Elche is located in the driest climatic region of the Iberian Peninsula, whose main characteristic is aridity, a consequence of very low and irregular rainfall, accentuated by extreme temperatures in the summer.
The only water resource for much of its history has been the Vinalopó. This is a rambla river, with low flow and high salinity, which has conditioned the agricultural use of the land.
This deficit has been a constant throughout time, only remedied since the beginning of the 20th century with the use of surplus water from the Segura river and the subsequent contribution of the Tajo-Segura transfer.
ORIGINS OF IRRIGATION: THE CREATION OF AN OASIS
Although archaeology shows that ancient cultures, such as the Romans, intervened in the environment to capture water, it was not until the Andalusian period that a profound transformation of the territory took place. This created an oasis, an agroecosystem to cope with extreme conditions of aridity.
- IRRIGATION NETWORK
The backbone of the system was a main canal derived from the river, which was tapped by a weir located to the north of the town. In this way, the gentle slope of the land was used to facilitate the flow of water.
The various secondary branches or distributors distributed the water throughout the cultivated area, an agricultural space that in 1797, according to the Valencian botanist and naturalist Antonio José de Cavanilles, covered 2,859 hectares.
The Muslims extended the network of irrigation channels, and it is to them that we owe the organisation of irrigation and the meticulous distribution of water.
- PALM TREES
Resistant to water scarcity and salinity, they are an essential part of the system. Planted around the perimeter of plots in a grid pattern to promote water distribution, they form a shade screen that maintains humidity and reduces evapotranspiration.
- VEGETABLE GARDEN
A model of efficient use of water resources, allowing maximum agricultural yield, with a triple harvest at various heights: products derived from palm trees, trees planted inside, and herbaceous plants at ground level.
THE ACEQUIA MAJOR & THE ACEQUIA DE MARCHENA
In the 13th century, the distribution of land carried out by Prince Manuel (1234-1283), the first lord of the town, affected the old farmsteads that the Andalusians had in the territory (1269), and which the settlers had to have ‘as the Moors used to have them in their time’. This fact may lead one to believe that the Christian settlers were unfamiliar with irrigation.
There would have been a duality in the administration of the water from the Vinalopó river, as it was divided, on the one hand, into the Acequia Mayor for the agricultural area reserved for Christians, and on the other, into the Acequia de Marchena for the defeated ‘Moors’.
The water was distributed by means of ‘partidores’ (water dividers), which separated part of the river’s flow. In the first one, Albinella, to the north of the town, the portion for urban use was taken. Immediately afterwards, another one diverted two parts to Marchena, and the following ones transferred the water to the secondary branches.
The water flows through the branches divided into ‘threads’, or flow that runs through the canal in a period of 12 hours: the distribution was 9 threads for the Acequia Mayor irrigation ditch and 2 threads for the Acequia de Marchena irrigation ditch.
At the centre of the Acequia Mayor irrigation system (Horta Major cristiana) lies the area that received the most water, the richest, irrigated with water known as ‘huertos’ (orchards); in an outer area, land subject to a strict rotation system, irrigated with ‘dula’ water (irrigation rotation). This ensured the sustainability of the system for centuries.
The water from Marchena (Horta dels Moros) was initially managed by the Mudejar aljama, with its officials, among whom the ‘alamín’ or distributor stood out. After the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, the new government of the suburb (University of San Juan) took over the management of irrigation.
The water books recorded irrigation shifts. Entries were made in terms of threads or fractions thereof: half a thread (6 hours) and a quarter (3 hours).
One thread was allocated for consumption by the population.
A GREAT ENGINEERING PROJECT
In 1632, the municipality began construction of the reservoir. The idea had been around for a long time, as a dam similar to those in Tibi and Almansa had been proposed in 1589. However, since the dam was built, problems with silting and salinisation had arisen.
A canal was then proposed to divert the water from the reservoir, which was built between 1906 and 1910.
