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Segura basin stays steady at 60% as summer water supply holds firm
Strong reserves and stable transfers mean no shortages expected for the year ahead
The Segura basin, which supplies water to both Murcia and Alicante, is heading into summer on a reassuring note, with water supplies holding steady and no risk of shortages expected for homes, farming or industry.Reservoirs currently sit at 687 cubic hectometres, around 60% of total capacity. In practical terms, that level is considered more than enough to cover demand across the entire 2025-2026 hydrological year, even through the peak irrigation season.
That stronger position didn’t happen overnight. It follows a wet spell earlier in the year that significantly boosted reservoir levels and helped replenish the system after lower periods.
Officials are clear that this isn’t just a short-term boost either. Current storage levels are being treated as sufficient to keep supplies stable well into the year, with no shortage risks flagged even as temperatures rise.
One of the key reasons is the Tagus-Segura Water Transfer, which remains in Stage 1, its highest level of normal operation. That allows automatic transfers of up to 60 hm³ per month under current rules, helping keep the system topped up.
But it’s not just one source doing the work. The CHS manages water as a single integrated system, blending surface water, groundwater, desalination, reclaimed water and transfers depending on demand and availability.
That flexibility is what the authority says is keeping things stable, especially when rainfall patterns vary from year to year.
Looking at the detail, the basin subsystem is currently holding 375 hm³, about double the amount recorded at the same point last year. That jump underlines how much stronger this hydrological cycle has been compared with recent ones.
Overall storage is now at its highest level in more than a decade, with conditions last seen in 2013. Since then, the basin has seen some very dry years, including 2016 and 2024, when reserves dropped far lower than today’s figures.
Inflows have also improved significantly, averaging just over 600 hm³ annually compared with 357 hm³ last year, helping explain the recovery in storage levels.
The CHS continues to stress that water planning is done across the entire basin rather than by province, saying supply depends on the full system, not where water physically sits.
For now, the outlook remains steady, with the authority expecting normal conditions to continue through this hydrological year and into the next if current patterns hold.
Image: wikicommons
