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Stormy March has brought a silver lining: Andalucía's reservoirs double their water reserves
After weeks of relentless rain, Andalucía’s reservoirs have hit 58.8% capacity - a dramatic improvement over last year
March brought relentless rain to much of Andalucía, with storms sweeping across the region and even causing flooding in some areas. But amidst the disruption, there’s a silver lining—reservoir levels have surged, bringing much-needed relief after years of drought.Andalucian reservoirs have now reached 58.8% of their total capacity, almost double what they were a year ago. According to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, they gained massive 2,205 cubic hectometres (hm³) of water throughout March. To put that into perspective, that’s roughly equivalent to 882,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools—an impressive boost that leaves the region’s total reserves at 6,511 hm³.
For the third week running, Andalucían water reserves are above the ten-year average. They currently have 917 hm³ more than the usual 5,594 hm³, bringing a sense of cautious optimism after the severe drought conditions seen in recent years. Just to emphasise how far we’ve come, at the start of 2024, reservoirs were only at 19.3% of their capacity, with just 2,143 hm³ of water. That means current levels are nearly 40 percentage points higher than they were at the start of the year.
How different areas have fared
The Guadalquivir basin, the largest in Andalucía, now holds 4,783 hm³ of water after gaining 112 hm³ in the past week. While that’s slower than last week’s huge jump of 629 hm³, it’s still at 59.6% capacity, which is way above the ten-year average of 3,964 hm³. Compared to this time last year, its reserves have grown by an astonishing 2,353 hm³.
The Andalucían Mediterranean Basin has also seen significant improvements, reaching 52.8% of its total capacity. It added another 20 hm³ in the past week alone, bringing its reserves up to 620 hm³ - well above the last year’s 262 hm³. It now stands above the ten-year average for the second week in a row.
Meanwhile, the Tinto, Odiel and Piedras reservoirs in Huelva lost 5 hm³ this past week, now standing at 211 hm³. However, with a storage level of 92.1%, they remain well above their historical average of 188 hm³ and hold more water than at this time last year.
The Guadalete-Barbate reservoirs in Cádiz are also on the upswing, increasing by 19 hm³ this past week to reach a total of 897 hm³. That brings them to 54.3% capacity—significantly higher than last year’s 353 hm³ and, yet again, above the ten-year average of 869 hm³.
In Málaga things are looking up too, with La Viñuela—the province’s reservoir—finally showing signs of recovery after being critically low earlier this year.
With reservoirs across the region now in a much stronger position, the heavy downpours of March have at least left behind something positive. After years of water shortages and restrictions, this boost in reserves offers some much-needed breathing room for Andalucía’s water supply.
Image: Junta de Andalucía
