When the Santa Eulària river carried a lot of water

The river in Santa Eulària used to run all year round, until the undergroung freshwater aquifers were increasingly exploited due to the change in economic model that tourism brought about. 

This river is born from the soils of Sant Mateu, goes through Sant Miquel, Santa Gertrudis and reaches the sea in Santa Eulària after a 17 km route above ground. There is a bridge that allows the river to be crossed over on foot, already very close to the sea. At the mouth of the river, the sea invades its course and so it looks like a big, proper river. 

In the 80s, a promenade was built along the left-hand side that almost reaches the old bridge. The latest big flood (there were more) happened in 1977, due to persistent rains that changed the appearance of the mouth of the river. The first part of the river is known as the Besora stream, and then its names change according to the lands it goes through. Other streams join it also along the way. 

In Arab times, from the 10th century onwards, the river was used for agriculture. In 1235, with the Catalan conquest, there is evidence of the existence of water mills that served to grind cereals and legumes, which implied also a channeling system that would intercept the water current that came down the river and deviate some of it towards irrigation canals. 

Various bridges allow the river to be crossed. The one known as the old one, which is located at the lower end, is documented since the 18th century.