Appendix 15 to report no.

1/11








I
Appendix 15 to
report no. 1/11
Environmental
sensitivity assessment
of retail filling stations
in Spain
Appendix 15 to report no. 1/11








II
CONTENTS Page
SUMMARY III
1. COUNTRY OVERVIEW 1
2. DATA SOURCES 4
3. DATA AVAILABILITY, COLLECTION, AND COVERAGE 5
4. DATA DESCRIPTIONS AND CLASSIFICATION 6
5. GIS DATA PROCESSING 7
5.1. PROJ ECTION 7
5.2. RETAIL FILLING STATION LOCATIONS 7
5.3. GROUNDWATER 7
5.3.1. Aquifer Type 7
5.3.2. Groundwater Protection Zones and Abstractions 8
5.3.2.1. Groundwater Protection Zones 1 and 2 8
5.3.2.2. Groundwater Protection Zone 3 10
5.4. SURFACE WATER 10
5.5. ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS 10
6. DATA INTERPRETATION 11
6.1. GROUNDWATER 11
6.2. SURFACE WATER 14
6.3. ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS 14
7. ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY ASSESSMENT OF RETAIL FILLING
STATION LOCATIONS 17
7.1. GROUNDWATER SENSITIVITY 17
7.2. SURFACE WATER SENSITIVITY 21
7.3. ECOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY 21
7.4. OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY 24
8. CONCLUSIONS 26
9. REFERENCES 27

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III
SUMMARY
As part of a pan-European study on 13 countries, the environmental sensitivity of
8692 retail filling stations in Spain has been assessed with regard to groundwater,
surface water and ecological receptors using a source-pathway-receptor and
Geographic Information System (GIS) based methodology.
Three elements are required to manifest an environmental risk. There must be a
sensitive receptor, a source of contamination and a pathway by which the receptor
can be exposed to the contamination. If any one of these three elements (source,
pathway or receptor) is missing there can be no risk.
The environmental risk potential differs from site to site, because location plays a
key role in determining the risk (e.g. proximity of potential receptors, role of geology
and hydrogeology in migration and exposure pathways). The environmental risk
potential of an individual facility is also a function of the integrity of its assets
(potential for leaks), its operational procedures (potential for spills) and the nature
and volume of products stored all of which determine its potential to act as a source
of contamination.
The results demonstrate that, based on their location alone (i.e. irrespective of
containment engineering standards which can reduce environmental risk) the
percentage of sites with the potential to pose a risk the receptors in question is
small: 4% with respect to potable water (groundwater and surface water)
abstractions, 4% with respect to the ecology of surface water bodies and 5% with
respect to designated Natura 2000 sites (protected habitats and ecosystems).
This report forms an appendix to, and should be read in conjunction with, the main
overarching report:
Environmental sensitivity assessment of retail filling stations in selected European
countries [1].
It should also be read in conjunction with Appendix 1 to the above report:
Environmental sensitivity assessment of retail filling stations in selected European
countries: feasibility study and country selection [2].
Presenting this country report or its results and conclusions without clear reference
to the above reports is not appropriate.

