Watching flowers in the rain!

Im just sitting watching flowers in the rain

Feel the power of the rain making the garden grow,

Im just sitting watching flowers in the rain

Feel the power of the rain keeping me cool.

Welcome waters

The storm filled the reservoirs but  

  rain is elusive in Alt Emporda 

XABIER BARRENA / BARCELONA  & MARIA JESUS IBÁÑEZ / LLEIDA  (translated from El Periodico)

Big week for the Catalans and the reservoirs serving the 5.5 million people who have their water supply based on the river system Ter-Llobregat. In just seven days rainfall the volumes have been stored have risen from 363.4 cubic hecto-metres to 413.1, ie from 59.37% to 67.49%. An increase o 13.68%. Eight more points. 

On this count, however, there is a huge exception: the reservoir of Boadella, in the river Muga. Its figures are still down one tenth, although one tenth up on the records of a week ago, that is, 14 hectometres of reserves and 22.91% of capacity. The River - territory which covers mainly the Alt Emporda - will therefore be in an exceptional state 2. 

The restrictions on water consumption continue, therefore, in force in the region.  

The increase in the storage system that form the basins of the Llobregat and Ter is 49.7 hectometres. Almost the annual expected output of the desalination plant being built in El Prat. The reserves are now at the level of last July and not far from the annual maximum that occurred in June, when they reached almost 70% of capacity. In other words, the consumption of these past four months have gone free.  The comparison with what happened exactly one year ago is even more reassuring. The Ter-Llobregat has more than twice that of water stored in November 2007. Back then, Marsh housed 198 cubic hectometres, 32.5% of capacity, and was heading toward a state of emergency, at 20%.  

EPISODE OF WEEKEND 

The cause of this bonanza water autumn were, above all, two episodes of rain during the weekend, tirelessly recharging  Ter Llobregat. In the reservoir of Sau (in the river Ter), for example, water at a rate of 400 cubic meters per second, 150 cubic meters were registered in The Baells (in the Llobregat) and 90 cubic meters at the Llosa Cavall (in the Cardener, a tributary of the Llobregat). In the city of Girona the flow circulating in half of  the River Ter  is about 3 cubic meters per second.  

In other areas of  Catalunya, the Ebro, Ebro Hydro graphic Confederation (CHE) and the companies that operate hydroelectric dams in the Pyrenees closed their gates yesterday, after spending the entire weekend easing the swamping waters located in the headwaters of the Segre, The Noguera Ribagorçana and Pallaresa Noguera, before the major flood flow experienced by these rivers.  

EARNINGS PYRENEAN 

In just one week, the  Pyrenean reservoirs gained 89 hectometres of water, allowing them to increase their reserves by 4.8%.  Those responsible for the regulation of wetlands remain alert however, the forecast is for further rain and the possibility that, if temperatures go up, it triggers a sudden melting of the abundant snow fall, which fell in the mountain area during the last few days. 

The delegate of the Government of the Generalitat in Alt Pirineu i Aran, Victor Orrit, admitted yesterday that local authorities are on notice, given the risk of new avenues of water. However, the margin for maneuver available to the CHE is still quite broad. Pyrenean reservoirs, which before the current episode of rainfall were around 57% of its capacity, are still at 61.52%. 

The largest increase was recorded in the basin of the Segre, where the dam of Oliana (Alt Urgell) has gained 33 cubic hecto-metres of water and of Rialb (Noguera), and others another 14 cubic hecto-metres.  All this is a consequence of the dramatic rise recorded by the river last Sunday, when the river flowed on its way through Organyà  at 112 cubic meters of water per second, a flow rate multiplied by 10 over the normal readings. 

Fire and Rain

Early evening and what at first appeared to be rain clouds gathering over the eastern Pyrenean Mountains were in fact smoke plumes from a fire on the French side of the border. Yesterday Chaiselounge at Olives and Artichokes (Languedoc- Roussillon, France) told me that they had experienced a little welcome rain this season; though obviously not enough rain to dampen down the woodlands and farmlands where flames often spread quickly and devour everything in their path. Only yesterday Carol observed that the fire fighters of the Girona region had not been as busy with wildfires this year as in recent years. Maybe it is too soon to be counting our Catalonian chickens. 

  

Drought busting

Rainfall came as a welcome relief from the searing summer sun both for us and the struggling plants in our Mediterranean garden. Armed with our usual array of receptacles we harvested as much of the precious liquid as we could manage. The much needed rainwater was later decanted into 5 litre sized water bottles for short term storage. For sometime now we have been trying to find a plastic container fitted with a tap and with a capacity of 1000 litres. Recently I posted about Barcelona importing water by ship; and subsequently Pam at Costa de Luz posted about finding a similar container to the one we were searching for at a paint store, where it had been a container for one of the elements of the mixing process. Paint stores around here were however unable to help us they use a different system. 

