The state-owned firm Gestur Canarias commenced surveys on Monday with the aim of preparing a hydrogeological study intended for the restoration of the ancient wetland that lent its name to the city of La Laguna.
This announcement was made by the City Council on Monday, which clarified that this initiative, led by the Council through the joint venture Teidagua, alongside the Government of the Canary Islands, seeks to renaturalise a tract of land spanning nearly 30,000 square metres, situated between the streets Silverio Alonso, Tabares Bartlet, José Peraza de Ayala, and Avenida San Diego.
La Laguna’s Mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and the CEO of Gestur Canarias, Agoney Piñero, witnessed the commencement of the works, which will enable the assessment of the terrain’s morphology and the extraction of preliminary data essential for conducting the technical study. Throughout this week, three similar surveys will be conducted at diverse locations using machinery capable of drilling up to 10 metres deep to extract the accumulated material, which will assist in accurately delineating the characteristics of the subsoil.
“These are the initial steps of a pivotal project for La Laguna’s future,” emphasised the Mayor, adding that the restoration of the historical wetland has a threefold significance as a “green lung of the city” due to its ecological importance; the potential it presents for the “urban development of this entire area and the city’s expansion to the north”; and most importantly, “as a hydraulic infrastructure that will enable us to tackle the escalating risk of flooding caused by climate change,” he remarked, expressing gratitude for “the backing of the other involved administrations to ensure that this park becomes a reality as swiftly as possible.”
Agoney Piñero, for his part, underscored the “distinctive character of this project that will rejuvenate the historic lagoon” and commended the confidence placed in this public company by the City Council to execute the work with all necessary technical assurances.
Gestur Canarias engineer Manuel Galván elaborates that these surveys, which are being conducted from today, will facilitate an understanding of “the lithology of the terrain, data required for the hydrogeological model study that will ascertain the levels at the bottom of the wetland for maintaining a constant water level throughout the year, and to assess at what depth we find, above all, the basalt necessary for securing possible structures, walkways, or bridges.”
The subsequent step will be the finalisation of the hydrogeological study, which is on the verge of being awarded to the public company Gestur Canarias, and which will allow for a precise definition of the project aimed at restoring La Laguna’s former wetland. This endeavour seeks to mitigate the flooding risk present in the Vega Lagunera through nature-based strategies while offering the city a new and expansive natural area for public use right in the centre.
Aim of the hydrogeological study
The hydrogeological study intends to assess the park’s viability as part of a Green Infrastructure Plan, which addresses the sustainable management of urban drainage through controlled flooding, a technique that forms part of the natural water retention measures established by the Directorate General for the Environment of the European Commission.
For La Laguna’s ancient wetland to be revived, a highly detailed technical implementation is necessary: hydrological and hydrogeological investigations of the area, cartography, climatic data on precipitation, and an estimation of infiltration into the aquifer, alongside an inventory of water points (such as springs, wells, and galleries). In general, this encompasses any water flow including ravines, ditches, and irrigation canals, springs, and spillways.
All of this information will facilitate the updating of a conceptual hydrogeological model of the Vega Lagunera, thereby establishing predictive scenarios to optimise the design of the park and evaluate its performance in extreme conditions. To achieve this, different scenarios will be simulated, including extremes of heavy rainfall, drought, and potential adjustments in the placement of drains and the base topography of the wetland.
