2024-10-30 10:25:00
The Spanish basins have kept their reserves practically intact for the last seven days. After two weeks of recovery after the prolonged summer decline, the invasions remained anchored at 50.0%. After the halt in growth that began this month of October, it is expected that the path of increasing reserves will resume next week due to the passage of a major DANA across the Peninsula.
Water evolution in Spanish reservoirs
In these last seven days the variation in the dam waters has been almost imperceptible, with a loss of only 5 cubic hectometers which brings the reserves to 28,035 hectometers of dam. In the annual comparison, the figures are still well above those of the same period last year, when the tanks were in full recovery but reached just 37.9% of their capacity, more than 12 points below the current situation.
The situation for river basins
Situation of the basins and evolution of reservoir waters in data as of 29 October 2024 / Infographic: EA This apparent immobility of the reserves hides two very different trends on the Peninsula. Moderate losses in most areas of the Atlantic side, which decreases by 218 hectometers in the week’s total; and a major gain of 213 hectometers on the Mediterranean shore, most of which recovered from the Ebro basinwhich continues its uninterrupted growth in recent weeks.
In absolute numbers, The northern basins continue to have the best filling percentages, with the Basque Country protagonists of the week, reaching 95.2% of the total. On the contrary, they continue with quite worrying data in the Andalusian Mediterranean basin and in that of Guadalete-Barbate, both just above 21%, while Segura has not yet recovered, remaining for another week with a terrible 14.7%.
The northern basin behaved differently this week, within the high figures it usually sees. The greatest growth, of 4.7 points, was recorded in the small basin of the Basque Country, which reached 95.2%. The eastern Cantabrian Sea also continues to exceed 90%, without any change in recent days. Galizia Costa has recorded growth above this threshold and now reaches 74.9%. Meanwhile, the other two basins in the area suffered losses: the Western Cantabrian drops by one point to 74.9% and the Miño-Sil drops by 1.5 points and remains at 65.9%.
On the Plateau, its two main basins resume a downward path after the latest recovery. The Duero loses one point and drops to 64.3% of its capacity, while the Tajo loses 9 tenths and stands at 55.1%.
The southern half of the Atlantic has remained relatively stable over the past seven days. Guadiana and Guadalquivir remained unchanged at 40.2% and 32.3%, respectively. While Tinto, Odiel and Piedras drop by nine tenths while remaining with a notable 70.3%, The situation does not improve in Guadalete-Barbate, which loses yet another tenth and fails to exceed 21.1%.
The data from the Mediterranean shore are capitalized by the significant increase in the Ebro basin, which grew by 2.6 points in the last seven days reaching 69.1% of the total. In the shadow of this increase, the rest of the basins move with slight variations, generally upwards. Thus, the Catalonia basin gained five tenths reaching 28.4%; Júcar recovers two tenths to 40.3% and Segura takes a slight respite by growing by a tenth, while remaining with a worrying 14.7% of the total. The only Mediterranean basin that suffered losses was the Andalusian Mediterranean, which lost three tenths and stood at 21.6%, also in need of a prompt recovery.
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Water Reserves in Spanish Basins Remain Stable Amid Mixed Regional Trends
The Spanish reservoirs have maintained their water reserves largely unchanged over the past week, with the current capacity holding steady at 50.0% following two weeks of recovery that followed a prolonged summer decline. After a pause in growth that has persisted throughout October, projections indicate that reserves are likely to see an upward trajectory next week as a significant DANA (depression aislada en niveles altos) system crosses the Peninsula, potentially bringing much-needed rainfall.
Current State of Water Reservoirs
As of the latest assessments, the total volume of water stored in Spanish reservoirs stands at 28,035 cubic hectometers. This represents a negligible decline of just 5 cubic hectometers over the past week. Comparatively, reservoir levels are considerably better than those recorded during the same time last year, which saw the reservoirs at only 37.9% of their capacity—over 12 percentage points lower than the current figures.
Regional Reservoir Trends
The stability in water levels conceals parallel trends across the regions of Spain. Moderate declines have been observed in the Atlantic regions, with a total decrease of 218 hectometers, while the Mediterranean areas have experienced greater resilience, with gains of 213 hectometers. Notably, the Ebro basin is leading this resurgence, showing steady increases in its water levels.
Northern Basins Flourishing
The northern basins represent the strongest filling percentages, highlighted by the Basque Country’s impressive capacity, which stands at 95.2% full. In contrast, the Mediterranean regions are exhibiting concerning trends, especially in Andalusia, where the Guadalete-Barbate basin is hovering just above 21%. Most alarmingly, the Segura basin remains critically low at only 14.7%.
Regional Performance Overview
During this week, the northern basins showed varied dynamics; the Basque Country recorded the largest growth of 4.7 percentage points, and the eastern Cantabrian Sea continues to sustain levels above 90%. while the overall water storage situation appears stable, regional disparities reflect both recovery and ongoing challenges in certain areas.
Concluding Thoughts
As we look ahead, the imminent weather patterns could pause the current stagnation in water reserves and possibly initiate a fresh wave of recovery, especially in the southern Mediterranean regions that have fallen behind in water storage capacity. The upcoming days are critical as we anticipate the effects of the approaching DANA on the overall water availability in Spain.
Highest filling percentages in the country, with the Basque Country achieving an impressive 95.2% capacity. The eastern Cantabrian Sea also remains robust, exceeding 90% and maintaining its levels without change. Meanwhile, Galizia Costa has recorded an encouraging growth, surpassing the 74.9% mark.
However, the picture is less rosy for some other northern basins; the Western Cantabrian saw a slight drop to 74.9%, and the Miño-Sil basin decreased by 1.5 points to 65.9%.
On the Plateau, the scenario is less favorable as the two major basins, the Duero and Tajo, experienced a downward trend after recent recoveries. The Duero dipped to 64.3%, while the Tajo fell to 55.1% of its capacity.
In the southern regions, there has been relative stability; the Guadiana and Guadalquivir rivers have maintained their levels at 40.2% and 32.3%, respectively. Despite this stability, the Guadalete-Barbate basin remains concerningly low at just 21.1%, following yet another minor decline.
The Mediterranean region has seen notable improvements, largely driven by significant increases in the Ebro basin, which rose by 2.6 points to reach 69.1%. Other Mediterranean basins experienced slight increases: the Catalonia basin gained five tenths to stand at 28.4%, Júcar improved by two tenths to reach 40.3%, and Segura recovered by one tenth, though it still languishes at a concerning 14.7%. In contrast, the Andalusian Mediterranean basin has declined slightly, now at 21.6%.
As forecasts predict a significant DANA event in the coming week, stakeholders remain hopeful for much-needed water replenishment, especially in regions still struggling to maintain adequate water levels.