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Ash Runoff From Ourense Wildfires Fouls Valdeorras Water as Xunta Seeks River Agency Meeting

Local mayors report continuing water cuts despite parallel interventions by regional and state agencies.

Overview

  • Heavy rains are washing ash and burned soil into rivers and drinking-water intakes in Valdeorras, triggering intermittent shutdowns across multiple villages.
  • Following a Nov. 6 meeting with local leaders, the Xunta requested a sit-down with the Miño-Sil river confederation to clarify its actions and coordinate work on riverbeds.
  • The regional government says it has installed anti-contamination barriers and vegetative filters, removed dead biomass, applied mulching on roughly 200 hectares, and mobilized more than 400 volunteers.
  • The Spanish Government’s delegate says 12 TRAGSA brigades are operating in Ourense with €3 million in funds and stresses that confederations act on river channels, not the burned mountains.
  • Mayors from A Rúa, Petín, and Vilamartín describe leaving the meeting without concrete solutions as deposits risk running dry when intakes are closed for turbidity, while Greenpeace warns of health risks from ash-laden runoff carrying heavy metals.