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Was it a success to build the Sau reservoir? Today it is only 1.40% of its capacity, almost completely dry, and has exposed the ruins of what was the town of Sant Romà de Sau.
With climate change and persistent drought, the debate has been opened about whether it was worth displacing the residents of this town to cover with water a land that is now just that, land, as seen in these photographs in Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia.
The reservoir dates back to 1963, although it began to be planned in 1931 and construction began in 1947. By then, the residents of the town had already received notification that they had to leave their homes.
In addition to producing electricity, storing and channeling water from the Ter River, the truth is that the reservoir has become a first-rate local tourist attraction in the Osona region. Even with the drought it has had a boom in visitors.
The Sau reservoir, located in the municipality of Vilanova de Sau, is at the foot of the Guilleries massif. The abysses that surround the swamp are spectacular and are reflected in its waters.
Sau is part of a system of three reservoirs, along with those of Susqueda and Pasteral, which unites the regions of Osona and La Selva. Of the three, the last is the one that is best withstanding the consequences of the drought.
When the swamp covered the town of Sant Romà de Sau, it not only left the 11th century Romanesque church under its waters, but also other elements that are again visible today with the drought, such as the cemetery, the old mill or the houses.
The Sant Romà church holds a world record, in fact, and that is that it is registered as the oldest in the world that is preserved standing in water. Although, now, it is completely exposed, as if the town had wanted to vindicate itself after so many years of abandonment submerged in the reservoir.
