Henares Canal Irrigation Community celebrates centenary

The Henares Canal Irrigation Community will celebrate its centenary on September 23. The event, held at the Agricultural and Agro-environmental Research Center (Ciapa) in Marchamalo, marks 100 years of collective water management.

The infrastructure spans approximately 40 kilometers and serves roughly 6,500 hectares across municipalities in Guadalajara and parts of Madrid. The system utilizes the dam's natural elevation to distribute water through three irrigation sectors without requiring energy consumption for conduction. The community currently consists of approximately 1,500 members.

Community president Ángel Estremera noted that the organization continues to pursue its original transformative mission. Current priorities include infrastructure conservation, improving irrigation efficiency, and adapting agricultural practices to increasingly scarce water resources. To commemorate the milestone, the community has launched an initiative to recover historical and contemporary photographs related to the canal and its environment.