Sotogrande News Archive 2024

Luxury living in Sotogrande © Andalucia.com
News from Sotogrande

Sotogrande News Archive 2024

by Chris Chaplow

A round up of news items of interest to visitors and residents of Sotogrande. This is the news archive for 2024. News archive 2023, News archive 2022 and News archive 2021. Latest news is found on the Sotogrande News page.

Carol Service in Sotogrande Church

A popular Carol Service is held in Sotogrande Church on Sunday 15th December 2024 at 12.00 hrs in place of the usual Sunday service by the Anglican Chaplaincy on the Western Costa del Sol. The Carol service was attended by nearly 200 last year. Mulled wine and mince pies were served afterwards.

Nativity scenes - Belén Viviente

The San Roque Belén Viviente will take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th December 2024 from 11.00 to midnight (Saturday) and 22.00 (Sunday) near the parish church of Santa Maria La Coronada and the Plaza de Armas. This nativity scene is organised by the Hermandad de Nuestra Señora del Rocío de San Roque. It includes nativity figures with animals, craftsmen, merchants and Roman soldiers.

A Belén Viviente is more than a Nativity Scene. To understand more read our page about the renoun Arcos de la Frontera Belen Viviente.  

Lighting of the Christmas tree

Celebrate the festive season at Sotogrande Marina on Friday 6th December 2024 at 19.00 hrs with the official ceremony of the lighting up of the 6m tall Christmas tree. Sing along to Christmas carols with the choir of Sotogrande International School. Tree is located at Ribera del Marlin in front of Itsomi Sotogrande.

Christmas Market

Los Pinos Polo Grounds
The Third edition of the 'Nuevo Hogar Betania' Christmas Market returns to the Los Pinos Polo Grounds on Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December 2024 from 11:00 to 22:00. The Christmas Market is organised by the Nuevo Hogar Betania charity of La Linea as a fundraiser for their shelter and housing projects for the homeless. There will also be a play area and live music performances, all accompanied by food and drink. The market is free to attend.

River Guadiaro water level monitoring

In Spain, there is a real-time monitoring system of river levels and flows called the Automatic Hydrological Information System (SAIH). It is primarily a tool for the Hydrographic Confederations for the management of water resources and the forecasting and control of floods. It should be monitored by civil protection organisations. After the floods in Valencia in October 2024, it became clear that citizens need to be aware of this resource and monitor it themselves when there are storms in their area. The residents and vistors to Sotogrande will be pleased to know that the Guadiaro is one of the rivers being monitored.

On this link one can monitor in real time the upper reaches of the River Guadiaro in four places for current water level in metres and flow in cubic metres per second, compare current levels to maximum historic one and also see if a One, Two or Three warning level has been reached.
#9 - Río Hozgarganta at Jimena.
#11 - Río Guadiaro in San Pablo de Buceite
#13 - Río Genal in Jubrique
#103 - Rio Guadiaro in Cortes de la Frontera

20th October 2024 Julien Guerrier is champion of the 2024 Andalucia Masters

Julien Guerrier of is champion of the 2024 Andalucia Masters held at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Sotogrande from the 17th to 20th October 2024.

Julien Guerrier and Jorge Campillo from Extremadura, who started the final day as co-leaders, were 21 under par at the end of the eighteen-hole round and returned to play the par-four 18th as a play-off, but were level on four. So they played the 18th again, and then the 17th, and then the 18th, but were still tied, and so on until one of them won the hole.

Jon Rahm was the big attraction of the tournament, finishing the final day in sixth place at 17 under par. Immediately after walking off the course and recording his score, he spoke to the media for ten minutes and then began signing autographs for the excited children. Only when he was finished did he retire to the clubhouse café for a rest. More about Andalucía Masters 2024.

16-October-2024 Jon Rahm speaks ahead of the tenth edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters 2024.

Jon Rahm returns to Real Club de Golf Sotogrande eager to settle his particular debt with the course, where he just missed the Sotogrande Cup 2012 when he was an amateur.

The Basque golfer, with two Majors and 10 DP World Tour victories to his name, suffered a painful defeat in the 2012 Sotogrande Cup; The European Nations Cup – Copa Sotogrande is an annual amateur golf tournament held at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. It was the first time he had a shot at a major tournament and it slipped away.

‘On the 12th tee I was four or five under on the day and leading by four or five. I don't really remember if I relaxed or got too nervous. I sent it left, double bogey or bogey on 13, birdie on 14, bogey on 15 and three putts on 17, I think for another bogey. On the 18th, I still had a five-metre putt to birdie and win, and I'll never forget it in my life because I left it short of the centre half a centimetre from the hole. Then I lost the play-off on hole one.