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IV


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1
1. COUNTRY OVERVIEW
Spain is one of the largest countries in Europe covering an area of over
500,000 km
2
. It is bordered to the west by Portugal to the northeast by France and
Andorra and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar to the south. The cities of
Ceuta and Melilla which are enclaves of Spain in northern Morocco are included in
this report. The country of Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the
Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, both of which are
included in this report. There are two long stretches of coastline, one bordering the
Mediterranean Sea to the south and east and the other facing the North Atlantic
Ocean. Spain is divided into fifty provinces, which are grouped into seventeen
autonomous communities; Andaluca, Aragn, Canarias (Canary Islands),
Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y Len, Catalua, Comunidad de Madrid,
Comunidad Foral De Navarra, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas
Baleares (The Balearic Islands), La Rioja, Pas Vasco, Principado de Asturias and
Regin de Murcia (Figure A15 - 1), and two autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla).
Each of these regions has a level of autonomy with its own government and
parliament.
The Meseta Central, a plateau that covers a large majority of the Spanish
Peninsular, has elevations ranging from 600 m to 800 m above sea level, bordered
by mountain ranges. The Sistema Central range divides the northern and southern
regions of the Meseta Central and lies to the north of the capital city of Madrid. The
peaks rise to their highest west of the city at almost 2600 m above sea level where
the range continues westward extending into Portugal. The southern portion of the
Meseta Central is further divided by twin mountain ranges, the Montes de Toledo
and the Sierra de Guadalupe. The southern edge of the Meseta Central is defined
by the rugged Sierra Morena mountain range. The Sistema Ibrico range extends
northwest from close to the Mediterranean north of Valencia. To the north, the
limestone Cordillera Cantbrica runs parallel to the coast, with the highest point
reaching over 2500 m. Other mountain ranges in Spain include los Pirineos (the
Pyrenees) in the northeast and the Sistema Penibtico in the south. The Pirineos
stretch along the French border from the Baha de Vizcaya (Bay of Biscay) across to
the Mediterranean coast, with the highest point, Pico de Aneto, at 3404 m above
sea level. The Sierra Nevada range forms part of the Sistema Penibtico, with many
peaks exceeding 3000 m above sea level, including the highest mountain in
mainland Spain, Mulhacn, rising to 3479 m. The lowland regions of Spain include
the Ebro Basin in the northeast, the Andalusian Plain in the southwest, and the
coastal plains. The Andalusian Plain and the Ebro Basin are wide river valleys, with
the Guadalquivir River flowing through the Andalusian Plain and the Ebro River
flowing through the Ebro Basin. The coastal plains are narrow, low lying strips
between the coastline and the mountains and are found along all coastlines in
Spain.
The Islas Baleares lie in the Mediterranean Sea, 80 km off Spains eastern coast
and consist of three main islands; Mallorca the largest island, Menorca and Ibiza.
The Islas Canarias, volcanic in origin, rise up from the Atlantic off the western coast
of Morocco. There are several volcanic peaks on the islands including Teide on
Tenerife at 3717 m above sea level, the highest peak in Spain.
The distribution of rainfall is uneven giving rise to a varied river network in each
hydrogeological basin. The average rainfall is 670 mm per year, however the
regional figures are as high as 1315 mm per year on the Atlantic coast to less than
200 mm per year in the southern basins. Many rivers are therefore ephemeral,
particularly in the south and the islands. Most major rivers rise in the mountains
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2
along the edges of the Meseta Central and flow westward through Portugal, draining
into the Atlantic Ocean. These include the Duero River, Tajo River, Guadiana River
and Guadalquivir River. All the rivers in the basins of western Spain are used for
agricultural, industrial and potable water supplies. The River Guadalquivir flows
across the southwest, through Andaluca, and irrigates a rich agricultural area
covering the Andalusian Plain. The river with the largest volume is the Ebro River. It
is the second longest in Spain after the Tajo River, flowing eastwards from the
Cordillera Cantbrica forming the Ebro Depression separating the Pirineos from the
Sistema Ibrico.
The geology in Spain is particularly varied. The major rivers draining the central
plateau of the Meseta Central line the valleys with highly permeable fluvial deposits
with alluvial fans. The Pirineos mostly consist of schists and limestones formed
during the Palaeozoic era, whilst the northern Meseta Central region and the
Cordillera Cantbrica contain fissured limestones interbedded with marlstones and
