Spain Water is the Spanish support structure for IAHR. Spain Water is a public initiative which includes: CEDEX, the General Directorate for Water, and the General Directorate for the Coast and the Sea as promoting organizations. They have agreed to support IAHR in facilitating the continuity of its Secretariat within the offices of the Centre for Hydrographic Studies of CEDEX, where it has been located since 2001.

CEDEX (Spanish National Public Works Research Centre)

CEDEX is an autonomous organisation within the central Spanish State Administration; it belongs organically to the Ministry of Transportation, Mobility and Urban Planning and functionally to the Ministries of Transportation, Mobility and Urban Planning, and for Ecological Transition and Demographic challenges.

CEDEX is an organisation made up of multi-disciplinary teams of highly-qualified professionals dedicated to the study and resolution of problems related to civil and environmental engineering mainly in the field of water, in both freshwater and marine environments. Among CEDEX's seven centres, three are specialised in water and the environment: the Centre for Hydrographic Studies dedicated to freshwater, the Centre for Harbours and Coastal Studies working in the marine field and the Centre for Applied Technique Studies, responsible for ecological aspects related to water in general.

CEDEX was established in 1957 as a result of a merger of laboratories from different disciplines in civil engineering, including the ‘Laboratory of Hydraulics’ and the ‘Laboratory of Ports’ of the former Madrid School of Roads, Canals and Ports when it was part of the Ministry of Education, a part of the former Ministry of Public Works. CEDEX has its origins in the university sphere and as such continues to be involved in academic activities.

Furthermore, Spain is a country with a strong tradition in water matters. When it comes to inland waters, Spain has more than 1,300 large dams and is a pioneer in the management of water resources. In the maritime sphere Spain is the European country with the longest coastline (7,880 km) and therefore a large number of beaches, 44 large commercial ports and many fishing ports and marinas. Moreover, both at the continental and coastal level recent years have seen considerable activity in the design and execution of works and in research and technology development (R&TD). All of this attests to the importance of hydraulic matters in Spain.

General Directorate for Water

The General Directorate for Water is a governing body of the Spanish Secretary of State for the Environment. This is the highest organ of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic challenges, which, under the authority of the Minister, directs and coordinates the execution of the powers of this department in relation to the formulation of policies on environmental quality and pollution prevention, climate change, environmental assessment, promoting the use of clean technologies and habits for cleaner and more sustainable consumption.

General Directorate for the Coast and the Sea

Under the leadership of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic challenges, the General Directorate for the Coast and the Sea ensures the protection of the coastal and marine environment in Spain.

IAHR – Spain Water activities

• Management of Catastrophic Risks in the Marine and Continental Water Environment - Gestión de riesgos catastróficos en el medio hídrico: continental y marino | 17 de marzo de 2021. Online.

• Sedimentary dynamics in Sustainable Management of Rivers and Coasts - La dinámica sedimentaria en la gestión sostenible de ríos y costas | 26 de febrero de 2020. Salón de Actos del Centro de Estudios de Técnicas Aplicadas del CEDEX.

• Jornada sobre paleocrecidas y avenidas históricas y su aplicación a la seguridad hidrológica de las presas | 8 de Mayo de 2019. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.

• Medidas de adaptación frente al cambio climático en la costa española | 25 de abril de 2019. Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica.

• International Conference on Adapting River Management in an era of change - Conferencia internacional sobre la adaptación de la gestión fluvial en una era de cambio | 15 de nociembre de 2018. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

• Aproximación al fenómeno nival en España en un contexto de cambio climático | 28 de junio de 2018. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.

• Master conference: Challenges of River restoration and ecologically functioning flows | Conferencia magistral: Desafíos de la restauración de ríos y caudales de funcionamiento ecológico. 10 de abril de 2018. Universitat Politècnica de València.

• Master conference: Issues (Research Needs) in Design Flood Estimation under Changing Climates | Conferencia magistral: Problemas (necesidades de investigación) en la estimación de inundaciones de diseño en climas cambiantes | 9 de abril de 2018. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.

• Master conference: Estuarine and Tidal Wetland Restoration: examples from the USA - Restauración de humedales de estuarios y mareas: ejemplos de EE. UU. | 9 de abril de 2018. Centro de Estudios de Puertos y Costas del CEDEX.

• Master conference: On the evolution of techniques used for Realistic Simulation of Waves in Laboratory Facilities - La evolución de las técnicas utilizadas para la simulación realista de ondas en instalaciones de laboratorio | 14 de marzo de 2018. Centro de Estudios de Puertos y Costas del CEDEX. Conferencia finalmente cancelada.

• Jornada IAHR-SPAIN WATER sobre Restauración y Renaturalización de Ríos: Hacia un manejo integrado de la complejidad fluvial | 15 de noviembre de 2017. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.

• Jornada IAHR-SPAIN WATER sobre Huella Hídrica: Indicador de eficiencia y sostenibilidad para una mejor gestión del agua. Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente | 13 de junio de 2017.

• Jornada IAHR-SPAIN WATER sobre Gestión Ambiental de la Costa y del Mar - Coastal Environment Management | 22 de febrero de 2017. Centro de Estudios de Técnicas Aplicadas del CEDEX.

• Master conference: Management of water, rivers and coastal zones in California | 20 de febrero de 2017. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.

• Conferencia magistral:  El proyecto del Delta de California: Equilibrando la garantía del suministro de agua y la sostenibilidad ecológica bajo el cambio climático y otros factores de estrés | 16 de febrero de 2016. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.

• Jornada IAHR-SPAIN WATER sobre Modelos Numéricos Tridimensionales en Hidráulica Continental Aplicada a Estudios Fluviales, de Presas y Embalses | 14 de diciembre de 2015. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.

• Jornada IAHR-SPAIN WATER sobre Drones y el Medio Ambiente Hídrico | 17 de junio de 2015. Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos del CEDEX.