Historical development of the levadas around Rabaçal and on the south side between Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Pargo

The area around Rabaçal was used early on, because of its abundance of water, to carry water to the fields on the south coast. Historically, several building phases can be distinguished:

Phase up to 1855:

The south coast was irrigated above all by vertical levadas, which started partly on the Paul da Serra and partly on its southern edge. Whether the levadas documented later, such as the Levada da Serra da Ponta do Pargo, the Levada Velha do Lajeado, the Levadinha da Serra, the Levada Seca, the Levada dos Marinheiros, the Levada da Serra de Ponta do Sol, the Levada de Tabua, the Levada do Moinho, the Levada Velha das Canhas, the Levada do Coronel, the Levada do Techo and the Levada do Lombo do Mouro (to name only the larger levadas) already existed at that time, and in their present form, is beyond my knowledge. There are countless small levadas that supplied individual lombos with water from the streams beside them.

I also do not know when the 3 levadas that are ruined today were built. They took water from the Rabaçal area and, until the Levada Nova West was built in 1953, irrigated the various lombos in Estreito da Calheta (Levada da Senhora, Levada dos Moinhos and the Levada da Azenha).

Phase 1855-1877:

With the opening of the historic Levada do Risco, made up of today's 'Levada do Risco', the now ruined 'Levada do Furado Velho', the Furado Velho (Tunel das Estrebarias) and its continuation on the south side to the areas around Prazeres, Fajã da Ovelha, Ponta do Pargo and Paúl do Mar.

I do not know whether the 3 Rabaçal levadas Levada da Senhora, Levada dos Moinhos and the Levada da Azenha were also built in this period, before the Furado Velho, or after the Furado Novo was built.

Phase 1877

With the opening of the Levada Vinte e Cinco Fontes, the Furado Novo (rider tunnel) and the horizontal levada that followed it to the west and to the east, the area around Calheta, Estreito da Calheta and Arco da Calheta was supplied with water. The western branch crosses the Levada da Senhora and the Levada dos Moinhos, which were probably already there. I have not yet been able to clarify exactly how the flow of water was regulated here. The eastern branch of the Levada Vinte e Cinco Fontes likewise crosses the Levada da Azenha, which was probably also already there.

Phase 1877-1953

In this period, and possibly, as mentioned above, much earlier as well, the Levada da Serra da Ponta do Pargo, the Levada Velha do Lajeado, the Levadinha da Serra, the Levada Seca, the Levada dos Marinheiros, the Levada da Serra de Ponta do Sol, the Levada de Tabua, the Levada do Moinho, the Levada Velha das Canhas, the Levada do Coronel, the Levada do Techo and the Levada do Lombo do Mouro were also built. The following map shows the situation in 1942:

Phase 1953–ca 2020

The time of the great new levada building in the 1950s of the 20th century changed the situation around the Rabaçal area fundamentally:

• The Calheta I power station was built, and 2 large new horizontal levadas (Levada Nova West and East) were constructed.

• The historic Levada do Risco was cut at the Rabaçal house and the water led, by a vertical levada shortly before the rider tunnel, into the Levada Vinte e Cinco Fontes; the rest (the 'Levada do Furado Velho', the Furado Velho and the connecting levada on the south side) was taken out of service, as were the 3 levadas from the Alecrim area (Levada da Senhora, Levada dos Moinhos and the Levada da Azenha).

• The Levada Vinte e Cinco Fontes was cut on the south side at its eastern horizontal branch and connected to the Calheta I power station by a penstock. The western horizontal branch is today an access track from the ER-211 to the levada house of the Levada Vinte e Cinco Fontes, and further west a forestry track.

• The Levada da Rocha Vermelha was newly built, together with the Levada do Seixal as a further feeder from the north side, and connected to the Calheta I power station by a penstock.

• The Levada do Paul I was newly built on the line of the Levada dos Moinhos and connected to the newly built Camara da Carga at the Rabaçal car park.

• The Levada Velha do Lajeado was cut at the crossing of the Ribeira do Alecrim (old aqueduct); the water was led into the Ribeira do Alecrim and later caught by the Levada do Paul 1.

• The Levada do Paul 2 was newly built and also connected to the Camara da Carga at the Rabaçal car park.

• The Camara da Carga was connected to the power station by 2 penstocks

• The Levadinha da Serra was cut and connected to the Levada do Paul 2.

• The Levada da Serra da Ponta do Pargo was connected to the Levada Nova West

• Further east the Levada Nova da Ponta do Sol was built.

• The Levada Seca was abandoned

• The Levada de Marques Teixeira was newly built

Phase from 2020

In 2020 the existing Calheta I power station was extended into a pumped-storage station, Calheta III. The aim is to raise output and, above all, to store the electrical energy produced by the wind and solar power stations.

It essentially comprises the following points:

1. Removal of penstock 1 from the Camara da Carga to the Calheta power station and taking the 2 turbines out of service. Construction of a reservoir, "Pico da Urze", with a volume of 1'000'000 m3 and a dam 31 m high, on an area of 7 ha.

2. Installation of 2 new turbines of 15 MW each, 3 pumps of 4,9 MW each, a collecting basin of 73'750 m3 with a dam 34 m high and an area of 6'360 m2 at power-station level.

3. Penstock 3.6 Km long, serving both as pressure pipe and as pumping pipe

4. Pumping station of 2x 150 kW in the area of the Camara da Carga storage basin, to pump the water of the Levada do Paul 1 and Paul 2 up to the level of the new reservoir.

5. Increase in the capacity of the Levada do Paul 2 from the Madre to Km 8.6 (walls raised by 25 cm).

6. Rebuilding of the Levada Velha do Lajeado between the Ribeira do Lajeado and the Ribeira do Alecrim (1600 m) in concrete, and a feed to the Pico da Urze reservoir

7. Rebuilding of the section of the Levada Nova between the power station and the Lombo do Salao storage basin, to reduce water loss.