sandstones. The Sistema Ibrico east of Madrid is composed of limestones,
dolomites, clays and sandstones, with beds of marlstones and oil shales. The steep,
rugged terrain of the Sierra Morena mountains mostly consists of limestones which
have layers of conglomerates made up of quartzite and shales along the valleys.
South of these, the Sistema Penibtico consist of dolomites, marlstones and later
deposited sandstones and gravels. These extend under the Mediterranean and rise
up to form the Baleares. The Islas Canarias are volcanic in nature and are therefore
mostly comprised of basalts and pyroclastic rocks, with some sandstones and
gravels that have been deposited by wind and local alluvial processes.
Significant areas of aquifer occur across the Meseta Central, particularly along the
river networks of the Duero River and Tajo River basins. The mountains vary in their
water-bearing nature. The metamorphosed limestones of the Pirineos provide little
water retention. However where limestone is highly fissured, such as in the Sistema
Penibtico and Sierra Morena mountains, aquifers are more widespread. Further
east along the Mediterranean coast, areas of major aquifer are more common. The
Islas Baleares and Islas Canarias are more dependent on groundwater for potable
supply than any of the mainland regions and are underlain by comparatively large
areas of both major and minor aquifers.
Spain has a population of over 44 million people with an average population density
of 88 people per km
2
. The highest (>200 people per km
2
) occur in the regions that
contain the major cities, such as Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid), Catalua
(Barcelona), Pas Vasco (Bilbao), and Comunidad Valenciana (Valencia), along with
the Islas Canarias and Islas Baleares. Andaluca, the second largest region in
Spain, and predominantly a rural region, has a population density of 94 people per
km
2
, although the region also contains two of the largest cities Sevilla and Mlaga.
The larger predominantly rural regions, often containing large mountainous areas,
such as Aragn, Castilla La Mancha, Castillia y Len and Extremadura have very
low population densities of between 20 and 30 people per km
2
. The Islas Canarias
and the Islas Baleares have relatively high population densities most likely due to
their importance as tourist destinations.
In total, 8692 retail filling stations (sites) were identified in Spain. Generally the
distribution of retail filling station locations mirrors that of population with much
higher densities along the southern and eastern coastline and in the large cities of
Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla. Linear concentrations representing major
roadways are clear, particularly through the rural and mountainous central regions
of the Meseta Central. The western areas of Spain bordering Portugal have a
sparser distribution of retail filling stations compared to the eastern areas of the
country.
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4
2. DATA SOURCES
Arcadis GMI sourced the relevant datasets to carry out the sensitivity analysis in
Spain from several different agencies. Surface water data and ecologically sensitive
areas were sourced from the CEDEX (Centro de Estudios y Experimentacin de
Obras Pblicas), Ministerio de Fomento, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural
y Medio Marino (MARM). Groundwater/aquifer and groundwater abstraction data
were sourced from the Direccin de Hidrogeologa y Aguas Subterrneas Equipo de
S.I.G. of the IGME (Instituto Geologico y Minero de Espana). The list of retail filling
station locations was licensed from Catalist Ltd, a leading source of petrol forecourt
information in Europe and beyond. Catalists comprehensive database covers most
of Western Europe and the information is continuously maintained by way of site
visits, telephone surveys, client feedback and market intelligence. Catalist is part of
Experians Business Strategies Division, a leading provider of global retail property
data, analysis and consultancy.
Contact details for these organisations are provided below.
Catalist Ltd I.G.M.E. CEDEX Ministerio De Fomento- MARM
Richmond House C./. Rios Rosas Paseo Bajo de la Virgen del Puerto
22 Richmond Hill 23 Madrid 3 Madrid
Clifton 28003 28005
Bristol SPAIN SPAIN
BS8 1BA
UNITED KINGDOM
In return for the groundwater datasets Arcadis GMI agreed to carry out a simple
groundwater protection zone modelling analysis with the abstraction and
hydrogeological data that were provided by the IGME. Results of this analysis are
included in the report.
The data provided in this report are subject to international and national copyright
laws. If any third party wishes to use any of the data presented in this report
(including figures), they should first contact CONCAWE and Arcadis GMI to discuss
their requirements.
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5
3. DATA AVAILABILITY, COLLECTION, AND COVERAGE
The groundwater datasets received from IGME included aquifer and abstraction
information and covered Peninsular Spain, the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and
also the two cities of Melilla and Ceuta on the African coastline.

