swamps Archives - usatoday24

The only thing that can save the Guadalquivir from widespread flooding are the swamps and the room for maneuver is becoming less and less

February 4, 2026 by usatoday24

Right now, Andalusia has six rivers at red level and many more than 3,000 people evacuated in Cádiz, Jaén, Granada and Málaga. But that’s not the bad news, the bad news is that there are hours and hours of rain ahead. A rain that, according to the data that is beginning to arrive, not even the models have captured well and is exceeding expectations. That’s what Google saw when it activated the flood risk. What I didn’t see is that the reservoirs can contain the problem. They are, in fact, the last hope of the lower Guadalquivir valley if the situation gets out of hand. The question is whether they have room to maneuver. What is lamination? Flood lamination is a hydraulic engineering technique used to reduce the peak flow of a river flood. What is done is to temporarily store water in reservoirs and retention areas in such a way that the amount of water that reaches downstream is controlled. Although all reservoirs have the capacity to laminate floods (that is, the maximum flow that can leave the reservoir is always less than the maximum flow that can enter), not all have the same capacity to do so. In this case, the truth is that the Guadalquivir basin has many reservoirs and is hyperregulated. And what does that mean? Well, the SAIH of the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation has been working for days to prepare the basin so that the impacts are minor. For example, the reservoirs in the upper part of the Genial basin (where the largest water discharges are expected this afternoon-night) They have been releasing reserves for days downstream. In the same way, the swamps at the head of the Guadalquivir (especially The Tranco and, to a lesser extent, Siles) are ready to receive water. The problems are further down, of course: in Seville there is only one reservoir is below 90% and although Iznájar has capacity to laminate the Genil, the situation can quickly get complicated. How quickly and how complicated? The CHG I said yesterday that “for it to overflow (in Seville) the flow must reach 3000 cubic meters, now it is at 740.” That does not mean that other places, such as Palmar de Troya, do not end up suffering from the flooding of the river; but it does give us a psychological limit of how strong the flood has been and how effective the lamination has been. The situation, however, is much more complicated. in the Guadalete-Barbate basin. Right now, the accumulation in Grazalema is destroying the forecasts, the reservoirs are full, reaction times are much shorter (because the distance to travel is shorter) and cities like Jerez are currently living in terrible uncertainty. This week’s lesson. There is something important that we don’t seem to learn well in the terrible DANA from Valencia: that the danger is not always where it rains, that a red warning does not only affect the place where it is declared and that we must be prepared for the weather to surprise us. Let’s hope that these days we have time for the waters to return to normal. Image | Manuel In Xataka | Andalusia anticipates the storm and has already canceled in-person classes and activated the UME. The doubt is placed on the workers

Spanish men are developing a peculiar obsession with swamps

March 12, 2025 by usatoday24

There is nothing written about tastes. Nor about obsessions. There are people aware of the LaLiga classificationfans of cars who do not escape any presentation, in love with literature or cinema to the removal of any novelty … and people, increasingly And that is also seen more clearly In networksthat shares a peculiar fascination: follow the evolution of the swamps. They are the ‘reservoir boys’. How are the reservoirs? The question may seem bland, especially in winter, with a good part of the country passed through water and without any specific reason to be aware of the Spanish reservoir network or some special swamp. However, more and more people (men above all) seem to ask that question every week. How are the reservoirs? Do they go up? Do they go down? His obsession is measured in a very precise unit: cubic hectometers. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to the message. Click on the image to go to Tweet. “Spain in vilo”. A quick search arrives in X either Bluesky To confirm the interest aroused by reservoirs. In fact it is so clear that something else is found: who jokes on the subject Or comment, no longer the data of the swamps themselves, but the obsession around the data of the swamps, pulling humor. “Going to look at reservoirs.net is the greatest male urgency there are,” He wrote yesterday A user in X. and is not the only one. “Spain in vilo before the imminent update this Tuesday”, Add another. In Bluesky They can also be read A good handful of messages About swamps, including those who use The sneer. A name: reservoirs.net. All obsession has its axis. And that of the reservoirs has its own name: Reservoirs.neta website with updated information on embalmed water nationwide, weekly and annual variation and a data rosary by hydrographic basin. All well seasoned with graphics (infinity of graphics) and an arsenal of figures capable of delighting people who when the window appears on the days of Borrasca does not see rain but HM3 and double axis graphics. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Are there more sources? Of course. The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has its Hydrological Bulletinthere is also information about Confederations Hydrographic and Other websites that are responsible for collecting data from swamps. However, a search in X or Bluesky arrives to confirm that when obsession with the reservoirs, the looks are usually directed to Emblasses.net. To find data … and (too) to pull irony. “You do not know the desire that I have to take out the updated data of reservoirs of the week @reservoirs.net. It is being my drug,” He published yesterday In bluesky Fran Lamadrid. He profile of the web on the old Twitter is around 43,500 followers and there are those who, pulling more sneer, speaks of “data porn”. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Where does that interest come from? The million dollar question. The reservoirs are not the first obsession that flies free on the old Twitter. Before they have already been such disparate issues as The Roman Empire either The menu of the University dining room of Almería, between a long, very long etcetera. Obviously it is not the only obsession that is extending on the social network. Another topic supported by data that also gives rise to a good number of messages is demography and, specifically, birth. That there are so many people pending the reservoirs, however, with some issues that have been under the media focus in recent months. The main one, drought. The Rain scarcity has led several regions of Spain to look With concern Your swamps and water reserves. Another is the tragic Dana that hit Valencia and focused the focus, among other points, on The Foraata Reservoir. Images | Jacinta Lluch Valero (Flickr) and Miteco In Xataka | Batmancito: the disturbing baby “Reborn” to which his parents are becoming a viral phenomenon giving him life with ia

