Forum user claims Spanish reservoirs at record levels, denying drought
A user argues that stored water exceeds last year's by 15 points and historical averages by 6, dismissing the drought narrative.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Forum user claims Spanish reservoirs reach record water storage
The drought that has dominated headlines for over a year has hit an inconvenient fact, according to a debate participant: Spanish reservoirs are at record levels. According to data published on embalses.net, stored water would exceed last year's figures by more than 15 percentage points and historical averages by 6 points. A reversal that, in this user's view, exposes the catastrophic narrative that has dominated public discourse on climate and water in Spain for months.
The initial message of the debate made it clear: "A new lie has been proven evident; they terrified us with drought for more than a year. They haven't even managed to empty the reservoirs." The claim, far from being an exaggeration, is supported by verifiable data that anyone can consult on official water monitoring websites.
Why were reservoirs peine if there was a drought?
The paradox is evident. For months, it has been reported that reservoirs were being peine to generate hydroelectric power—more than 25% of electricity produced in Spain is of hydraulic origin, according to demand.ree.es data—while warning of a catastrophic drought. This contradiction has not gone unnoticed.
Some argue that opening dams responds to a deliberate strategy to justify restrictions and climate policies. Others point out that it is simply the normal management of a hydroelectric system that needs to turbine water to produce energy. The reality is that, as noted in a recurring analysis in the debate, hydroelectric generation is a non-consumptive use of water: the turbinated water does not disappear; it is dammed downstream or returns to the same reservoir.
The underlying problem is that the official drought narrative has been built, according to some participants, on partial data and predictions that have not come true. As one intervention summarizes: "In three months without rain, they catch up with the drought; saving for the future is not for these people."
The business of dam demolition
Beyond energy management, the debate has raised a lesser-known issue: the demolition of reservoirs in Spain. It is alleged that dams are being destroyed under the pretext of river renaturalization, a process not free from economic interests. The question looming is who benefits from Spain having less water storage capacity.
The logic is crushing, according to one user: if you destroy reservoirs, it is easier for the remaining ones to fill up. Thus, the narrative that there is a higher percentage of stored capacity can be maintained, although in absolute terms there is less available water. A statistical manipulation that, as pointed out, "only a profound fool" can overlook.
The drought that wasn't: Data vs. Narratives
Data is stubborn, according to some interveners. While in areas like the Canary Islands or Murcia the drought is real and persistent—"here there is a damn drought and it doesn't look like it will improve," it is stated—in most of Spain the situation would be radically different. Autumn rains have broken records, and northern and central reservoirs accumulate reserves well above usual levels.
The controversy is significant. Some maintain that climate change is an unquestionable reality and that these episodes of abundance are just an anomaly within a global trend towards aridification. Opposing them is the evidence, according to others, that apocalyptic predictions have failed for years: neither the ozone hole has disappeared, nor are droughts permanent, nor have reservoirs emptied forever.
The uncomfortable question left in the air is: if the data refutes the narrative, why insist on it? Perhaps because, as suggested, lies have become the norm.
Key data from the debate:
The drought that has dominated headlines for over a year has hit an inconvenient fact, according to a debate participant: Spanish reservoirs are at record levels. According to data published on embalses.net, stored water would exceed last year's figures by more than 15 percentage points and historical averages by 6 points. A reversal that, in this user's view, exposes the catastrophic narrative that has dominated public discourse on climate and water in Spain for months.
The initial message of the debate made it clear: "A new lie has been proven evident; they terrified us with drought for more than a year. They haven't even managed to empty the reservoirs." The claim, far from being an exaggeration, is supported by verifiable data that anyone can consult on official water monitoring websites.
Why were reservoirs peine if there was a drought?
The paradox is evident. For months, it has been reported that reservoirs were being peine to generate hydroelectric power—more than 25% of electricity produced in Spain is of hydraulic origin, according to demand.ree.es data—while warning of a catastrophic drought. This contradiction has not gone unnoticed.
Some argue that opening dams responds to a deliberate strategy to justify restrictions and climate policies. Others point out that it is simply the normal management of a hydroelectric system that needs to turbine water to produce energy. The reality is that, as noted in a recurring analysis in the debate, hydroelectric generation is a non-consumptive use of water: the turbinated water does not disappear; it is dammed downstream or returns to the same reservoir.
The underlying problem is that the official drought narrative has been built, according to some participants, on partial data and predictions that have not come true. As one intervention summarizes: "In three months without rain, they catch up with the drought; saving for the future is not for these people."
The business of dam demolition
Beyond energy management, the debate has raised a lesser-known issue: the demolition of reservoirs in Spain. It is alleged that dams are being destroyed under the pretext of river renaturalization, a process not free from economic interests. The question looming is who benefits from Spain having less water storage capacity.
The logic is crushing, according to one user: if you destroy reservoirs, it is easier for the remaining ones to fill up. Thus, the narrative that there is a higher percentage of stored capacity can be maintained, although in absolute terms there is less available water. A statistical manipulation that, as pointed out, "only a profound fool" can overlook.
The drought that wasn't: Data vs. Narratives
Data is stubborn, according to some interveners. While in areas like the Canary Islands or Murcia the drought is real and persistent—"here there is a damn drought and it doesn't look like it will improve," it is stated—in most of Spain the situation would be radically different. Autumn rains have broken records, and northern and central reservoirs accumulate reserves well above usual levels.
The controversy is significant. Some maintain that climate change is an unquestionable reality and that these episodes of abundance are just an anomaly within a global trend towards aridification. Opposing them is the evidence, according to others, that apocalyptic predictions have failed for years: neither the ozone hole has disappeared, nor are droughts permanent, nor have reservoirs emptied forever.
The uncomfortable question left in the air is: if the data refutes the narrative, why insist on it? Perhaps because, as suggested, lies have become the norm.
Key data from the debate:
- MORE THAN 15 PERCENTAGE POINTS of stored water compared to the previous year, according to a participant
- 6 PERCENTAGE POINTS above the historical average, according to a participant
- 25% OF ELECTRICITY produced in Spain is of hydraulic origin, according to a participant
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (113 replies).
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