Rainfall Fails to Quench Thirst in Marina Baixa

Marina Baixa is almost perpetually in a state of drought emergency. Jorge Olcina, director of the Climatology Laboratory at the University of Alicante, has frequently identified the region as ground zero for climate change. This is evident in increasingly extreme weather events, from record-breaking heatwaves to severe storms and torrential rains.

Last week, the storm 'Alice' turned much of the Valencian Community's weather warning map red, including the entire Marina Baixa region. Fortunately, the rains in this area were not as destructive as in other parts of the province.

In the most touristic part of the Costa Blanca, the rain was moderate, providing some relief to the fields but not significantly increasing the water levels in the two reservoirs that supply the local towns.

In fact, the Guadalest reservoir, the most important in the area, has not only failed to increase its reserves but has less water now than it did a week after the first major autumn rain event.

On October 9, just before the first drops fell on Marina Baixa, the Automatic Hydrological Information System (SAIH) of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) recorded 3.34 cubic hectometres of water in Guadalest. A week later, on Thursday morning, this had decreased to 3.33 cubic hectometres.

In recent days, the rains allowed for a peak (on October 11) of 3.37 cubic hectometres. In other words, the precipitation barely added 0.03 cubic hectometres to the reservoir, which supplies, among others, the city of Benidorm. Consequently, the Guadalest reservoir is now at 25.6% of its capacity.

The situation is different for the Amadorio reservoir. Unlike Guadalest, it receives significant contributions from underground aquifers, and a week after the rains, its volume continues to rise. It's a small increase, but it's still growing.

According to SAIH data, the reservoir near La Vila Joiosa had just 1.60 cubic hectometres of water on October 9, while by Thursday, this had increased to two cubic hectometres, an increase of 0.40 in seven days.

However, this increase is almost negligible and seems short-lived, as the inflow and outflow graphs are becoming increasingly similar. Soon, like Guadalest, the Amadorio reservoir will begin to release more water than it receives. Currently, the Amadorio reservoir is at only 12.6% of its capacity.