In addition, periodic flooding affected its maintenance. In 1842, the Town Council ceded it to the owners of the Acequia Mayor and the Acequia de Marchena irrigation channels, as it was impossible to proceed with its rehabilitation.
The Elche reservoir is the first arch dam in Europe since Roman times, but the loss of economic importance with the arrival of foreign water caused its slow decline.
It is currently a landmark in the Elche landscape. It is recognised as a Site of Cultural Interest, together with the network of irrigation canals, constituting a very important legacy of our hydraulic heritage.
This natural space is included in the Catalogue of Wetlands of the Valencian Community.
Culturally, for all Elche residents, it is a meeting place where they celebrate festivities and important dates, such as Easter Monday (la Mona) or Ascension Day.
PRÓSPERO LAFARGA (1867 – 1927)
Civil engineer.
He is notable for being the executor of the third major infrastructure project of the Acequia Mayor irrigation canal in the Elche reservoir: the diversion canal. Its construction was approved in 1902 and carried out between 1906 and 1910 to divert water for irrigation from the river before it entered the reservoir, thus preventing it from mixing with the saline outcrops of the reservoir itself.
NEW WATER FOR IRRIGATION
On 27 May 1420, a document from the town council recorded the demand of the people of Elche for access to the waters of the Júcar river. Since then, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to transfer water.
At the beginning of the 20th century, new, higher-quality water flows arrived from the Segura river. This marked the beginning of a new era with several initiatives: Nuevos Riegos El Progreso, Riegos El Porvenir and Riegos de Levante. This was a major transformation in the Elche countryside, through the expansion and improvement of irrigated areas.
The 1979 Tajo-Segura transfer did not significantly alter the appearance of the cultivated area, due to the modest flow rates in relation to the irrigated area. Initial forecasts were for 600 hm3/year, reaching 1,000 hm3/year in a second phase, for a total of 270,000 hectares. However, the 600 hm3 was only achieved in the first year, with an average contribution of 346 hm3/year since its inception.
As for the Júcar-Vinalopó transfer, the first significant release of water to supply Elche took place in 2018. In 2024, more than 15.6 cubic hectometres were authorised to improve the state of the groundwater bodies in the Vinalopó-Alacantí system.
Currently, the Alto and Medio Vinalopó regions, which form part of this system, have suffered significant environmental damage since the 1950s. The strong economic development of the area increased the population and agricultural development, with a consequent increase in irrigated land. These pressures on surface and groundwater bodies, with excessive withdrawals, cause very sharp declines in piezometric levels.
ERNESTO MARTÍNEZ RIVIERE (1865 – 1927)
Electrical and industrial engineer.
Founder of Nuevos Riegos El Progreso (a company established in 1906), he promoted the alternative of bringing water from the Segura irrigation channels to the Elche countryside by pumping it using motors.
21ST CENTURY IRRIGATION
New forms of irrigation and control systems are gaining ground in order to achieve maximum efficiency in use. Many farmers have switched from traditional flood irrigation to drip irrigation. However, despite droughts and conflicts over water transfers and the National Hydrological Plan, blanket and terrace irrigation are still used. More than 700 km of underground pipes have replaced irrigation channels, solving the problem of water loss.
Urban transformations have altered the original functionality of irrigation, but the system remains fundamental to the landscape and productivity of the Elche Palm Grove, the largest of its kind in Europe.
The Elche Palm Grove was declared an ‘Artistic Garden’ in 1943, laying the foundations for greater international recognition. To achieve this, efforts were intensified over many years, culminating in its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 30 November 2000.
Today, challenges arise in terms of conservation, maintenance and water management in a context of climate change and water stress.
EL HONDO NATURE RESERVE
Riegos de Levante used part of the old Elche lagoon to create two regulating reservoirs to collect and distribute water to farmers.
El Hondo is currently included in the RAMSAR international agreement on the protection of wetlands and in the European Special Protection Area (SPA) directive. It was declared a natural park by the Valencian Regional Government on 12 December 1988.
