The Secret of Water in Alpuente: The History of Its Springs

In the Valencian region of La Serranía, the historic town of Alpuente has a fascinating relationship with water. The landscape of terraced orchards surrounding the town is no accident: it is the result of centuries of ingenuity on the part of the local people to channel and make use of every drop that flowed from the mountains.

The Fuente Vieja and the Art of Filtration

For generations, the town’s water supply depended on the Fuente Vieja, located just three minutes from the town center. The water traveled about two kilometers from its original springs through an irrigation ditch that supplied both local consumption and the irrigation of the terraced fields.

The most interesting aspect of this infrastructure was its water purification system: before reaching residents, the water passed through a handmade filter known as a “rallo.” This system, composed of several overlapping layers of sand and river rocks, acted as a natural water treatment plant, the structure of which still stands today as a testament to the past.

The Calicanto Dilemma: A Mistake Turned Lesson

Bringing water to the town was not without its trials and errors. The first attempt at channeling the water sought to harness the Calicanto, a small outcrop located near the aqueduct. To retain the flow, the town’s former residents built a modest dam.

However, the nature of the subsoil worked against them. The water quickly seeped through the rock, feeding an underground stream that flowed into the Fuente Nueva. As the residents themselves observed, the Calicanto eventually dried up just as the Fuente Nueva began to gush more vigorously.

The Los Arcos Aqueduct and the Trials of Time

Following the failure of the Calicanto, the residents redirected their efforts toward the Fuente Nueva and the Marimacho spring. To span the ravine or “reguero,” they built an imposing hydraulic structure: the aqueduct.

Its construction reflects two distinct periods:

• First phase: finely crafted pointed arches that precede and cross the main watercourse.

• Second phase: later arches with a gentler pointed profile.

Over the centuries, the structure withstood the test of time, except for the river floods. A severe flood even diverted the river’s course and swept away two of the central arches. For years, the breach was temporarily repaired with a wooden channel, until its subsequent modern restoration. Today, strolling alongside these arches is like taking a journey through the living history of Alpuente’s survival.