The Flamicell, or Flamisell is a river in the province of
Pallars
Pallars is a historical and natural region of Catalonia. Located in the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees area, most of its territory is mountainous.
The Noguera Pallaresa river is named after this region.
Geography
The physiography of the Pallars natu ...
,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
,
Spain. It is 34 km long and is a tributary of the
Noguera Pallaresa
The Noguera Pallaresa (; oc, Noguèra Palharesa, ) is a river in Catalonia, Spain.
It is named after the Pallars region.
Course
Its source is at ''Era Font d'era Noguereta'' in the municipality of Naut Aran ( Aran Valley) at an elevation of ...
. This river is known for the variation in flow depending on the time of the year and the meteorological conditions. The flow is also very strong because it brings water from many different lakes, one of them being the Lake Gento (see
Cabdella Lakes
Cabdella Lakes is a set of lakes in the Spanish Pyrenees. They are connected by tunnels at the head of the Fosca Valley, at Lleida. The network of lakes provide water to Lake Gento (Estany Gento) where there are two hydroelectric plants, Sallente R ...
). In 1937, the flow was so strong that it destroyed the hydroelectric station in Cabdella and brought to
La Pobla de Segur a flow of 700 m³/s.
Its name is derived from the Latin word ''flamicellu'' which means small river.
Course
The source of the river is in Cabdella and it flows south passing the town of La Pobleta de Bellvei and the village of La Plana de Mont-ros. Two tributaries join it and the river reaches its maximum width. A few kilometres later it passes La Pobla de Segur and joins the river of Noguera Pallaresa just above the Sant Antoni reservoir.
Hydroelectric energy
This river has been used to generate
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
energy for more than a hundred years. There are four hydroelectric power stations along the river located at La Pobla de Segur, Cabdella, La Plana de Mont-ros and Molinos.
Conditions
This river has a very good
oxygen saturation of a 77% and 5 mg/L of
nitrates
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insoluble ...
. That indicates that the river is in very good natural conditions.
Fish
The main fish that live in this river is the common trout. It has been confirmed that the 95% of this species, opposite from the salmon, do not reach the sea. Also the 95% of the common trout that live in this river have an average movement of fifty meters. Which means that only a 5% of them travel for distances longer than 500 meters.
References
{{Coord, 42.240452, 0.970219, type:landmark_region:ES-CT, display=title
Rivers of Catalonia
Rivers of Spain