‘I will never forget that Sunday, but bad moments are necessary to learn and develop as a player. Great champions like Mickelson or Tiger are capable of telling you about shots they made 35 years ago in detail, they have reached the level they have reached because they learnt a lot from their mistakes’.

Despite everything, Rahm has excellent memories of Sotogrande

‘The hospitality here is incredible and I've never heard anything negative about the course, that means it's very special.

Andalucia Masters returns to Sotogrande in 2024. The Andalucia Masters returns to Real Club de Golf Sotogrande from the 17th to 20th October 2024.

Rahm joins a star-studded field in Andalucia which includes Spanish and international stars such as Victor Perez, Thorbjørn Olesen, Matt Wallace, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Pablo Larrazábal. More about Andalucía Masters 2024.

04-October-2024 Jon Rahm returns to the Andalucía Masters in Sotogrande

It will be the Spaniard’s fourth appearance in the Andalucía Masters, an event in which he came close to victory in 2019, when he finished tied for second place behind South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout. To date, the Basque golfer has 10 victories in 75 appearances on the DP World Tour and has the second best winning percentage on Tour only behind Tiger Woods.

A potential victory at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande would add Rahm to the illustrious list of champions who have won tournaments at the course, which includes Severiano Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy, José María Olazábal, Padraig Harrington, Roberto de Vicenzo, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari and Sergio García.

Rahm joins a star-studded field in Andalucia which includes Spanish and international stars such as Victor Perez, Thorbjørn Olesen, Matt Wallace, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Pablo Larrazábal. More about Andalucía Masters 2024.

04-September-2024 Call for Volunteers as Andalucia Masters return to Sotogrande in 2024

The Andalucia Masters returns to Real Club de Golf Sotogrande from the 17th to 20th October 2024. As in previous years, the tournament organisers have called for volunteers to help with the Andalucía Masters, which will be held at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande from 17-20 October 2024.

The opportunity to experience a DP World Tour tournament first-hand as part of the organisation is one of the reasons why many golf fans volunteer each year. Three days is the minimum requirement, but those who volunteer for four to five days will have the chance to play in the Volunteers' Tournament or enjoy a free green fee. More information and volunteer registration here. About the Andalucia Masters 2023

31-August-2024 Final Copa de Oro Turkish Airlines High Handicap

Team Calatagan beat team ATL Marine & Energy in a close final by 15 goals to 14. The match took place at Los Pinos Field 3, Saturday 31th August: 18:30 hrs. 2024 was certainly a final to remember. Two evenly matched teams, with Team Calatagan's four players on a handicap of 21 and ATL Marine & Energy's on a handicap of 20. At the end of the fifth (of six) chukkers, the score was even at 12-12.

In the final chukker, the score crept up and when the clock stopped for a drop-in with 1m18s to go, the score was even at 14-13. It was a match that seemed destined to go to extra chukka. The crowd were all caught up in the game and, judging by the cheers, seemed to be equally supportive of each team, with perhaps a louder cheer for ATL Marine & Energy. In the final minute, the score was 14-13 to Calatagan, and with five seconds to go, another goal secured a 15-14 win for Calatagan. After this final goal was scored, the players let the last five seconds tick away, knowing the game was already won.

23-July-2024 The 53rd International Polo Tournament is underway

23-July-2024 The 53rd International Polo Tournament started this Tuesday with the first four matches. This is the Bronze Cup Sotogrande, which runs to the finals which are scheduled to be played on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th July. The tournament takes place either on the 3 fields of Ayala Polo Club in San Enrique and the 4 fields of Los Pinos. It is played in 3 categories: High Handicap (20-22 Goals), Medium Handicap (12-14 Goals) and Low Handicap (6-8 Goals). More about the 2024 Summer Polo Tournament at Soltogrande.

Real Club de Golf Sotogrande carries out a bird census in 2024.

The Real Club de Golf Sotogrande decided to carry out a bird census in 2024. 45 nest boxes were installed in cork oaks in the autumn of 2023 to encourage nesting. The census project will be led by Sergio Tirado, director of Golfandbirds and a biologist specialising in ornithology with more than 20 years' experience in environmental management. In the first half of 2024, he has counted nearly 2,000 specimens of 54 different species belonging to 30 families.

