Recommendations for differentiation of hydrological stream types

This report analyses the hydrological peculiarities of the Candelaro river basin. Like many Mediterranean intermittent rivers, this stream has a hydrological regime which vary on spatial and temporal scale depending on precipitation patterns. The hydrological cycle is severely disturbed, in a fairly unpredictable way, by flash floods. In response to this regime of disturbances, communities of aquatic organisms have distinct ecological characteristics. The purpose of this analysis is to characterize hydrological behaviour of the Candelaro River and its tributaries combining the Scheme B of Water Framework Directive with the specific requirements of ecologists, as suggested by MIRAGE Project. The results of this study will contribute to reach one of the goals of the Project defining a general methodology to characterize hydrological regimes for intermittent rivers. The hydrologic response to climate has been studied taking into account soil types and land use. In addition, a characterization of the seasonal patterns of river flows has been done through the assessment of duration and frequency of high flow and low flow periods and zero flow days. The report will support the development of a more comprehensive profile of the basin