The surface water network dataset provided by CEDEX only contained major
surface water features and despite further efforts, it became apparent that no
detailed national dataset was available.

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6
4. DATA DESCRIPTIONS AND CLASSIFICATION
The hydrogeological, surface water and groundwater abstraction datasets were
provided in ESRI ArcView GIS shape-file format, compatible with the GIS software
operated by Arcadis GMI, and generally considered to be an industry standard
format.
The data were provided in either the projection WGS 1984 or in Madrid 1870, a
Spain-specific projection. For the analysis, all the data was converted to the Madrid
1870 Spain projection to ensure consistency throughout the analysis. All data sets
provided were supplied on a countrywide basis, avoiding any issues relating to
inconsistency of data across the administrative regions.

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7
5. GIS DATA PROCESSING
5.1. PROJECTION
Before any data processing could begin all of the shape-files needed to be
converted into the same projection system to allow calculations of distance. The
details for this target projection system are as follows:
Projection: Madrid 1870 Madrid Spain
False Easting: 600000
False Northing: 600000
Central Meridian: 0.00
Standard Parallel 1: 40.00
Latitude of Origin: 40.000
Linear Unit: Meter
Datum: GCS_Madrid_1870_Madrid
5.2. RETAIL FILLING STATION LOCATIONS
The locations of retail filling stations were provided as tabular data by Catalist Ltd
which was then converted into a geographical shape-file. The data was
subsequently projected into the system described in Section 5.1.
5.3. GROUNDWATER
5.3.1. Aquifer Type
The hydrogeological unit that each retail filling station location was situated on was
used to determine the underlying aquifer type.
A major aquifer was defined using the following permeability information (translated
from the Spanish classifications used in the data):
Very high permeability
High permeability
A minor aquifer was defined as:
Medium permeability
A non aquifer was defined as:
Low permeability
Very low permeability
The resulting map was compared with the International Hydrogeological Map of
Europe [3,4] produced by the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) to
ensure consistency. Using these classifications as a base, an aquifer map was
produced from which the underlying aquifer properties were assigned to each retail
filling station location.

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8
5.3.2. Groundwater Protection Zones and Abstractions
As no groundwater protection zones (GPZ) were defined in Spain, the IGME
requested that in return for the data, Arcadis GMI carry out a simple modelling
exercise to define GPZs based on groundwater abstraction locations and the
properties of the relevant major and minor aquifers. The method used to model the
GPZs is outlined below, and utilised a dataset provided by the IGME containing the
locations of over 30,000 groundwater abstractions.
5.3.2.1. Groundwater Protection Zones 1 and 2
The zone 1 and zone 2 boundaries were determined based on an estimate of the
maximum distance groundwater could travel in 50 and 400 days respectively. These
represent the same time periods used for defining GPZs by the Environment
Agency in the United Kingdom. As no data were available regarding groundwater
flow direction, circular protection zones were defined. The radii of these were
calculated as follows:
Zone 1 boundary (m) = 50 V

Zone 2 boundary (m) = 400 V

Where:
V = Groundwater velocity (m/day), calculated as follows:

V = K i

eff


Where:
K = Hydraulic Conductivity (m/day)
i = Hydraulic Gradient (-)

eff
= Effective Porosity
The groundwater velocity will be dependent on the hydrogeological properties of the
aquifer in the vicinity of the abstraction. As such, the geology and aquifer
permeability attributes detailed in the IGME datasets were sorted into subgroups
with similar hydrogeological properties. Conservative values for hydraulic
conductivity, hydraulic gradient and effective porosity were defined for each
subgroup, based on both a variety of literature sources and Arcadis GMIs expert
judgement in estimating appropriate values for the purpose of groundwater
modelling. Table A15 - 1 provides details of the different values used in the
methodology. In some cases, the lithologies were of particularly low permeability
(e.g. igneous lithologies) resulting in very small groundwater protection zones. In
these cases, a radius of 50 m was adopted, based on the assumption that this
distance would provide adequate protection to the immediate vicinity around an
abstraction well.
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Table A15 1 Groundwater Protection Zone Modelling Data

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10
5.3.2.2. Groundwater Protection Zone 3
As with GPZ 1 and 2, circular zone 3s were defined. GPZ 3 represents the Total
Catchment area (i.e. the land area over which rainfall is sufficient to supply the
abstraction). This area was calculated for each abstraction based on the volume of
the abstraction and an estimate of the effective rainfall, taken from literature
sources, for the region in which the abstraction was located as follows:
Zone 3 area (m
2
) = Abstraction Volume (m
3
/year)
Effective Rainfall (m/year)

