Azudes y acueductos del sistema de riego tradicional de la Vega Baja del Segura (Alicante, España)

This paper describes and discusses the main hydraulic works of traditional irrigation system in the Vega Baja del Segura area, particularly the diversion dams and the aqueducts. The diversion dams, built on the bed of the Segura River, represent the beginning of the system from where part a vast and complex network of aqueducts, constituted by ditches and drainage ditches, as fundamental elements that distribute water for irrigation. An extensive and thorough documentary research has been carried out in this study. Field data and in-situ images have been gathered and, along with the provided diagrams, they are essential to understand the magnitude of the system. The results have served not only to catalog and characterize the elements comprising the hydraulic system of the traditional irrigation of the Vega Baja del Segura, but also to reveal a real example of optimization of water resources in an area of the Spanish peninsular Southeast of low and irregular rainfall. In addition, the study reveals a system of highly efficient irrigation from a quantitative point of view and not so much in the qualitative due to the presence of high concentrations of salts, among other pollutants.