Lake Sils, Catalonia

Historia

Lake Sils, Catalan Estany de Sils or Llac de Sils, is a freshwater dry lake with residual wetlands and marshes located in Caldes de Malavella, Maçanet de la Selva and Sils municipal terms, in the comarca of Selva, Catalonia, Spain. Located in a tectonic basin, this lake was the largest natural lake in Catalonia before being drained in the nineteenth century.HistoryThe original surface of the ancient lake was around 7 km², therefore it appears larger than Lake Banyoles in the ancient cartography of Catalonia.The lake was located in a tectonic depression without natural drainage. The highly seasonal rivers of Riera de Vallcanera, Riera de Santa Maria, Rec Sorrer, El Reclar, Riera de Pins and la Torderola contributed with their waters to fill Lake Sils basin. The surface of the lake was most likely subject to periodical variations, reaching its lowest level at the height of the summer in periods of drought when inflow reached a minimum and evaporation was high.As in most wetlands in Europe in the past, the Sils Lake was seen as an unhealthy area, a focus of maladies. There were several attempts to drain the lake in the past centuries, but these were not successful. Finally in 1851, as part of a campaign against malaria and to promote agricultural development, a long canal was built leading to the Riera de Santa Coloma —a tributary of the Tordera River— and the waters of the lake ebbed away. The lands that were obtained through the desiccation of the lake area were distributed among the people who had built the drainage canal.