Zone 3 boundary (m) = ( Zone 3 area (m
2
) / )
Where an abstraction was located on a major and/or minor aquifer, but the
calculated zone 3 extended onto an area of geology defined as a non aquifer, the
GPZ was curtailed at the geological boundary. In addition, where the zone 1 and 2s
were defined to be larger than the zone 3 (as was the case for a number of smaller
abstractions), the zone 1 and zone 2s were collapsed to the size of the zone 3.
Groundwater abstractions were not provided for the Canary Islands despite
statistics indicating that the islands, along with the Balearic Islands are far more
reliant on groundwater resources than elsewhere in Spain. Therefore it has not been
possible to model GPZ on the Canary Islands.
5.4. SURFACE WATER
The surface water data analysis was performed by a standard spatial join of the
retail filling station location data with river, lake and coastal data. This analysis
produced a distance to the nearest surface water feature to the nearest metre.
5.5. ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
The ecologically sensitive areas data from the MMA were supplied in a DXF CAD
format file. They were not defined in the file as closed polygons; so ESRI ArcView
could not recognise them as area features. This required each polygon to be
converted in a CAD application before the data could be analysed. Once this was
completed, the data could then be projected and viewed appropriately in the GIS
software.
Once the processing was complete, all the data files including the Natura2000
(Special Protection Areas) and LIC (translated as Sites of Community Importance)
data were merged to create a countrywide dataset. From this, the proximity of the
retail filling station locations to the ecologically sensitive areas could be calculated.


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11
6. DATA INTERPRETATION
6.1. GROUNDWATER
Aquifers are widely distributed across Spain, with major and minor aquifers covering
46% of the land area (Figure A15 - 2). Areas of major aquifers are more prominent
in the southeast whilst minor aquifers occur in large scale basins, primarily a result
of the deposition of alluvial sediments. A large major aquifer system understood to
be essential to Madrids drinking water supply occurs in the southern central area of
Spain, known as the Mancha Region. The most important hydrogeological feature in
this region is the Llanura Manchega, a 5500 km
2
underground reservoir which is
exploited as a potable water resource.
Many of the mountainous regions largely consist of low water-bearing geology,
particularly in the Pyrenean Mountain range which links with the carbonate
Cordillera Cantbrica range along the Baha de Vizcaya, as well as along the south
and eastern ridges of the Meseta Central specifically north of the Guadalquivir
valley.
The Baleares and Canarias Islands, which are far more reliant on groundwater than
mainland Spain, are underlain by large areas of aquifer. The Canarias are generally
underlain by either major aquifer or non aquifer units whereas in the Baleares
Islands major and minor aquifers are present.
The distribution of modelled GPZ across Spain (Figure A15 - 3) is influenced by the
distribution of aquifers across the country. As the GPZs have been modelled based
upon the location of groundwater abstractions, many of the zones follow the
distribution of major aquifers where abstractions take place. This is best illustrated
to the south of Spain across the Guadalquivir valley and into the region of Levante
(Regin de Murcia and Comunidad Valenciana). The largest modelled GPZ occurs
in the La Mancha region south of Madrid where the largest abstraction extracts
almost 90 million cubic metres of water per year. Other large GPZs occur to the east
of the La Mancha region and also in the Aragn region. The ridges of aquifer units
that follow the eastern coast of Spain are also covered with many abstractions,
particularly in Comunidad Valenciana. Smaller abstractions cover most of the
country, however many of these have a recorded annual abstraction volume of zero,
possibly explained by the amount of water abstracted going unrecorded or too small
an amount to record. This may represent many small private groundwater
abstractions.
Dependence on groundwater for drinking water varies extensively across Spain and
there is a considerable difference in the percentage of public drinking water derived
from groundwater between Peninsular Spain and the islands. Madrids public water
supply is made up of only 7% groundwater. Murcia derives just 6% of drinking water
from groundwater, whilst 50% of Comunidad Valencianas public water supply is
sourced from groundwater. In contrast over 90% of the Baleares and Canarias
Islands public water supply is sourced from groundwater. This varying dependence
is likely a result of the availability of groundwater which is driven by the distribution
of aquifers and also the amount of rainfall a region receives. The regions with the
highest rainfall such as Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria rely less on groundwater
resources as more is sourced from surface water, with groundwater making up
approximately 20% of the public water supply in these regions.
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13

