The Abegondo – Cecebre reservoir dam: a source of water to A Coruña
The Abegondo-Cecebre reservoir dam, which was built in 1976 to supply water to the city of A Coruña, is located on the north of the town of Abegondo. It shares space with the municipalities of Cambre, Carral, Bergondo, Betanzos and Oza dos Ríos, being the Abegondo one which has more seacoast. It is a protected natural area in which the waters of Barcés and Mero rivers and its affluent, the River Gobia converge.
This reservoir is listed as a Site of Community Importance (SCI), included in the Natura 2000 network and it has the protection because it is a Special Protection Area of Natural Values (ZEVPN). It is one of the best places for bird watching in the region of As Mariñas (A Coruña), since along the stations appear in this space many ducks, herons, cormorants, terns and other species, during their migration to the north of Europe.
Besides, it has a beneficial microclimate for the confluence of Barcés and Mero rivers. Between them, they give life to the reservoir inundating the fertile ground where there was literal and literally El Bosque Animado (The Enchanted Forest), a Wenceslao Fernández Flórez novel. The region is surrounded by excellent manors, banks and horticultural crops, highlighting willow, alder forests and aquatic waterfowl refuges in the most inaccessible areas.