The Carraixet ravine is a course of water from the north of the
Valencian province, in the
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...
(
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
). It begins in
Gátova
Gátova (Valencian: Gàtova) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain.
The town is situated in the heart of the Serra Calderona
Serra Calderona (; es, Sierra Calderona), often referred to as La ...
and collects waters from the sloped southern side of the Calderona mountain range.
It flows into the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
through the town of
Alboraya
Alboraya () or Alboraia () is a town and municipality of the province of Valencia, Spain. It is situated very close to the city of Valencia.
Originally a farming community, Alboraya has grown in recent decades following the development of the me ...
.
At its mouth, it is also called the ''Olocau ravine'' or the ''Peralvillo ravine.'' In the
Book of the Facts (in Valencian: Llibre dels feits)
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
named it ''riu Sec'' ("Dry river"), while discussing the
Battle of the Puig
The Battle of the Puig of 1237, also known as the Battle of the Puig de Santa Maria, the Battle of the Puig de Enesa, or the Battle of the Puig de Cepolla was a battle of the Iberian Reconquista and of the Aragonese Conquest of Valencia.
The b ...
.
Course
The Carraixet ravine begins in the end of
Gátova
Gátova (Valencian: Gàtova) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain.
The town is situated in the heart of the Serra Calderona
Serra Calderona (; es, Sierra Calderona), often referred to as La ...
, to the west of the town. It collects waters from the south slope of the
Calderona mountain range, from the sources of Alameda and Xarvilla.
Afterwards, it passes through
Olocau
Olocau ( ca-valencia, Olocau de Carraixet; es, Olocau) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian community, ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Iberians, Iberian archaeological ...
and flows in a south-eastern direction towards the end of
Bétera
Bétera () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain. With 23.647 inhabitants, it is the second most populous town in the Camp de Túria shire (INE 2018), in the second zone of the Valencia metropol ...
, reaching its wide river bed. The Cirer and
Náquera
Náquera ( ca-valencia, Nàquera) is a municipality in the region ( ''comarca'') of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community o ...
ravines join it from the left. It crosses further on in the end of
Moncada and touches
Alfara del Patriarca
Alfara del Patriarca is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain.
Geography
The municipal area of 2 km² is located in the Horta of Valencia. The natural disaster are rare because the land is almost fla ...
, and serves as the border between the municipalities. It has this function almost until its mouth. Like this, it passes by
Foios
Foios is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain. It has a population of 7,342 (INE 2019).
Name
According to Gaspar Juan Escolano, the name ''Foios'' comes from Latin ''Fundus'' which means "Inheritan ...
and
Vinalesa
Vinalesa is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most popul ...
, where it hits the Palmaret Alto ravine. From here, and already channeled, it continues to the
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
n municipalities of Benifaraig and Carpesa. It hits
Bonrepòs i Mirambell
Bonrepòs i Mirambell is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth ...
, and afterwards goes east. It goes through
Tavernes Blanques
Tavernes Blanques (, es, Tabernes Blanques) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of ...
, a town that is on the right bank. At this height the shrine of the Virgin of the Abandoned can be found next to the channel. This shrine was reconstructed and reformed in the same place that it was in 1447, next to the place where they buried the executed.
The ancient road of
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
crosses the ravine here. It enters afterwards at the end of
Alboraya
Alboraya () or Alboraia () is a town and municipality of the province of Valencia, Spain. It is situated very close to the city of Valencia.
Originally a farming community, Alboraya has grown in recent decades following the development of the me ...
. The course, generally dry until here, begins to fill with water, coming up from diverse wells situated inside of the same stream. The last route of the ravine is totally filled with water and is a fishing area. On its right bank, near the mouth, there is another shrine that commemorates the miracle of the fish.
Canalisation
With a riverbed that is usually dry, strong periods of
rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
can be destructive, due to the size of its basin and its strong slopes. Remarkable floods occurred in 1949 and 1957.
Furthermore, due to lack of water volume, there are a lot of garden paths between various towns of the region. These are unpractical and dangerous for crossing if the ravine contains some water.