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14
6.2. SURFACE WATER
The distribution of the surface water network across Spain is displayed on
Figure A15 - 4. The coarse dataset available is limited to the major rivers and their
tributaries. There is a noticeable increase in the density of surface water features
along the Guadalquivir valley, across the Pyrenees and along the north coast of
Spain. The mountainous southeast region has a sparser network of surface water
features compared with the rest of the Peninsula. The surface water data does not
cover the Balearics and Canary Islands, where rivers on the islands are understood
to be largely ephemeral or relatively small in terms of volume.
6.3. ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Ecologically sensitive areas are widely distributed across Spain, and are not
necessarily located away from large centres of population, for example in the Madrid
region (Figure A15 - 5). In many cases ecologically sensitive areas follow the
courses of rivers, particularly in the River Duero Basin. Large ecologically sensitive
areas occur offshore such as off the coast of Murcia, the Balearic Islands and the
Canary Islands. There is also a high number of larger (>50 km
2
in area) ecologically
sensitive areas throughout mainland Spain, many in the mountain ranges, in
particular the Cordillera Cantabrica, The Sierra Morena, The Pyrenees and the
Sistema Iberico. The north eastern region of Galicia has far fewer designated
ecologically sensitive areas. This is highlighted by the cessation of such areas in
Asturias and Castillia y Leon at the border with Galicia.
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17
7. ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY ASSESSMENT OF RETAIL
FILLING STATION LOCATIONS
On completion of the GIS data processing, each retail filling station location was
assessed for its environmental sensitivity with regard to groundwater, surface water,
and ecologically sensitive areas. Sites are classified into one of five categories,
where Category 1 is the most sensitive and Category 5 is the least sensitive. An
overall environmental sensitivity has then been assigned based on the most
sensitive category allocated from the three individual environmental parameters.
Details of how these sensitivity categories have been defined, and the numbers of
retail filling station locations that fall in each category are shown in Table A15 - 2.
A breakdown of the sensitivity results by each province is displayed in Table A15 - 3.
7.1. GROUNDWATER SENSITIVITY
The groundwater sensitivity of retail filling station locations in Spain, is influenced
mainly by aquifer type (Figure 15 - 6a). The highest concentrations of Category 1
and 2 sites are found in the densely populated regions of Madrid and the coastal
regions along the Mediterranean Sea, especially between Barcelona and Valencia,
and between Mlaga and Cdiz. The coastal regions of Comunidad Valenciana and
Catalua are predominantly underlain by major and minor aquifers and also contain
many of the groundwater abstractions of larger volumes resulting in larger modelled
GPZs. Hence there is an increase in the quantity and density of higher sensitivity
sites. Higher sensitivity sites also occur in the southern portion of Spain in and
around the Guadalquivir Valley, particularly around Sevilla. It is noticeable that along
many of the major roads that are indicated in the distribution of retail filling stations,
a large proportion are classified as Category 3 sites, determined by an underlying
major aquifer. This is particularly noticeable on the road east from Sevilla along the
Guadalquivir valley, the road northeast from Valladolid in the Duero River Basin,
and the road northwest along the Ebro River valley from Zaragoza. In all of these
cases the areas designated as major aquifer are all narrow bands, and these
coincide with major transportation routes.
Groundwater sensitivity is lower on the Baleares islands, with no Category 1 sites,
and very few Category 2 sites, however Category 3 sites are predominant due to the
large areas on both islands that are underlain by major aquifers. The lack of
information on abstraction locations on the Canarias islands for modelling GPZs has
resulted in no Category 1 or 2 sites being identified.
Overall, 0.2% of sites fall into Category 1. Category 2 sites account for a further
3.5% of all sites, whilst 50% of sites fall into Category 3.
Based on a knowledge of the transport of petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater,
sites located in sensitivity categories 1 and to a lesser extent 2 and 3a are
considered to be the ones that could potentially impact groundwater public water
supply abstractions. Approximately 4% of the sites fall into one of these three
categories.
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Table A15 2 GIS Analysis Results

