Malaga water network: La Viñuela dam surprises with highest water level

Zoom

The increase of the water level is striking given that the reservoir was declared a 'dead pool' during the six-year drought in Malaga

Chus Heredia

Friday, 17 April 2026, 14:24

The torrential rains and storms of the past hydrological year, combined with the weather events of recent months, have confirmed the end of a severe drought in Malaga province that lasted six years.

Due to its persistence, the situation was particularly dire in the Axarquía district, where the La Viñuela reservoir even required a system of floating pumps to extract water from below the dam's intake. This stage is known as a 'dead pool'.

Related story

For many months, the Axarquía district received drinking water from Malaga city, which municipal company Emasa pumped via the La Rosaleda pumping station, also upgraded as part of the drought relief plans.

The Junta also prioritised the use of wells, while local irrigators demanded the construction of the Vélez desalination plant, worth over 200 million euros.

At present, with Malaga's reservoirs beginning to decline after months of flooding and massive releases, La Viñuela stores the greatest amount of water in the entire province.

At 9am on Friday, the Hidrosur network reported that Malaga province's reservoirs were at 95.29% capacity, with 574.96 million cubic metres stored (five less than last week).

It's not possible to draw definitive conclusions, because the Costa del Sol has more limited capacity given the small size of the La Concepción reservoir, but there is sufficient supply for four or five years overall.

The Hidrosur network

On Friday, La Viñuela held 151.65 million cubic metres, at 92.26% of its capacity, and Guadalteba, 151.23, at 98.70%. The Guadalhorce held 123.86, at 98.52%, and the Conde, 64.53 (97.05%). Meanwhile, La Concepción contained 53.70 million cubic metres (93%). Flood control reservoirs Limonero and Casasola registered 15.78 and 13.93, respectively. The Limonero dam will have to open its floodgates for safety reasons until the level drops below 14 million cubic metres.

For now, only La Viñuela has been spared from having to release water for safety reasons after the rains.