Rains fill reservoirs up to 50%

BarcelonaIt's now a reality: reservoirs in the inland basins have reached 50% of their capacity. A figure that had not been reached for almost three years—specifically, 987 days—and which undoubtedly marks a turning point in the fight against drought. The rains of the last few hours and days have given a new boost to reserves that have been growing steadily since the beginning of March, and are seeing the glass half full, accumulating a continuous increase of nearly 18 points and 345 cubic hectometers (hm³) stored. This is great news at the very beginning of the official spring, which all long-term forecasts point to a rainy season.

The reservoirs that have led this latest growth have been Baells, Sau, and Darnius-Boadella, as their headwaters have been particularly affected by the latest easterly storm. Rainfall in 48 hours reached levels of between 40 and 70 l/m² in this northeastern part of the country. Even in the Montseny region, levels have locally exceeded 100 l/m². As the ground is well-soaked after so much rainfall, the water has more easily reached rivers and streams, which have considerably increased their flow.

Taking a look at the condition of each reservoir, Baells stands out, one of the largest in the inland basins and is already approaching 83% of its capacity. A level unthinkable just a year ago, when the historic low of that drought was recorded. The Sau reservoir has also risen significantly, going from 7% to almost 43% in just a few weeks. After quite some time, water once again surrounds the entire church of Sant Romà de Sau, the quintessential icon of the state of drought in our country. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this woman attests to the good times we're in. Since Sau collects all the water from the Ter, the Susqueda reservoir hasn't changed significantly and remains at 42%. The entire Ter-Llobregat system more than triples its reserves from a year ago.

Also noteworthy is the case of Darnius-Boadella, which has gone from 17% at the beginning of March to the current 45%. A spectacular rise that has allowed the municipalities that were previously under drought emergency conditions to recently emerge from this phase. La Llosa del Cavall is also at 45%, and Foix remains completely full. As for the reservoirs in the inland basins of the south of the country, the situation is still not as good, although they have also clearly increased. Riudecanyes now exceeds 37%—which has allowed the municipalities it supplies to emerge from the emergency—and Siurana exceeds 16%. In contrast, the Catalan reservoirs of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) continue to play in a different league and are now at 74%.

Is the drought ending?

This March has been very rainy, with over 200 l/m² already accumulated in the main headwaters of the inland basins, but there are parts of the country where the figures are even more spectacular. These figures leave this long and historic drought, which has been dragging on for more than three years, severely affected. But it's not over yet, at least as far as reserves are concerned.

We've barely reached 50%, and to be on track, we should be at 75% by June to face the summer with confidence. However, the rivers continue to flow happily, contributing water to reservoirs that maintain their growth, and forecasts indicate that rain will continue to visit us throughout this spring. Furthermore, at the highest points in the Pyrenees, there is still over a meter of snow, a large reserve of water for the thaw.