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19
Table A15 3 Statistical Breakdown of Sensitivity Results by Province

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20

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21
7.2. SURFACE WATER SENSITIVITY
Based on the generally low mass flux of contaminants from groundwater plumes
discharging into surface waters, and potential for rapid biodegradation of petroleum
hydrocarbons in sediments at the groundwater surface water interface (known as
the hyporheic zone in rivers) where anaerobic groundwater meets aerated surface
water, sites located in sensitivity category 1 and to a lesser extent category 2 are
considered to be the ones that could potentially have an impact on surface water
ecosystems. A total of 1.3% of retail filling station locations fall within the highest
sensitivity category (Category 1, <25 m from a surface water feature), with a further
3.1% of sites classified under Category 2 (25-50 m from a surface water feature).
The distribution of surface water sensitivity for retail filling station locations in Spain
is shown on Figure A15 - 6b. In total 86% of sites fall into Category 5 (>250 m from
surface water). This high proportion of low sensitivity sites is largely considered to
be a result of the coarse surface water dataset that was available for the analysis.
Despite this, there are some clusters of higher sensitivity sites noted in the Basque
Mountains of the Pais Vasco region and along the coast of Catalua. These clusters
can be explained by the slightly denser river network seen in these regions. It is
interesting to note that along the major roads, which in the groundwater sensitivity
were highlighted as lying predominantly on narrow bands of major aquifer
associated with the alluvium deposits of the rivers, surface water sensitivity is not
high. This would suggest that despite these major routes following river valleys,
retail filling station locations along them are situated some distance from surface
water features. However, it must also be acknowledged that the quality of the
surface water dataset may be a contributing factor in this observation. On the
Baleares and Canarias Islands, most sites are classified as Category 5 due to an
absence of major rivers; however the coastal influence elevates some sites to
Category 2, particularly on the Canarias islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
7.3. ECOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY
Generally, it would be expected that retail filling station locations would not be
located in close proximity or within ecologically sensitive areas. However in Spain,
protected ecologically sensitive areas tend to be large and extensive resulting in
higher numbers of retail filling stations located in close proximity to them in
comparison to other countries in this study. Despite this, the majority of sites (92%)
still fall in the lowest sensitivity category (Category 5). The highest sensitivity
category sites (Category 1) accounting for 4.9% of retail filling station locations, are
found in clusters around Madrid and in the southwest region with the spread of
many other Category 1 sites predominantly in the west of the country. There is
however, an absence of Category 1 sites in the northwest region of Galicia. Given
the high percentage of Spain covered by ecologically sensitive areas, the
comparably low proportion of highly sensitive sites can be explained by there being
many ecologically sensitive areas found in high mountain regions where few retail
filling stations are located. Ecologically sensitive areas also cover a relatively large
proportion of the Canary Islands, which results in some retail filling station locations
classified as Category 1, especially on the islands of Tenerife and La Palma de
Gran Canaria.

