It never rains but it pours

The AlbagésTraditional Catalan is most evident in Lleida. It has almost never rained so much. The region has experienced an unusual winter. According to Aemet, the accumulated rainfall in Lleida since December 1st reached almost 200 mm, an amount four times the historical average. Almost the entire ground in Ponent is saturated with water, and all the reservoirs in the Ebro basin are technically full. The Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE) has estimated a total of 280 hm³ for this year.³ More water will come from snowmelt, an absolutely enormous amount compared to the amount recorded in 2023, which, due to high temperatures and evaporation, was reduced to only 20 hm³.³The water situation is not only good, but even exceeds what is desirable. Many recently planted cereal fields have been damaged by excessive moisture, and most farmers in the Pla de Lleida region do not plan to irrigate in the short term, despite the need to release water from the reservoirs for safety reasons. The water flows downstream, benefiting the sediments of the Ebro Delta. On March 8, the Urgell Canal irrigation community will hold a meeting to plan the next season and establish initial irrigation schedules, although the exact start date remains uncertain. "We are always dependent on the weather, whether it rains or not," admit technical sources from the community.

But beyond the current boom, with a good irrigation season expected this summer, the definition of water policy in the Ponent region is still pending. The Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE) announced months ago that it would reduce water allocations to irrigation communities in the near future. Although it will review them (probably upwards), the next Ebro River Basin Management Plan (2028-2033) contemplates average reductions of 12% for the entire basin, and more than 14% in the Urgell Canal (currently, its allocation is 9,300 m³).³/ha/year).

Given this scenario, in which water conservation measures are being demanded due to the forecast of future droughts, the approval of the Urgell canal modernization plan is still pending. Faced with the rejection of this plan by almost all the communities, an indefinite period was announced in December to try to reach an agreement, especially regarding public subsidies. "We are confident that we can unblock it by the end of this year," says the president of the community, Amadeu Ros, who points out that several partial projects have already been drafted and are awaiting implementation once the master plan is approved.

In any case, Ros acknowledges the efforts of the Urgell irrigators to minimize water use, as irrigation is still carried out by flooding (gravity). The system ofhydros (Shifts) and various distribution improvements implemented by the Casa Canal technicians for this season are some examples of this commitment.

"Now more than ever, with reservoirs full, we are accelerating the modernization of infrastructure and preparing for future droughts," stated the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, recently, emphasizing that the Government maintains as a priority the development of new irrigation systems, the modernization of existing ones, their connection to the land, generational diversity, more efficient water management, a sustainable and prepared agri-food sector, as well as strengthening security and guaranteeing the future."

Green light in Albagés

The filling of the Albagés reservoir officially began last week after Civil Protection, the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE), the local councils, and the Balearic Government completed all the necessary procedures and approved all the protection plans. Over the next three months, the Albagés will be filled with water from the Rialb reservoir until it reaches half its capacity, approximately 40 hm³.³Subsequently, three months will be needed to ensure proper soil moisture and to verify the dam's functionality. If all goes well, the reservoir will be fully filled by 2027, reaching a capacity of 82 hm³.³ of water. This is a measure not only celebrated by the irrigators of the Segarra-Garrigues canal, who have been protesting its delay since last year, but also by many municipalities in Segrià and Les Garrigues that will be able to have guaranteed healthier drinking water (24 municipalities in these regions still drink from the Utxesa reservoir, which often experiences flooding).

The Segarra-Garrigues Irrigation Community is celebrating the start of the reservoir filling and calling it very good news. "It was extremely important; we'd been waiting for this for a long time, and it could have been done last year," said sources from the board of directors.