The swamps are so full for the rains of March that some face something unprecedented: unwind for the first time

March 10, 2025 by usatoday24

For a good part of the twentieth century, storms in the Borbonne Valley were terrible. In 1970, the river overflowed, flooded La Vega and blocked the daily life of the region for weeks. Throughout that decade, The creation of a reservoir began, the Alcorlowhich forced evacuate locations and placed its spillway a few 700 meters from the town of San Andrés del Congosto. Since the dam was closed in 1979, I had never had to take a water to avoid overflow. Until today. What happened in the center of Spain? Although most of the attention has been taken the south, Jana has watered (and much) The entire area of the central system. So much so that, during the weekend, numerous municipalities of the Henares Corridor and La Alcarria have received notices from 112 due to the possibility that the Tajo Hydrographic Conference will land a whole series of swamps from the provinces surrounding the central system. Pálmatos, Beleña and La Tajera They have already been relieved Water over the weekend and three others were about to do so. Among them, Alcorlo’s because, as he said, throughout his history, he had never had to release water before. Nervousness in the Alcarria. The mayor of San Andrés has been expressing her concern all weekend. And, although he acknowledges that the town has never come to flood (“never in its history is aware of any event of this type“),” It looks like a small sea. We had never seen it that way and it impresses see it “, The Gil Consul said in the Digital of Castilla – La Mancha. I also recognized feeling “Chills and fear” for the impact that the flood can have in the municipality. It was not disenchanted because, in the last hours, about 50 people have moved to avoid risks. The domino effect. However, the main problem will not be given in the headwaters of the rivers where these reservoirs are: The problem is downstream. The Castilla Operational Control Center – La Mancha has warned that all that unpacked water will go on the Alberche River. The province of Guadalajara and, by exemption, the entire main branch of the Tagus is preparing for that water coup (that a channel as mistreated as this will thank). And it’s not something isolated. As Álvaro Oliver explained“On just 8 days of March, in the port of Navacerrada it has rained/snowy which usually falls in the 3 months of spring. In 8 days what usually falls in 90 days. 13 times more than usual in the first week of March.” It is raining a lot. It is raining more than some sites can manage comfortably. Mission: Take advantage of each drop of water. A key factor that makes all this special rain is that it comes from Atlantic storms. That is, it normally drains into the areas where we have the reservoirs and that allows us to take advantage of it much more than we can take advantage of the water from the danas. So now we return to the start box: What do we do with all this water? How do we prepare for a summer that, if it fits the trend, will return the ghost of the drought? And again, we return to one of the key problems of our country: that We still don’t order Water resources in a responsible way and with a view to the future. Image | LBM1948 | ASQUELADD

There is finally water in swamps

March 4, 2025 by usatoday24

148 liters in the province of Castellón, 81 in Cáceres, 71.2 in Cádiz, 66.4 in Valencia or 63.4 in Segovia’s: it’s raining In Spain. It is raining a lot. AND, according to what the models saywill continue to do so in the next few days (and throughout the month). The authorities They have launched Several urgent alerts For the danger of floods, They have suspended classes And there is already at least A deceased in a Rambla from the Murcian city of Lorca. It is nothing unusual. On the contrary, it is something that It is repeated every time it rains more than normal. The difference is that, between chaos and tragedy, the rains have already left us good news. And the best example is Malaga. The Malaga reservoirs are at 30.4% of their capacity, about 14.52 cubic hectometers than a week ago. The data sound good, they are positive: but if we put them in context, they are fantastic. As José Antonio Sau explaineda year ago “the seven swamp of Malaga had reserves of 97.97 cubic hectometers.” They are now in 185.84. That is, the water reservoir in the Andalusian province has suffered an increase of 89.69% compared to last year. And, to all this, we have to take into account that much of the water that has fallen has not yet reached the swamps. It is true that The vineyuela (The key reservoir for agricultural production in the province) is 21.95%, but last year was 7.88% of its capacity. Not everywhere … Something similar could be said from Barcelona: Sau’s swamp has also folded reservoir water (from 2.42 to 5.45%), but the situation there is much more complex because The Ter-llobregat system is exhausted. The change is positive, but everything seems to indicate that except miracle of last minute Catalonia will enter alert for drought in the coming weeks. Almería, for example, is more or less in the same situation as last year (8.48 vs 8.93%) and, unlike Murcia, is not receiving much water in recent days. … But March can be key. As we said yesterdaya powerful blocking anticyclone between Greenland, the Baltic Peninsula and the British Isles is being formed. That is, just where Atlantic storms loaded with water usually pass. This is the great meteorological news of the moment because, if everything is going well, it will make Atlantic storms go down and expose us to “wet and soft flows.” The Latest models outputs They reinforce that idea. We face spring and summer with many uncertainties (climatic uncertainties that add to all others). Nevertheless, March promises to bring peace of mind. For now (although unevenly) it is fulfilling. Image | For the roads of Malaga | Aemet In Xataka | Aemet special notices are just the beginning: everything points to an extremely rainy March in Spain

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