Patrimony
10 COMMITMENTS AS CLEAR AS MADRID'S WATER
As we want to speak to you clearly and offer you more solutions for your needs, we have taken another step in our relationship with you. We assume 10 commitments with which to continue providing you with a quality, fair and transparent service. 10 commitments as clear as the water of Madrid.
PATRIMONY
Canal de Isabel II's patrimony is part of the history, landscape and leisure activities of Madrid. Since it was founded in 1851, Canal de Isabel II has constructed major hydraulic infrastructures which today offer a huge source of historical, technical and patrimonial wealth. Our infrastructures combine their function in the service of the public management of the integral water cycle with their availability to the people of Madrid as the space for leisure, sports and culture.
Our history
1848
Water abstraction project
In 1848, a Royal Order issued by Isabel II appointed the engineers, Juan Rafo and Juan de Ribera, to draw up a project to end the water supply problem besetting Madrid. The two engineers designed and constructed a gravity dam and a canal almost 70 kilometres long with a reservoir of 48,000 cubic metres. This infrastructure would carry water from the River Lozoya to the city of Madrid and supply up to five times the population of that time.
1851
Canal de Isabel II's origin
Juan Bravo Murillo, president of the Council of Ministers, was so enthusiastic about the proposal that he considered it to be the solution he had long been searching for. With this conviction, the minister concluded that it was time to make Rafo and Ribera's preliminary project a reality. Its approval became final by means of Royal Decree on 18 June 1851. The decree provided for the construction of a reservoir and a channel measuring more than 70 kilometres in length to carry water from the Lozoya River to Madrid and would become the starting point for what we know today as Canal de Isabel II.
1858
The water from the Lozoya reached Madrid
On the 24th of June 1858, water from the Lozoya River reached Madrid for the first time, thus, ended one of the most important civil engineering works of the time and Queen Isabel II opened the Madrid water supply. The milestone was commemorated through the instalment of a fountain in San Bernardo Street.
1869 - 1879
El Villar Dam
While a fast-growing urban supply network was being developed in Madrid to carry the water to the homes of the inhabitants, in 1869 work started on the innovative El Villar dam, which came into service in 1879. The dam was 30 years ahead of its time: it was the first arch-gravity dam, the highest in Europe at that time, at 50 metres, and today, it is the oldest dam still in service belonging to the Canal de Isabel II supply system.
1911
First Water Tower
At the start of the 20th century, and after the construction of several underground tanks which increased the guaranteed water supply, it became necessary to supply the higher areas of the city. In 1911 the first Pumping station and the first water tower were opened and are one of the most recognisable symbols of the company. Designed by the engineers, Diego Martín Montalvo, Ramón de Aguinaga and Luis Moya, the brick tank built in Neo-Mudejar style, raised 1500 cubic metres of water to a height above ground level of 32 metres, thanks to the pumping station built in the vicinity. Today the tank has been converted into an exhibition hall and has become an inherent part of Madrid's urban landscape. 1972 – Opening of the El Atazar dam
1972
Opening of the El Atazar dam
Between 1968 and 1976, more projects were completed than throughout the entire history of the company: treatment plants, tanks, dams and reservoirs were constructed. In 1972, El Atazar dam came into service. More than 134 metres high, it takes water from the Lozoya river which continues to be the most important water reserve in the region even today. At the tail of the area which regulates the Lozoya river basin, the El Atazar dam has a storage capacity of more than 425 cubic hectometres. That is, almost half of the total supply system for the region.
2005
A commitment to waste water treatment and recycling
Halfway through the first decade of the 21st century, Canal assumed a major commitment for the treatment and recycling of waste water for use in the irrigation of green zones, in industry and for cleaning the streets. This was the start of the Plan Dpura (Waste water treatment plan), involving major investments and the construction of collectors, treatment plants and other sanitation-related infrastructures: the aim being to treat 100% of the waste water in the region and to preserve the quality of the water bodies in Madrid. Moreover, and in 2005, an agreement was signed by which Canal took over the management of all the major waste water treatment plants in the city of Madrid.
2016
Pelayos de la Presa Waste Water Treatment Plant
With the start-up of Pelayos de la Presa Waste Water Treatment Plant, Canal de Isabel II completed the connection of the entire Community to the main water supply system, following a global investment of 33.9 million Euros which guarantees a quality water supply to the towns of the so-called south-west corner of the region: Pelayos de la Presa, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Cenicientos, Cadalso de los Vidrios and Rozas de Puerto Real. The plant, equipped with membranes for the ultrafiltration of water, joins the 13 existing plants in the region to complete the Canal de Isabel II water supply system in the Community of Madrid.
2018
Implementation of remote meter reading
With the pilot project for remote water meter reading using NB-IoT technology, Canal launched a pioneering initiative in Spain, in collaboration with communication operators and meter manufacturers. This system now enables the company to provide customers with accurate consumption data, detect leaks or issues in their facilities, and improve efficiency across the entire integrated water cycle.
Recreational areas
Parks
Historical heritage
Recreational areas
Parks
Historical heritage