The drainage of lake ‘L'Estany’ in Spain

In the 18th century, the practice of drying up the wetlands, marshy or stagnant water areas expanded throughout Europe in order to avoid the malaria fevers that the population periodically suffered and to recover land for farming. This communication describes the current knowledge about the history of the process of drying in various hydrological basins as well as the works in the endorheic lake close to the village of L9Estany, located in the district of the Moianes (Catalonia), in the northeast of Spain. The drying began in the 16th century with drainage channels driven by the Monastery of Santa Maria de L9Estany, and culminated in the 18th century with the construction, using the dry stone technique, of a 425 m long, 2.14 m high and 1.20 m wide drainage mine that diverted water to the basin of the Llobregat River. Now the mine and the canals are conserved for use in times of rain as well as a touristic objective that complements the cultural and religious concerns of the Monastery of Santa Maria with its magnificent Romanesque cloister.