Centuries of artificial recharge on the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada (Granada,Spain)

In the Alpujarra (southern Spain), every year between the March and June, an ancestral practice continues in the form of diverting water from the rivers by way of an extensive network of irrigation channels (acequias) to well-defined, highly permeable areas. This practice, known ascareos, constitutes an ancient example of artificial recharge. The objective is to guarantee a supply of drinking water during the dry months, as well as improve the physicochemical characteristics of the water. In addition, this system helps maintain moisture in the immediate environment, and thus has a positive effect on local vegetation.