Walter Finch
MALAGA’S reservoirs have begun releasing water after the recent storms filled them to critical levels.
The Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir has now exceeded 90% of its capacity and has joined La Concepción in releasing water, a bittersweet development following years of severe drought conditions that have plagued the region.
The relentless rains have now filled the province’s reservoirs to a miraculous 250 million-litre milestone of stored water – around 40% capacity – forcing reservoir managers to begin controlled water releases at multiple dams.
READ MORE: Watch: Flood chaos on Spain’s Costa del Sol after night of heavy rain – with DAYS of showers to come
The La Concepción reservoir, located between Marbella and Istan, began releasing water on Friday afternoon when it approached 48 million litres, or 82% capacity, with more rainfall forecast and water continuing to flow in from its tributaries.
At its peak, La Concepcion released around 60 cubic metres of precious water per second – equivalent to four times the amount needed to supply the entire city of Malaga.
While the release rate has varied, dropping to 30 cubic metres per second yesterday evening and at times going as low as 15, the controlled discharge has been carefully monitored to prevent downstream incidents.
Despite the abundance of water now flowing through the province’s waterways, technical limitations prevent the transfer of excess water from La Concepcion to Malaga city or the drought-stricken Axarquía region.
These limitations include the lack of adequate high-capacity pipelines and insufficient capacity at the Verde water treatment plant.
This comes despite the Junta recently expanding the Rojas bypass in Churriana, which is capable of transferring drinking water at a speed of up to 500 litres per second in both directions.
As of midday today, the province’s reservoirs collectively held 248 million litres, up significantly from 237 just yesterday.
The distribution of rainfall has become increasingly widespread across the province, reaching previously lagging reservoirs including Guadalhorce, Guadalteba, and La Viñuela in Axarquía.
Particularly encouraging news comes from La Viñuela, the province’s largest reservoir with a capacity of 164 million litres, which now holds 45 million litres (27.5%) and continues to rise with free-flowing runoff.
Guadalteba, the province’s second-largest reservoir with a capacity of 153 million litres, has now surpassed 43 million litres (28%), while the Guadalhorce reservoir has reached approximately 25 million litres (20%).
The current total is more than double the 104 million litres recorded exactly one year ago on March 10, 2024.
It all means that in just one week, water reserves have increased by more than 70 million litres, or 39%.
The province’s water situation is now better than in March 2023 (229 million litres) and March 2022 (221 million litres) following similar rainfall episodes.
However, it remains below the historical benchmark of March 2021, when reservoirs contained 366 million litres.
The heavy rainfall is expected to continue throughout the coming week. Overnight and in the early hours of Monday, some areas recorded more than 70mm, particularly in the western zone.
Malaga capital experienced a downpour accompanied by hail and thunder around midnight, depositing 21mm in just minutes according to Aemet, flooding the Azucarera-Intelhorce road.
The highest rainfall accumulations in recent hours have been recorded in Ojén (76mm), the Marbella treatment plant (75mm), and La Concepción reservoir (63mm).
A yellow alert remains active for the coming days, with accumulated precipitation of up to 40mm expected over 12-hour periods as the string of weather systems continues to affect the region.
