The heavy rain that fell in the region meant that among the 08,00 e as 23,00 hours of Thursday, the Alqueva reservoir rose higher 44 centimeters, finding yourself at the quota 147,14 meters, with storage of 3.049,78 hm3.
Last Thursday at 08,00 hours, according to information provided by EDIA-Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company, the largest artificial lake in Europe was at the level of 146,70 meters, justifying that “between 08:00 on Wednesday and 08:00 on 18 January, the Alqueva reservoir rose 26 cm, what corresponded to 48.1 hm3â€. In thirty-nine hours, as 08,00 Wednesday and 23,00 am the next day, the level of the reservoir rose 70 centimeters.
On its official page, EDIA, to 23,00 hours Friday, Alqueva had stored 3.049,78 hm3 of water and it was at the quota 147,14 meters, in other words, less than five meters gives the maximum level of 152 meters, representing a total capacity of 4150 million cubic meters of water.
With the rain that fell over the region and in the hope of being able to fill, EDIA left a message of satisfaction: “Let water come, we are here to welcome you!".
When the next day 8 of February are completed 22 years after the closure of the dam floodgates, thus beginning its filling, Alqueva could reach its fifth filling, what happened for the first time in 12 January 2010.
The last time the Alqueva dam was fully filled was at the beginning of 2014, but at the time, EDIA did not discharge into the Guadiana, the “Great Rio do Sulâ€, choosing to divert part of the water to the hydroelectric plant, where energy is produced.
Twenty-one (21) years of work
The Alqueva dam represented an investment of 2,4 million. The works took time 21 years and it took more 19 to fill it. Beyond energy production, the Alqueva “mata to seat” a 200 thousand inhabitants of 13 Alentejo municipalities, with 25 irrigation perimeters in operation, with direct management of EDIA and irrigation 120.414 hectares of diverse cultures, area equivalent to as many football fields.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
