LA GOLA DEL PUJOL CHANNEL AND ITS LOCK-GATES
The lock-gates of la Gola del Pujol
Motor pumps working in la Gola
Aerial view of la Gola del Pujol
Audioguide
The Albufera Natural Park wetlands currently connect to the ocean through five channels. Three of these (Gola de El Pujol, El Perellonet, and El Perelló) connect the l'Albufera Lake with the sea, while the other two (Gola del Rei/Mareny and Sant Llorenç/Cano de Cullera) drain the waters of the Sueca and Cullera marsh.
Of the three channels that connect the lake with the sea, Pujol is the only one that does so directly because the others connect through a network of channels. This particular channel is about 1km long and 45 meters wide.
It has 11 lockgates to prevent salt water from entering into the lake during a storm, and regulates the water level of the lake using an adjustable weight placed in one of the cutwater.
In 1990, a system of motor pumps was installed to drain the lake after a storm when the state of the ocean won’t allow gravity to drain it naturally.