Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s water reserves have surged to their highest levels in years. However, the country’s long-running battle with drought is far from resolved.
Following one of the wettest springs on record, Spain’s reservoirs are now at 77.1% capacity — a milestone not seen since 2021. According to official data, the country holds over 40,800 cubic hectometres of water in reserve, a leap of more than 5,000 compared to this time last year.
A series of unusually wet months — particularly a rain-drenched March with over 250% more precipitation than average — has given Spain a rare hydrological reprieve. Since October 2024, rainfall has consistently outpaced long-term norms, helping replenish reservoirs and easing pressure in regions hit hard by years of severe drought.
Cool heads despite heatwaves
Despite a blistering start to the summer, high temperatures have so far had minimal impact on water levels. A steady inflow of rain, snowmelt from the Pyrenees and balanced distribution across the peninsula have kept most reservoirs stable.
Northern regions like Galicia, the Basque Country and Castile and León are now brimming, with several reservoirs full to the brim. Even Catalonia, which faced dire shortages last summer, has bounced back. Reservoirs in its internal river basins are now more than three-quarters full — a dramatic jump from just 25% one year ago. Water restrictions have eased, but confidence is fragile.
Drought grips the southeast
But Spain’s good fortune isn’t shared equally. The Segura basin — covering large parts of Murcia and Alicante — remains critically low at just 29.6% capacity. In Almería, several reservoirs are below the 50% mark. Farmers in these parched regions are still grappling with irrigation cutbacks and political tension over inter-regional water transfers, particularly from the Tagus to the Segura.
The southeast, reliant on a fragile balance of rainfall and transfers, has become ground zero for water insecurity in Spain. Long-term solutions remain elusive.
A nation of reservoirs
Spain’s dense network of reservoirs is no accident. The country now holds the record for the highest number of dams and reservoirs in Europe — over 370 in total. The oldest, Proserpina near Mérida, was constructed by the Romans in the 1st century BC and remarkably still functions today.
But Spain’s modern hydraulic infrastructure owes much to the Franco era. Between 1939 and 1975, the regime launched an ambitious dam-building programme aimed at national self-sufficiency. While it provided water and electricity, it came at a cost: hundreds of communities were drowned, and thousands of families forcibly displaced.
When water erased history
This darker legacy has been revisited in Memorias Ahogadas, a harrowing book by journalists Jairo Marcos and María Ángeles Fernández. It chronicles the untold human toll of Franco’s water policies — from vanished villages to uprooted cemeteries. Many families received no compensation. For them, the memory of land submerged and lives disrupted still lingers beneath the surface.
A fragile future despite full reservoirs
Experts caution against complacency. Spain’s hydrological success this year owes more to meteorological luck than structural resilience. Climate change continues to shift rainfall patterns, shorten snow seasons, and increase evaporation rates. Flash floods — while dramatic — often fail to soak into the soil or refill aquifers.
In southern provinces like Murcia, Almería and Alicante, drought conditions are now considered structural. Calls for sustainable water management — from improved irrigation techniques to stronger groundwater protections — are growing louder by the year.
Track reservoir data in real time
For those wanting to stay informed, embalses.net offers daily updates on reservoir levels, regional breakdowns, and precipitation charts — an essential tool in a country where water has become one of its most politically charged resources.
Rain helps — but it won’t save Spain
Spain’s replenished reservoirs may bring short-term relief, but they don’t mark the end of the water crisis. The challenge lies not just in capturing rain, but in managing it wisely — especially in the face of a changing climate and deep regional divides.