"There is an abundance of birds from the passerine order (warblers, tits, wagtails, finches, sparrows, chickadees, goldfinches), the hirundinidae family (various species of planes and swallows) and, around the lakes, waterfowl. We have also noted the presence of less common but very striking species such as the kestrel, the booted eagle, the pied flycatcher and the common flycatcher," explains Sergio.

The privileged location of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande makes it an ideal refuge for both resident and migratory birds, located as it is in a passageway very close to the Strait of Gibraltar. The perfect integration of the course into the landscape and its location next to the Guadalquitón estate, the last cork oak grove to reach the sea, favours the presence of the birds that frequent the Los Alcornocales Nature Reserve," explains Sergio, "in addition, the proximity of the Guadiaro estuary means that the area enjoys special protection, which is reflected in the diversity of the fauna present.

14-07-2024 Calatagan wins the Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal Memorial

Calatagan defeated Arho 9-4 the final at Ayala's field 2 on Sunday 14th July 2024 to win the Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal Memorial. Calatagan is the team lead by the Filipino player Martin Romualez. Calatagan was able to make lead from the and were 3-0 up to the midway point of the second chukker. However in a flurry of just over 1 minute, Arho managed to score back-to-back goals to make the score 3-2 at the half-time break. Calatagan reached the decisive fourth chukka with confidence, where they continued to widen the gap until the final score was 9-4. More about the 2024 Summer Polo Tournament at Soltogrande.

14-07-2024 Sergio Garcia and his Fireballs GC team win 2024 LIV Golf Andalucia.

Sergio Garcia and his Fireballs GC team have won the 2024 LIV Golf Andalucia. Garcia came from seven shots down to win his first LIV Golf individual title on the second hole of the sudden death playoff against Crushers GC's Anirban Lahiri. Meanwhile, teammates Abraham Ancer and David Puig beat the Crushers duo of captain Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey in the team aggregate playoff to give the Fireballs both trophies at Real Club Valderrama. Sergio Garcia said afterwards, "Obviously individual for me, it's a dream come true to do it on my favorite course in front of my family and friends and in front of my teammates. But to even make it even better by winning the team championship, too, it was amazing. So proud of these guys, the way they played. It's a tough course, so it was hard. Very, very proud of what we were able to achieve today." More info >

08-07-2024 Torreguadiaro Summer Fair and Procession of the Virgin del Carmen.

Feria de Torreguadiaro starts on Thursday 11 July and runs to Sunday 16th July 2024. The procession of the Virgen del Carmen takes place every year on the 16th of July, starting at 19:00 from the small church in calle Iglesia in the fishermen's quarter. The procession goes down to Sotogrande Marina and the Virgen del Carmen is carefully loaded onto a barge that sails around to the 'Ensenada de Torreguadiaro' where she is transferred onto the beach. The procession returns to the church via Avenida del Mar. More info on Torreguadiaro page.

01-07-2024 The Schatzies winning streak at the Polo

Los Schatzies continue their winning ways in Sotogrande. After winning the Welcome Cup and then the Joseph McMicking Cup in Sotogrande, they have also won the Spanish Open. Three out of three so far!

The Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal Memorial Cup, the fourth tournament of the season organised by the Ayala Polo Club, will start on Thursday 4 July in Sotogrande and will feature 12 teams with a handicap of up to 8 goals. The action will take place between two venues: Ayala Polo Club and Los Pinos. The tournament will run until final on Sunday 14 July 2024.
More about the 2024 Summer Polo Tournament at Soltogrande.

09-06-2024 Sotogrande Polo summer season underway

For the fourth consecutive year the Sotogrande summer polo season is organised by Ayala Polo Club. The tournamnets will take place between the 3 fields of Ayala Polo Club in San Enrique and the 4 Los Pinos fields near Sotogrande Marina. Ayala Polo Club early-summer season opened with the Welcome Cup and the KE Sotogrande Cup (Results) and now continues with the Joseph McMicking Cup (1st to 11th June 2024) Teams and Fixtures and the Open de España (15th to 25th June 2024) and the memorial to the founder the Enrique Zóbel Cup (29th June to 9th July 2024).

