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The Tâmega River
We must not forget that Chaves is on the Tâmega River, which flows south from the mountains north of Verín in Spain, carving out a long, fertile valley called the Veiga de Chaves. This valley is about 5 km wide in Chaves. The Tâmega itself is narrow and not navigable but usually has a substantial water level, although not enough to stop easy passage in the form of rocks, or poldras, which nimble peasants hop across in the dry season. In the winter it can sometimes overflow and flood the low-lying fields near its banks. Recent years when this has happened were 1996 and 2000-2001. The winter of 2000-01 has been especially wet with mild temperatures. There have been three major floods of the Tâmega in Chaves at the time of this writing (28-01-01). For many years it was a sad river in its passage through Chaves. Raw sewage came into the water right next to the Roman Bridge. With the recent construction of a sewage treatment plant it is a healthier river now and the long line of fishing poles along its banks on a Sunday afternoon attest to the return of life to its once polluted waters. North
of the town, between Madalena and Vila Verde da Raia the Tâmega passes
through a series of
fresh-water lakes which slow
down the water but at the same time create a resting place for
migrating birds. After
leaving the valley of Chaves, the Tâmega works its way through
mountains and eventually flows into the Douro south of Amarante.
Its waters have been used for irrigation, drinking, clothes
washing, sand extraction, and swimming, but rarely for river transport
or for fishing. The
Flavienses are a people of the herd and the hoe, and not of the fishnet.
Virtually all the fish consumed in Chaves comes from the coast.
Not even in nearby lakes has a fishing industry ever been
developed, although there are some trout farms near Bragança and
Montalegre. For
a study of the Tâmega from the Spanish perspective see Rios
Ourensanos: rio Támega.
This highly original site is full of photos, comments, and even
the chemical analyses of the many rivers of the province of Ourense,
Galicia. The main site is Ourense
Natural: Broma
o realidad. If you want to see the Tâmega in what approximates a healthy state then you will have to go north of Verín, especially between Verín and Laza. There the river almost looks healthy. The Tâmega was once the town laundry South of Chaves the Chaves-Braga road follows the river for about ten kilometers, as far as Curalha. Although polluted the river is picturesque especially with the ruins of mills, which used to grind the rye of the region.
The Tâmega looking east towards Madalena (photo from Câmara Municipal de Chaves: Guia do Munícipe )
The Tâmega at dusk as it passes the Caldas (Photo by Tulia Vogensen)
Fishing in the Tâmega (photo by fotos.sapo.pt/ Location and Communications | The Climate
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