Cordobilla Dam

Cordobilla Dam & Reservoir

The Cordobilla Dam & Reservoir is located on the Genil river, in the municipalities of Puente Genil, Aguilar, Moriles, Lucena and Badolatosa, in the provinces of Córdoba and Seville.

The Genil river born in the province of Granada with the union of Real river and Guarnón. Leads in the municipality of Palma del Río, on the left side of the Guadalquivir river wich is its largest tributary.

This reservoir belongs to the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir (Córdoba area) and was inaugurated in 1953.

The reservoir has a NMA area: 313 hectares and NMN capacity: 34 hm3.

The type of dam is Gravity, has a height above the bed of 37.5 m, a coronation length of 165 m and a dam volume of 84.000 (m3).

Purpose

* Irrigation
* Supply
* Eco-Flow
* Electricity

The reservoir is part of the IHA Cordobilla (Inventory of Wetlands of Andalusia).

Ramsar site Cordobilla Reservoir and Malpasillo.

Name: Embalse de Cordobilla

Wetland overview: The reservoir of Cordobilla, along with six lakes and the Malpasillo Reservoir form part of the wetlands of the southern of Córdoba province, on the river Genil.

Type: Dams and Reservoirs in ecological interest areas.

Specific Standard of Protection: Declared Natural Area by Law 2/1989 in July 18th, for appoving the inventory of the Protected Natural Areas in Andalusia and establishing additional measures for their protection.

More about the Cordobilla Reservoir Natural Park

This reservoir, located on the Genil River, was built in 1951 with an original capacity of 34 Hm3. The intense agricultural exploitation together with the deforestation of the hills that surround it, have produced the clogging of its glass due to the sediments dragged by erosion, reducing that figure to only 3 Hm3 today.

In the photo above and in the foreground, the pumping station responsible for supplying water to some 15,000 hectares of the Genil-Cabra irrigation area can be seen, with the regulation dam in the background on the right. The water level remains regularly stable, thanks to an agreement between the Junta de Andalucía and the hydroelectric company that owns the reservoir.

In addition, being located on the Genil River, the reservoir receives relatively constant contributions over time, since during the winter it collects rainfall and during the summer it is fed with water from the melting of the Sierra Nevada. This allows the abundant vegetation that can be seen to develop on its banks, reeds, tamarisks, reeds and cattails, essential for the reproduction of species as interesting as the purple swamp, the purple heron, the marsh harrier or the duck.

Other species of ducks such as the wigeon, the frieze or the red duck also hibernate in this space, and it is common to see various birds of prey in flight such as the booted eagle or Montagu’s harrier, which use it as a hunting ground from their settlement points, with frequently in the nearby olive grove that surrounds it.