Tributaries
* l'Olla Ravine
* Pedralbilla
Ravine
* Cirer Ravine (begins in the
Calderona mountain chain)
Green road
In September 2015, representatives from the
Compromís collective, that is situated the banks of the Carraixet, met at Pont Sec ("dry bridge") to defend the ravine as a natural space, to begin to value its landscapes, and its biologic and hereditary values, and to report the aggressions that it is suffering from. The MP of Compromís,
Joan Baldoví, presented an amendment of the general State budget, demanding an investment to adapt the riverside as a green road with shade, accessible zones, tourist indications and relaxing zones.
Pont Sec
At the end of the
Moncada municipality, the ravine is a road for livestock. Its environment has been damaged in the last years with dumps of rubbish, uncontrolled agricultural transformations, etc., and due to this, the aquatic plant ecosystem has disappeared almost entirely. Between the Pont Sec and the Racó de Casans (Metropolitan Seminar), between the municipal terms of
Moncada and
Foios
Foios is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain. It has a population of 7,342 (INE 2019).
Name
According to Gaspar Juan Escolano, the name ''Foios'' comes from Latin ''Fundus'' which means "Inheritan ...
, the
Acequia
An acequia () or séquia () is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest particularly n ...
of Bofilla has emerged, which provides water to keep the middle of the ravine in a humid zone, which is usually a dry zone. This facilitates the nesting of birds in the spring, and the possibility to see
moorhen
Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen".
They are close relatives of coots. They are of ...
s between the cattail bushes. It is also possible to see numerous vegetal species.
Environmental volunteering
Since 2013, volunteers from the Project Emys of Acció Environmentalist-Agró have started to monitor the population of
Spanish pond turtle
The Iberian pond turtle (''Mauremys leprosa''), also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle or Mediterranean turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa.
Subspec ...
s with traps made of nets, which are living in the Pont Sec. In this way, they are able to count the amount of the ''Mauremys leprosa.''
In 2015, 24 volunteers participated in this initiative at Pont Sec, in collaboration with the Colla Ecologista of Massarrojos, Col·lectiu Cultural Bòbila from
Alfara del Patriarca
Alfara del Patriarca is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain.
Geography
The municipal area of 2 km² is located in the Horta of Valencia. The natural disaster are rare because the land is almost fla ...
and the Associació Cultural Macarella from
Bonrepòs i Mirambell
Bonrepòs i Mirambell is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth ...
. They were able to find five Iberian water turtles, three already captured and counted in previous editions, and two new turtles counted for the first time. They also removed a
Pond slider
The pond slider (''Trachemys scripta'') is a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle. Three subspecies are described, the most recognizable of which is the red-eared slider (''T. s. elegans''), which is popular in the pet trade and h ...
, an exotic species that threatens the local turtles.
Municipalities it passes by
*
Gátova
Gátova (Valencian: Gàtova) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain.
The town is situated in the heart of the Serra Calderona
Serra Calderona (; es, Sierra Calderona), often referred to as La ...
*
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
*
Olocau
Olocau ( ca-valencia, Olocau de Carraixet; es, Olocau) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian community, ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Iberians, Iberian archaeological ...
*
Bétera
Bétera () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain. With 23.647 inhabitants, it is the second most populous town in the Camp de Túria shire (INE 2018), in the second zone of the Valencia metropol ...
*
Moncada
*
Alfara del Patriarca
Alfara del Patriarca is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain.
Geography
The municipal area of 2 km² is located in the Horta of Valencia. The natural disaster are rare because the land is almost fla ...
*
Vinalesa
Vinalesa is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most popul ...
*
Bonrepòs i Mirambell
Bonrepòs i Mirambell is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth ...
*
Tavernes Blanques
Tavernes Blanques (, es, Tabernes Blanques) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of ...
*
Almàssera
Almàssera is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community, Spain. The name is Arabic for "mill", meaning the olive mill ...
*
Alboraya
Alboraya () or Alboraia () is a town and municipality of the province of Valencia, Spain. It is situated very close to the city of Valencia.
Originally a farming community, Alboraya has grown in recent decades following the development of the me ...
References
{{Authority control
Horta Nord
Rivers of the Valencian Community
Rivers of Spain