Use and Management in the Heritage Conservation of the Historic Water Supply of Canal de Isabel II, Madrid

Abstract

The historic water supply to large cities constitutes a constructed heritage characterised by comprising a range of public structures—dams, canals, tanks, siphons and aqueducts—over a large geographical area. Within this international context, this paper looks at the case of Canal de Isabel II (CYII) and its historic infrastructure, built in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. The purpose of this study is to analyse how these water supply public works, which maintain their original use, have also taken on new functions through the conversion of some of their parts and added new values to the existing ones. In order to do this, an inventory was drawn up with the location and cultural value of each structure based on its historic, technological, landscape and symbolic features, as well as its use. The results establish the significance of the overall system, not only in functional terms but also as a cultural resource. It is essential to understand the historic water supply infrastructure as a whole, not just as individual components but rather as pieces of a network. This is also essential for the management and preservation of the system, both where the structures are still in use as part of the water supply and where they have been converted for other uses.