09-06-2024 Sotogrande Music Festval Update - Isabel Pantoja cancels

The third edition of the Sotogrande Music Festival summer concert series takes place in the grounds of the Santa Maria Polo Club, Los Pinos fields in July and August 2024. Comedian Galder Varas opens the festival on 5th July. Antoñito Molina performs on 6th July 2024 with the Sotogrande date on his 2024 Adventure tour. Film Simfony Orchestra Henko perform on the 13th July 2024. Loquilloperforms on the 19th July 2024. Perita Fest takes place on the 26th July 2024. Sergio Dalma takes to the stage on the 27th July 2024. Raule performs on the 2nd August 2024. Luis Fonsi performs on the 9th August 2024. More info including short bio of all the artists. >

09-06-2024 Trocadero more than flamenco festival - four artists confirmed

The fourth edition of the Trocadero flamenco festival in Sotogrande will take place at the Trocadero Beach Club and Restaurant from 3 to 16 August 2024. The Trocadero 'mas que flamenco' festival will present names from the world of flamenco, and, as with last year’s edition, some performers that do not fit into the flamenco category.

This year’s performers are Coti, an Argentine Latin-pop singer; Pitingo, a singer who, although is capable of performing the deepest styles of orthodox flamenco, fuses light flamenco styles with soul and pop; Rebobina (along with Javier Ojeda and Modestia Aparte), a Spanish ensemble that performs a tribute to the Madrid pop scene of the 1980s (La Movida); and The Gypsy Kings, the well-established group from France with Catalan heritage that perform a blend of Catalan rumba, salsa, flamenco fusion and pop. More info >

22-05-2024 Campo de Gibraltar authorises refilling of private swimming pools from 1st June 2024.

Following the line of the Costa del Sol the water company Arcgisa has authorised the refilling of the 7.500 private pools in the seven municipalities under its jurisdiction including San Roque. Inflatable swimming pools will continue to be prohibited as the relaxation is only for those with water recirculation systems. Arcgisa has authorised an increase in volume of water used to water green areas, when there are species of special botanical importance, to 200 cubic metres per hectare per month. The use of showers on beaches will depend on each town council and only those showers with a push button can be used. More details in Water Shortage News.

16-04-2024 Sotogrande: the black sheep of the Campo de Gibraltar in water consumption in the midst of drought.

Europa Sur newspaper published a story raised by San Roque Mayor a few days ago. This time is it reporting the general manager of Arcgisa [the public company owned by the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar], José Manuel Alcántara, has indicated that this "unsupportive" behavior is altering "substantially" the water consumption figures for San Roque, which is much lower in the historic center and the rest of the neighborhoods. During a press conference of the Mesa de Sequía [drought panel of experts], Alcántara has asked for "responsibility" for those users who exceed the maximum consumption of 200 liters per inhabitant per day as decreed by the Junta de Andalucía, and who are risking fines of 6,000 euros. Europa Sur

Unfortunately, individual consumers have no way of measuring their '200 litres per inhabitant per day', as it is a theoretical figure set in relation to the supply of water to the storage tanks of each town hall. It should also be noted that, unlike reservoir volumes, there is no published data on the current water consumption of any of the municipalities along the Andalucia Mediterranean Basin. Read Water shortage News on Andalucia.com>

10-01-2024 ARCGISA announces water restrictions for Campo de Gibraltar

ARCGISA (Agua y Residuos del Campo de Gibraltar, the public company owned by the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar) announced the there would be increased water restriction for the Campo de Gibraltar (under the provisions of the Order of 7 October 2021) and that from inmediate effect there would be a drastic lowering the water pressure from 06.00 hrs to 23.00 hrs as well as a suspension of supply from 23.00 to 06.00 hrs. However, for unavoidable technical reasons, essentially linked to the peculiarities of each municipality, the drastic reduction in pressure may not affect all the locations within the same locality equally, with a minimum night-time supply occasionally being available due to the existence of water in the network.

The director general of ARCGISA recalled that the set of measures just announced emanated from the storage capacity of the reservoirs, there being a critical level that had been set at 41.5 cubic hectometres which signalled the need to adopt and apply measures to save 20% of the water consumption. "It will be from that moment onwards, if the exceptional drought situation persists, when it will again be necessary to gradually adopt other more far-reaching restrictive measures". Source

The use of water is currently FORBIDDEN in the following cases:

  • Filling private swimming pools.
  • Cleaning streets and paths both public and private.
  • Washing cars [except in an approved car wash].
  • Ornamental fountains.
  • Use of public showers [e.g. on beaches].
  • Watering of gardens, parks or green areas, both public and private.

San Roque Mayor calls for compliance with water restrictions in force.

Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, has appealed to all the inhabitants of the municipality to comply with the current water restrictions, especially those living in the areas of San Roque Club and Sotogrande, as these are the two places where more water is consumed per person per day.

