Regional Regional Program of Scientific and Technological Research

The FIC project “Characterization and Monitoring of Water Resources in the Region of Tarapacá”, funded by the Regional Government of Tarapacá, seeks to improve the level of knowledge and sustainable management of water resources in the region of Tarapaca, for it is necessary to ascertain the hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics possessed our region.

To achieve the aims of the project, researchers CIDERH together with the French Hydrologist, Jean-Pierre Bricquet, University of Montpellier II, conducted in November, the installation of a weather station at the head of the gorge of Tarapacá (Comuna de Sual) a 4300 meters, in order to monitor meteorological variables such as precipitation, sunlight, Wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, humidity and relative humidity of the Quebrada de Tarapacá (one of the pilot watershed project).

Prior to installation of the station, recognition of land that meets the appropriate parameters for data collection was performed, among them, telephone coverage, security, representativeness, accessibility, and the existence of rainfall in the area.

On installation as such station, explains the researcher, Reynaldo Payano, Head of FIC project, “currently there is insufficient meteorological data in the headwaters of streams in the region, which are the places where rainfall recharging the aquifer Pampa aquifers occur, and the main reason I have installed the station is because within the FIC project study 3 pilot basins and one of them is the watershed of the Quebrada de Tarapacá”.”

Jean-Pierre Bricquet, Hydrologist of the Water Center University of Montpellier II, over 30 years of experience in monitoring networks, supported for two stays 15 days 3 work weeks respectively FIC Project. In addition to advising the diagnosis of regional monitoring network and the proposed new network, Bricquet supported the installation of a estación meteorológica y sensores para el monitoreo tanto del nivel de agua como la temperatura y conductividad eléctrica in 3 pozos de la Quebrada de Tarapacá; capacitó en la operación y mantenimiento de dichas estaciones.

Elisabeth Lictevout, Directora del CIDERH, explica la necesidad de generar más datos sobre los recursos hídricos de la región “Efectivamente, las estaciones instaladas están generando datos muy importantes para la región, información que luego estará disponible a toda la comunidad, a través de la herramienta de transferencia de datos del CIDERH, “Water Observatory”.

Otro logro importante del proyecto fue el levantamiento topográfico de todos los selected for improved network proposal gaging stations in the region of Tarapaca points, including designs and budgets. In this activity, the CIDERH was supported in addition to expert Bricquet, Group of hydraulic civil engineers at the University of Chile: James Mcphee, Cartés and Eduardo Mauricio Rubio, who spent a month in the field with the team of researchers from the Center and continue designing and budgeting different types of gaging stations that will be presented for the proposed monitoring network.

On the other hand, had the collaboration of expert Jean François Boyer (Montpellier II, France) on issues related to improving the management tool and information transfer (Monitoring of water or ODEA), achieving empowerment and adaptation of ISO 19115 to the SQL database server with display platform ODEA WEB, as well as programming and monitoring of performance of the Database and Web.

During the first half of 2014, FIC Project will continue studying both the hydrological and hydrogeological behavior and further studies of piezometry, water quality, analysis of rain and floods, in order to characterize and quantify the water resources of the region, one of the main objectives that owns the Center for Research and Development in Water Resources, CIDERH.

Finally, an expert workshop was held entitled “Evaluation Criteria for the Monitoring of Water Resources in the Region of Tarapacá” which was attended by regional and national personalities, Javier Vidal (DGA), Juan Salas (DGA), James McPhee (University of Chile) and international experts, Irene Bustamante (IMDEA WATER, Spain) and Jean Pierre Bricquet (University Montpellier, France).