The Ribeira da Granja, known as Ribeira do Ouro, Nª Sra da Ajuda, Naus or Lordelo, is one of the largest river basins in the municipality. With a number of affluents, it’s mostly pipe-bound and flows into the River Douro.
It has been restored in several sections:
- Phase 1 – Viso section (2010): interventions included cleaning and clearing the bed and banks, stabilising the banks using natural engineering techniques in areas where there was greater erosion, as well as planting native species in order to rehabilitate the riverside gallery.
- Phase 2 – Quinta do Rio section (2011): the intervention consisted of unclogging and requalifying the bed and banks of the Granja stream, and was carried out with a view to enhancing the functions of water resource protection, flood control and environmental risk prevention. The main objectives of this intervention were to improve the drainage and sediment flow conditions of this watercourse in normal and extreme rainfall situations, as well as to restore in a sustained and integrated manner the good environmental quality that existed in the past.
- Phase 3 – Ramalde do Meio section (2013): The third phase of the rehabilitation of the Ribeira da Granja consisted of the requalification of the bed and banks of the Ramalde do Meio section, between Rua Ramalde do Meio and Rua de Requesende. This intervention made it possible to establish a link between the Francos and Viso Metro stations, the Viso Middle School, Rua de Requesende, the Prelada housing neighbourhood and the Estrada da Circunvalação (EN12), making it possible to connect these different points in the city via a pedestrian and cycling circuit.
- Phase 4 – Requesende section (2013): The area of the Requesende section is part of a consolidated urban network, with a high population density and an intense flow of people and motorised vehicles. The main purpose of the intervention was to restore the river ecosystem and create new ecological niches, making its preservation compatible with enjoyment by the resident population. The aim was also to make it safe and comfortable for people to circulate in this area, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, by means of a shared pedestrian/cycling route, which would allow a closer connection with the river and the surrounding area due to its meandering layout.
- Phase 5 – SACHE section (2014): As part of the construction of the SACHE Housing Development, the developer carried out the unclogging and rehabilitation of this section of the Granja stream.
Some of the interventions were identified in the Plano de Valorização e Reabilitação das Linhas de Água do Município do Porto (PVRLA), which aims to promote the protection and valorisation of the rivers and streams of the city of Porto with a view to better adapting to the effects of climate change. The plan will be followed up by a wider project – Porto + Permeável – through which many of the measures presented will be implemented.
