofilm technologies: submerged biofilter system, trickling filter system, and rotating biological contactor system. The main quality parameters, (suspended solids, turbidity and COD)...

This article presents the results of a research study that analyzed the effect that secondary biofilm treatment systems had on particle size distribution (PSD) in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. This study focused on three biofilm technologies (i.e. a submerged biofilter system, a trickling filter system, and a rotating biological cont...

El equipo de Dirección de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos emprendió hace algún tiempo una serie de medidas encaminadas a facilitar el proceso de inserción y adaptación de sus estudiantes a la titulación que cursan y de este modo lograr la mejora de su rendimiento académico. El objetivo principal de estas medi...

Jornadas sobre Innovación Docente y Adaptación al EEES en las Titulaciones Técnicas

In order to evaluate the effect of flux on membrane fouling, the performance of a bench-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) equipped with ultrafiltration membranes (ZENON) was investigated under real conditions at different flux rates. The pilot plant was located at the wastewater treatment plant of the city of Granada (Spain). Influent used...

Empirical criteria have been used successfully to design filters of most embankment large dam projects throughout the world. However, these empirical rules are only applicable to a particular range of soils tested in laboratory and do not take into account the variability of the base material and filter particle sizes. In addition, it is widely acc...

As the century has been advancing, the Andalusian cities have been changing from a model of compact city, characteristic of the Mediterranean cities, toward a model of diffuse city that is more characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon pattern. A diffuse city is characterised by the population and employment decentralisation and it drives to the expansion...