Santa Águeda Dam (Marateca)

In this dam, there are countless streams that form long and shallow arms, standing out on the side of the Borralheira stream, in the northeast sector, in the municipality of Fundão. In this place, several water birds seek refuge, namely herons and waders. In the surroundings of the dam, there are holm oak meadows, where agricultural fields and pastures predominate, among several relevant species.

The Santa Águeda dam, also called Marateca, is located at the southern end of the municipality of Fundão, on the border with the municipality of Castelo Branco, and has been in operation since 1990. This dam resulted from the damming of the Ocreza, a tributary of the Tejo River, and its main use is public supply to the populations of the municipalities of Castelo Branco, Idanha-a-Nova and Vila Velha de Ródão. It is housed in a landscape of soft reliefs, flooding a surface to the maximum height of about 634 hectares, constituting one of the wetlands for the most important water birds in Beira Baixa.