Algarve Water Reserves Hit All-Time High — Region Has Enough Supply for Four Years

After years of drought emergencies and water rationing, the Algarve's reservoirs have reached their highest levels ever recorded, with reserves now sufficient to supply the region for at least four years, according to the president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).

José Pimenta Machado, head of the APA, confirmed to Público that Algarve water storage reached 404 cubic hectometres (hm³) — equivalent to 91 per cent of total capacity — surpassing the national average for the first time in recorded history. At the same point last year, reserves stood at just 238 hm³, or 53 per cent of capacity.

A Dramatic Reversal

The turnaround is remarkable. As recently as 2023 and 2024, the Algarve was in the grip of severe drought, with some reservoirs falling below 15 per cent capacity and authorities imposing restrictions on agricultural and urban water use. The Bravura dam, in the municipality of Lagos, was notorious for running virtually dry.

Now, Bravura sits at 101 per cent of capacity due to flooding, and every dam in the Algarve region has carried out preventive discharges to manage the abundance. Nationally, Portugal's reservoirs hold 12,610 hm³ of water — 95 per cent of total capacity — after an exceptionally wet winter driven by successive Atlantic storm systems, including the destructive Storm Kristin.

Agricultural Windfall for the Alentejo

The water surplus is already having downstream economic effects. The Alqueva mega-reservoir in the Alentejo — Europe's largest artificial lake — is holding at 86.5 per cent, prompting authorities to increase water allocations for the region's agricultural sector. Alentejo farmers, who depend heavily on Alqueva irrigation for olive groves, vineyards, and cereal crops, are set to benefit from expanded planting capacity this growing season.

"I have no doubt that for the next two to three years, in terms of water quantity, we are completely at ease," Pimenta Machado told Lusa, adding that national reservoir records could be broken by the end of the measurement period.

The Other Side of Abundance

The same storms that filled the reservoirs also caused widespread destruction. The volume of water flowing into the Aguieira dam over just three weeks was enough to fill it 3.5 times, while Castelo de Bode received 1,800 hm³ in a fortnight — 1.5 times the dam's total capacity. Managing these extraordinary volumes to prevent downstream flooding in cities like Coimbra required careful coordination.

Experts caution that while the immediate water crisis is over, Portugal's long-term water security still depends on infrastructure investment, reducing network losses — which currently exceed 30 per cent in some municipalities — and adapting agricultural practices to a Mediterranean climate that oscillates increasingly between drought and deluge.

Sources: Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente (APA) via Público, Agroportal, Sul Informação