During our search for the container, we had consulted with the manufacturer of polyester containers supplied with lids and suitable for potable water storage, he showed us his extensive product catalogue though a 1000 litre model was at 235€, a little too expensive for us. The owner was helpful and suggested several salvage yards and recycling plants; they as well as industrial estates were all searched without success. Ultimately a suitable container was supplied via a pump and irrigation specialist, it was sourced as an empty fertilizer tank on a local farm, and cost 150€ delivered to the Finca. The tank is enclosed in a protective aluminium cage which also proved useful in manoeuvring our new acquisition into place. The rainfall harvest was pumped from the pond and water bottles decanted into the tank. We were delighted to see that we had 900 litres of precious rainwater, which I hope with careful management may see us through a few more of the coming late summer days. Farms in the area may be willing to supply us with further tanks though delivery like everything else up here in Girona Provence is expensive. Still it is progress.

Cooling off

70% shortfall!

The Generaltat de Catalunya website has published the official rainfall figures for our region.

Our finca is in the orange coloured area on the extreme top right.

A dry water year

% Rainfall compared to the climatic average (2006–2007)
2006-2007 was the third consecutive year to register a more or less generalised deficit in rainfall levels

The 2006-2007 water year, which ran from 1st September 2006 to 31st August 2007, is considered to have been dry in most of Catalonia, as it rained between 70% and 90% with regard to the climatic average. Despite being the third consecutive year in which most of Catalonia registered rainfall levels lower than the average, this year was not as extreme as the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 water years.

This data was extracted from the report drawn up by the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC) based on the information about rainfall collected from the automatic meteorological stations (EMAs).

The shortage of rainfall was most notable in the central Pre-Pyrenees area, specifically in the upper valley of the River Llobregat, with values lower than 70% compared to the climatic average. This was also the case in certain points of the upper valleys of the Rivers Segre and Ter.

Further information

Note from the del SMC (110KB)
Report on the 2006-2007 water year (2,5MB) (cat)
The Climate in Catalonia

Related topic: The Environment

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All or nothing

The rain has returned with a vengeance and the garden is once more under water, here I was trying to lay irrigation pipes for the automatic watering system and, just like washing your car, this seems to have started the rain. 

The trouble is it's the wrong sort of rain. What we need is what the Irish call 'soft rain'.

Rain Godess arrives!

Carol has only been here a few days and already we have rain. 

Every available container has been placed around the roof line to catch the rain water. With the reservoirs down to 40% of their capacity, every drop of water will count. We will have to use the water quickly because each open container would become a breeding ground for the mosquitoes.

Dry climate garden

Funny old day.

A return to relative normality

Soon the water falls at Bascara should be looking at their best again, this picture was taken in July 2004 and this image has been just a memory as a result of the drought of 2005. 

The winter rains have now fully replenished the man made lakes, so much rain has fallen in the mountains if not on our still parched land, that the dams controlling the lake have released their excess water into the River Murga.

At least we can water the plants for a while.

Rain at last! Thanks Kelvin.

Last night tropical storm Kelvin arrived with a vengeance. Over 272 litres of water per square meter have fallen in past three days. But with the ground so dry much of the rain washed into rivers and then into the sea.

This newly planted nursery bed was underwater for 24 hours.

Mediterranean plants need well drained soil they say.

Empty promises!

Driving home from a scouting mission to select trees for the Finca, Carol pointed to pine trees that she thought we could utilise to gave a frame work to the garden. Once we arrived at the Villa she was taken aback to find we already had those trees, they are stone pines and are growing all over the hills near to our home. The setting sun shows them off to great effect in this picture.

The sky has been promising rain for the past couple of days. Heavy clouds drift down from the mountain in late afternoon. Thunder claps can be heard in the distance and lightning bolts wrench open the sky within sight of this parched landscape; and yet though one can smell the rain the clouds have none to spare.

Dark clouds gather 

 whilst the sun lights up the almost 

florescent green of the stone pine 

in these the remains of the day.

Water wagon ho!

Rain is now something that only happens in other countries.

Transporting water to the far end of the finca twice a day , trying to keep the young Olive trees alive. Nine five litre water bottles almost fit comfortably into my wheelbarrow. Once the bottles deteriorate I cut the tops off and use them as plant pots, at the end of the growing season they go to the recycling facility to be reborn as water containers etc.