La Llosa del Cavall springs forth again eight years later with a 112-meter waterfall

SolsonésOn Thursday, the Llosa del Cavall reservoir presented an unusual sight: the dam began releasing water naturally through its spillway, creating a continuous waterfall of 2,000 liters per second from a height of 112 meters. This drop is equivalent to 80% of the height of the Sagrada Família or a thirty-story building. This spectacle, which lasted throughout the day, attracted local residents, who hadn't witnessed anything like it for eight years.

Despite the positive figures for the rest of the country's reservoirs, this phenomenon can only be observed at this dam. The only reservoirs with fixed-lip spillways—the upper openings that allow water to be released when capacity is reached—are Llosa del Cavall, in Solsonès (at 100.7% of its capacity); Riudecanyes, in Baix Camp (99.45%); Susqueda, in La Selva (94.45%); and Foix, in Alt Penedès (at 4.06%).

When the reservoir is full, the excess water naturally flows over the spillway, thus slowing the flow of water coming from the headwaters and creating the visual effect of a large waterfall. However, the unique aspect of this event is due to the time of year it occurred: in winter, before the spring thaw, which is usually the period when rivers contribute the most flow to reservoirs. The Catalan Water Agency (ACA) anticipates that water will continue to be released from the spillway in the coming days.

The image contrasts sharply with the situation of recent years. Since 2021, Catalonia has suffered a period of extreme drought that has taken four years to reverse. In the autumn of 2023, the reservoirs in the internal basins were at 18.89%, below the historical minimum recorded in 1989. Months later, the Ter-Llobregat system—of which the Llosa del Cavall reservoir is a part—plummeted to 16% of its capacity, with only 10 hm³. Today, this reservoir holds only 72.11 hm³, approximately 65% ​​of its total volume. Faced with this situation, on February 1, 2024, the Catalan government declared the state of emergency due to droughtwhich was not lifted until May of last year, after an episode of abundant rainfall in spring.

The landscape has completely changed. In the mountains surrounding this region, winter has been particularly generous with precipitation and snowfall. For example, at the Port del Comte ski resort, the passage of several storms has left snow accumulations of up to 2.3 meters.

The locals are well aware of the exceptional nature of the situation. For four years they have experienced the worst of the drought, with the reservoir at critically low levels, forcing kayak rental companies to close for two summers. But now the Llosa del Cavall reservoir is overflowing again, demonstrating the radical change that has taken place: from suffering a severe drought emergency to having an abundance of water.