The Charca de las Casas is part of the group of wetlands associated with the Canal de Castilla in the province of Palencia, within the protected area ZEPA Lagunas del Canal de Castilla, included in the Natura 2000 Network. Its origin is directly linked to the construction and operation of the canal between the 18th and 19th centuries, a great work of hydraulic engineering that profoundly transformed the territory.
This wetland formed as a result of the barrier effect of the canal and seepage from its earthen channel, creating a small, seasonal pool. The water level varies considerably throughout the year, depending on the canal’s water level and climatic conditions, which has favored the development of marsh vegetation adapted to alternating cycles of flooding and drought.
The Charca de las Casas is a representative example of the indirectly anthropogenic wetlands created by the Canal de Castilla. Its heritage value lies both in its ecological importance and in its ability to explain how an infrastructure designed for navigation and irrigation ended up creating new natural landscapes in a traditionally dry and homogeneous agricultural environment.
For the visitor, this enclave forms part of the overall understanding of the Canal de Castilla as a territorial system, where history, engineering and nature combine to create a network of small wetlands that enrich the natural and cultural heritage of Tierra de Campos.
