Four reservoirs in Andalucía, Spain, have made a dramatic comeback following months of critical drought conditions and water shortages.
According to Euro Weekly News, La Concepción, Casasola, and Conde de Guadalhorce reservoirs in the province of Málaga are at or near capacity following the torrential downpour from Storm Jana last month.
Data from the Hidrosur Network shows that La Concepción reservoir is 93% full as of March 31, reaching 53.37 cubic hectometers. It has received 747.1 millimeters of rain this hydrological year — the most of the seven reservoirs in Malaga.
At this time last year, La Concepción was at 29.49 cubic hectometers and had collected just 404.4 millimeters of rain. Euro Weekly News noted that officials have continually drained La Concepción, which supplies much of the Costa del Sol region, to ensure safe levels.
The Casasola and Conde de Guadalhorce reservoirs have also rebounded, with the former eclipsing 100% capacity and the latter hitting a water level of nearly 98%. Both reservoirs were around 28% full at this time last year.
Meanwhile, the Limonero reservoir has surged in recent weeks, jumping 30 percentage points since Euro Weekly News published its report on March 14 to reach 75% capacity. In March 2024, it had a volume under 20%.
Despite these promising returns, the heavy rainfall has yet to restore three of the largest reservoirs by volume in Málaga. The Guadalteba, Guadalhorce, and Viñuela reservoirs, all holding between 125 and 165 cubic hectometers of water, are at or below 47% capacity. As a result, the overall provincial water reserve is just 58% full.
At the very least, all seven reservoirs are far ahead of what they were in March 2024 in terms of precipitation and total volume. While La Concepción was the only one to receive more than 300 millimeters of rain last year, each reservoir has accumulated more than 550 millimeters this year.
Furthermore, the total volume of water from the seven reservoirs is 356.03 cubic hectometers — over two and a half times more than what it was through three months last year.
Andalucía is far from the only place to benefit from a deluge of rain. Reservoirs and lakes around the world, from Mumbai to California, have improved drastically through a combination of water management strategies and timely storms.
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"With water levels rising fast in key reservoirs, authorities will be keeping a close eye on flood risks as well as future supply security," Euro Weekly News wrote.
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