According to the current restrictions," continued the mayor, "there was a need for San Roque and the region to have a consumption of less than 160 litres per person per day; and the municipality of San Roque does not comply with this, because there are urbanisations that do not comply with the restrictions on the use of drinking water to fill swimming pools or for watering gardens. We are in a drought, so the gardens should be too, despite the possible aesthetic repercussions, because human consumption is prioritised".

It must be said that the vast majority of the municipality of San Roque," continued the mayor, "is below the 160 litres per person, but in the urbanisations we are above; in San Roque Club the average consumption has been almost 60 per cent higher than permitted, more than 245 litres per person per day; and in Sotogrande it is multiplied by four, over 660 litres per person per day. Source

[The consumption limits are not limits on the water metered by each household or business. They are limits on total drinking water supplied to the large storage tanks of each municipality, divided by the total registered population of each town. It is currently set at 160 per person per day. As a reference, the average person in Andalucia consumes 129 litres of domestic drinking water per day. The consumption limit of 160 litres per inhabitant per day is intended include all the drinking water consumed by business and commerce such as hotels, shops, offices and non-resident holiday homes and villas. The districts of a town with more commerce and business will consume more than the limit for the overall. On the 21-02-2024 the Campo de Gibraltar water company Arcgisa stated that two municipalities; Algeciras and San Roque were not meeting the 160 litres per inhabitant per day requirement.] Read Water shortage News on Andalucia.com>

Galleon Andalucía will visit Sotogrande Marina in April

The Galleon Andalucía will visit Sotogrande Marina on the 12th, 13th and 14th of April 2024. It will be open to visit five of its decks from 10.00 to 20.30. Tickets cost 8€ for adults and 4€ for children and under 5s are free. Tickets are available online at Vela Cuadra

The Galeón Andalucía is a replica of the ships used by the Spaniards between the 16th and 18th centuries in their voyages of discovery and inter-oceanic trade between Spain, the Americas and the Philippines. The galleon was an armed merchant vessel of 60 metres in length. 

The galleon was built in Punta Umbria in 2010, financed by the Junta Andalucia and private companies. Its maiden voyage was from Seville via Cadiz, Malaga, Malta, Hiefa to Shanghai, where it was moored next to the Spanish pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010. It returned to Spain via Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. In 2022, it will visit Spanish ports to celebrate the bicentenary of La Pepa (Spain's first constitution).   This replica galleon, now managed by the Fundación Nao Victoria, is a 500-ton vessel, 49 metres long and 10 metres wide, with 4 masts and 6 sails covering almost a thousand square metres. Its average speed is 7 knots. Since its launch, the galleon has sailed around the world with a crew of between 15 and 35 people.   Applications are welcome for volunteer crew positions. 

The Galeón Andalucía will leave La Sayne-sur-Mer, Toulon, France, on 24 March 2024 and will sail from Sotogrande to Great Yarmouth, UK, arriving on 28 May 2024.  

Sotogrande Music Festval - Seven Concerts announced

The third edition of the Sotogrande Music Festival summer concert series takes place in the grounds of the Santa Maria Polo Club, Los Pinos fields in July and August 2024. Antoñito Molina opens the festival on 6th July 2024 with the Sotogrande date on his 2024 Adventure tour. Film Simfony Orchestra Henko perform on the 13th July 2024, Loquillo performs on the 19th July 2024, Isabel Pantoja is celebrating her “50 Years” Aniversary as one of Spains's prolific and renoun singers with a 15 night Spanish Tour which was inaugurated on 23 September 2023 with a concert in the La Catuja stadium in her home town Seville. Her Sotogrande concert on 20th July 2024 is perhaps a surprising choice, make the most of it as Almeria Bullring on 8th June 2024 is the only other Andalucia tour date. Perita Fest takes place on the 26th July 2024, Sergio Dalma takes to the stage on the 27th July 2024, Raule performs on the 2nd August 2024. More Info >

Collect Corner now offers a secure key holding service.

Collect Corner in Sotogrande now also offers a secure key holding service. Emergencies happen at any time; locked out of your house or car, left the keys behind. Collect Corner make the keys available 24/7. Lodge an unmarked set of keys with at Collect Corner and upon digital code request we make them available to any persons designated.

