The Amadorio Reservoir
This fascinating reservoir represented a dam in Afganistan in Guy Ritchie's movie, " The Covenant ".
This fascinating place is one of those hidden gems that the normal tourist to the region regularly ignores, in favour of the fantastic beaches and coves of that part of the Costa Blanca. It holds the distinction of being the closest water-supply reservoir to the sea in Spain and it is only 4km from the sea front at the popular tourist town of Villajoyosa. It is fed by a river that hardly runs at all in the summer months and, as the reservoir supplies water to both Villajoyosa and Benidom, the summer drawdown regularly exposes traces of the settlements that were flooded when the impoundment was inaugurated in 1957 (after a 10 year construction period for the dam and surrounding infrastructure). This includes buildings, roads and bridges.
Attractions of the reservoir, in addition to the transient exposure of historic settlements include both the general attractiveness of the water body and the nomally tranquil local environment and some fascinating wildlife. This includes some very large fish and a healthy population of freshwater turtles, both of which can be easily observed when looking over the dam wall. The fish look big even from the top of the dam down to the lowest possible level of water and the reservoir is a popular fishing spot when full.
The 16km walking or cycling route around the reservoir includes two tunnels on either side of the dam wall. At one time the tunnels and the road across the dam used to carry local motor traffic but the road has been closed to vehicles, other than bikes, for several years.
One of the tunnels has ” portholes” overlooking the lake and the dam which provide an ideal spot to view the resident bird life.
Two interesting cylindrical structures close to the dam are silos used to hold cement during the dam’s construction. A walk across the dam also brings you up close to the mechanism used to control the flow of water over the spillway and, at the right time of year, to a magnificent display from the nesting house martins.
Whilst summer drawdown is not uncommon in 2024 the dam and waterworks were undergoing extensive works, including works to deal with an infestation of zebra mussels. The locals complain that the drawdown has removed their view of the beautiful body of water but the exposure of the historic and engineering features are, to many, a good compensation.
However, for fans of the movies, the reservoir’s greatest claim to fame was that it was used in 2022 for filming a spectacular scene of Guy Richie’s film ” The Covenant”.
Know Before You Go
At the north end of the reservoir is a restaurant which does fantastic sticky ribs but be warned that the massive portion served is really to share rather than attempting the on your own.
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