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Weir of El Mesto

Pedrezuela, Cuenca del Medio Jarama, Madrid

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 2 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

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Weir of El Mesto

Monument · Pedrezuela, Cuenca del Medio Jarama, Madrid

A diversion dam located on the course of the Guadalix river, in the municipal district of Pedrezuela, today disused although still operational. As early as 1859 a smaller weir and canal had been built on the same spot to supplement Madrid's water supply, following the leaks detected at the Pontón de la Oliva; the current, larger weir was inaugurated in 1905 to divert water into the original canal supplying the capital, via the new Guadalix Canal, built at the same time. Since the weir lacked storage capacity and the river's flow dropped sharply in summer, a reservoir was planned upstream but was not built until 1967, the year in which the reservoir initially called El Vellón reservoir, later renamed Pedrezuela reservoir, came into service.

Photo: Calima (CC BY 3.0)

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