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7.4. OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY
By taking the most sensitive category of the individual categories for groundwater,
surface water, and ecologically sensitive areas, an overall environmental sensitivity
for each retail filling station location was assigned. The results of this analysis are
displayed on Figure A15 - 7. Generally, the overall environmental sensitivity of the
retail filling station locations is determined by the groundwater sensitivity, based on
the aquifer type. However, sites in the highest sensitivity category (Category 1) have
been largely determined by ecologically sensitive areas. Surface water sensitivity
has a limited impact on overall environmental sensitivity, but is relatively influential
on a regional scale in Catalua and Pas Vasco.
In total, 6.3% of sites fall within the highest sensitivity category (Category 1), with a
further 6.1% of sites falling in Category 2. The spatial distribution of these more
sensitive sites is spread across the country, with clusters of Category 1 sites noted
across the southwest and the Madrid region, with a concentration of Category 2
sites along the more densely populated coastal regions. The western regions of
Spain also exhibit a number of Category 1 sites due to the large ecologically
sensitive areas in the region. Most sites in Spain (45%) fall into Category 3,
determined by the areas of major aquifers. These are especially clear in the south
east around the urban areas of Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and Cartagena where the
underlying geology is anticipated to be largely water-bearing.
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8. CONCLUSIONS
This assessment of the environmental sensitivity of retail filling station locations in
Spain has identified that only 12% of sites fall within one of the higher sensitivity
categories (Category 1 or 2) for either groundwater, surface water or ecology. The
higher sensitivity sites are distributed countrywide although tend to occur in clusters
and along the Mediterranean coast, where strings of Category 2 sites occur.
Category 1 sites occur throughout the country, mainly reflecting the distribution of
ecologically sensitive areas across Spain. Concentrations can be seen around
Madrid, on Isle de la Palma (Canarias), western Andaluca, and spread across the
western half of the country where ecologically sensitive areas are slightly more
prevalent. Surface water sensitivity is responsible for elevating the overall sensitivity
of sites around Bilbao and Barcelona as a result of slightly increased density of the
surface water network in these regions. Low sensitivity sites (Category 4 and 5)
show a generally even spread across the country. The majority of sites in the
Meseta Central and the region of Galicia are of lower sensitivity.
The variable geology of Spain dictates the use of groundwater across the country.
For example in Extremadura groundwater makes up just 16% of public water supply
whilst in Comunidad Valenciana this figure is 50%. The island regions are far more
reliant on groundwater with the Baleares and Canarias Islands sourcing over 90% of
public water from groundwater. As would be expected, the areas with more
extensive underlying aquifers are more reliant on groundwater. In terms of overall
environmental sensitivity, the most vulnerable regions are Andaluca, Asturias,
Extremadura, Islas Baleares and Pas Vasco, all with greater than 15% of retail
filling station locations falling into Categories 1 or 2. Further, the regions of Aragn,
the Canarias Islands, Catalua and Comunidad de Madrid also have between 12
and 15% of retail filling station locations in Categories 1 or 2, and are therefore
higher than the national average of 12%. In the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla all
retail filling station locations fall into Categories 1 or 2, mainly due to their proximity
to the coast.
The environmental sensitivity analysis in Spain has been aided by highly detailed
datasets in terms of the hydrogeology, groundwater abstraction locations and
ecology. The attribute information provided with the groundwater abstraction
locations, including volume abstracted per year proved useful in modelling the GPZs
in a more robust way than would otherwise have been possible. The main limiting
factor in the analysis has been the low level of detail for the surface water network
data that was restricted mainly to larger river features. This is illustrated along the
major road routes across Spain which follow some of the major rivers. Along these
routes retail filling station location sensitivity is elevated by the groundwater
sensitivity, due to the narrow bands of underlying major aquifer along the river
courses. It would therefore also be expected that a good number of these sites
would have elevated surface water sensitivity by their proximity to these rivers.
However the analysis indicates that very few are highly sensitive from a surface
water perspective. This is potentially influenced by the resolution of the surface
water dataset that was available.

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9. REFERENCES
1. CONCAWE (2010) Environmental sensitivity assessment of retail filling stations in
selected European countries. Report No. 1/11. Brussels: CONCAWE
2. CONCAWE (2010) Environmental sensitivity assessment of retail filling stations in
selected European countries: feasibility study and country selection. Appendix 1 to
Report No. 1/11. Brussels: CONCAWE
3. Karrenberg, H. et al (1975) International hydrogeological map of Europe. Sheet B5
Paris-Sud. Hannover: Bundesanstalt fr Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe and
Paris: UNESCO
4. Karrenberg, H. et al (1978) International hydrogeological map of Europe. Sheet B6
Madrid. Hannover: Bundesanstalt fr Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe and Paris:
UNESCO




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