Collect Corner Sotogrande is principally a parcel collection pick-up point - clients have their package sent to the address, knowing that someone will receive and safely store it; they can then pick it up when it is convenient. Unreliable deliveries mean we often stay in unnecessarily waiting for a package, which can disrupt our plans. With this service, the client decides when to collect their parcel. Collect Corner is located at Centro Comercial Mar y Sol, local 3.9. More info at collectcorner.es

LIV Golf and Andalucia Masters return to Sotogrande in 2024

Dates for the diary. LIV Golf and Andalucia Masters return to Sotogrande in 2024. The LIV Golf returns to Valderrama Golf Club from the 12th to 14th July 2024. The Andalucia Masters returns to Real Club de Golf Sotogrande from the 17th to 20th October 2024. About the LIV Golf Valdreama 2023 and the Andalucia Masters 2023

Travesía sin límites by the Navega Foundation

Puerto Sotogrande presented its Navega Foundation project at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur). The main objective of this initiative is to promote inclusive sailing and nautical tourism. The Navega Foundation has just been created to bring sailing closer to people of all abilities. The foundation's main project is called "Travesía sin límites" (Crossing without limits), which aims to support a crew made up of people with and without disabilities to cross the Atlantic. The initiative will start in 2019 with the Adapted Sailing School, a pillar in the promotion of inclusive nautical tourism.

The Water Shortage

Andalusia has been facing water shortages for several years. This is particularly acute in the Campo de Gibraltar and Costa del Sol, where historically lower rainfall since 2018, combined with high demand from residents, tourism and agriculture, has led to a year-on-year decline in reservoir levels. Agriculture consumes more water than is piped to households and this has contributed to lower levels of natural underground water storage.

Sotogrande is located in the Campo de Gibraltar region of the province of Cadiz, but its water management falls under the 'Demarcación Hidrográfica de las Cuencas Mediterráneas Andaluzas'. In other words, the area of Andalusia where rainwater flows into the Mediterranean (as opposed to the Atlantic). At the beginning of the 2013 water year (1 October to 30 September), all the reservoirs in this area contained 8,675 cubic hectometres (hm3), or 73% of their capacity. By 2022, when the first precautionary measures were taken, this water had already been reduced to 2,783 hm3 or 23% of capacity. By 2023, when the first consumer measures were taken, it had fallen to 2,283 hm3, or 20% of capacity.

The Campo de Gibraltar is made up of two of the 14 subsystems of the Cuencas Mediterráneas Andaluzas, known as the Rio Guadaranque and Rio Palmones and the Rio Guadiaro. In the first subsystem there are two large reservoirs that supply the Campo de Gibraltar. One is the Charco Redondo reservoir on the upper reaches of the River Palmones (as seen from the A-381 Ruta del Toro) and the other is the Guadarranque reservoir on the river of the same name near Castellar. Charco Redondo currently holds 13.6 hm3 and Guadaranque 24.18 hm3, well below the 41.5 hm3 that experts consider to be the minimum. The Guadiaro basin is mainly used for agriculture. The villages are supplied by springs and boreholes fed by underwater reservoirs, and the outflow and boreholes supply the agricultural sector.

The Campo de Gibraltar is made up of two of the 14 subsystems of the Cuencas Mediterráneas Andaluzas and they are called the Rio Guadaranque and Rio Palmones and the Rio Guadiaro. In the first subsystem there are two large reservoirs that supply the Campo de Gibraltar. One is the Charco Redondo reservoir on the upper reaches of the River Palmones (as seen from the A-381 Ruta del Toro) and the other is the Guadarranque reservoir on the river of the same name near Castellar. Charco Redondo currently holds 13.6 hm3 and Guadaranque 24.18 hm3, well below the 41.5 hm3 that experts consider to be the minimum. The Guadiaro basin is mainly used for agriculture. Villages are supplied by springs and boreholes fed from underwater reservoirs, and the outflow and boreholes supply agriculture. In times of drought, the minimum flow of the river is reset. Many residents of Sotogrande point to the low flow of the Guadiaro River and its estuary. Environmentalists blame the citrus growers for the illegal boreholes. However, 34 hm3 a year is transferred from the Rio Guadiaro through the Guadalete-Majaceite aquaduct for industry in Cadiz, under an agreement that allows up to 110 hm3.

How much water is a hm3?
Well one hm3 is a cubic hectometre, which is one million cubic metres, and a cubic metre is 1,000 litres. Spain is one of the five countries in the European Union with the highest water consumption per inhabitant, along with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Italy. The average consumption is 142 litres per person per day in Spain and 129 litres per person per day in Andalusia. The average household water consumption is about 10 cubic metres per month; check your water bill. The whole of Andalusia consumes about 1 hm3 per day.

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