The Canal Imperial de Aragón (Aragon´s Imperial Channel) flows along its way more or less parallel to the Ebro river, to its right bank, from El Bocal in Navarra to Fuentes de Ebro in the Province of Zaragoza.

In the municipal area of Fontellas (Navarra), very near downstream from Tudela, is found the El Bocal spot, origin of the Canal.

Get its water diverted from the Ebro river thanks to the elevation produced by the Pignatelli dam.

It consists of a dam 230 meters long and 6.5 high, finished in 1790.

The water pass through the known as Casa de Compuertas (intake sluice house), that controls the 30 m³/s of volume of water in origin.

The Bocal Real is a beautiful place, where the Renaissance meets the Enlightenment.

We find the Palace of Charles V and its gardens.

Near the palace is the Charles V dam which was the origin in its day of the Imperial ditch, ancestor of the Canal, that came from El Bocal to Garrapinillos.

Next is the leafy Soto de Belver, with great animal and plant richness.

The thousand-year-old oak tree, 33 meters high and declared natural monument…

… or the incredible hedge labyrinth, where it is possible to get lost.

This spot still shows a great similitude with the way it was at the end of the XVIII century.

The Canal Imperial, one day navigable route, connected El Bocal with Zaragoza, having one day three boats that took up and down passengers all weeks, in addition to the ones intended to the merchandise transport.

A long time ago it gave way to other means of transport…

All in all, some new structures like this gates are adapted to a possible transit of  boats.

Not too far we arrive in Ribaforada, a town that has taken off economically thanks to the irrigated lands.

We pass to Aragón crossing between Cortes in Navarra and Novillas in Zaragoza.

An we arrive in Gallur, where the Canal moves closer at only some hundred meters to the Ebro.

We find the original Canal gateway. Built with steel, it was inaugurated in 1996 and is located very near to the Canal bridge.

The irrigation of 26.500 has thanks to the Canal has meant a big leap in the agrarian development of its influence area, bearing in mind the lack of rainfall in the mean Ebro river basin.

As for the crops stands out the cereal, specially the corn. Also the area is rich in alfalfa and vegetables, being the fruit trees in smaller proportion.

Though there is a small percentage of olive trees, there are a large number in Pedrola, origin of the Empeltre variety.

Other important utility of the Canal are the water supplies, both industrial and urban.

Circa 1996 was found a freshwater clam that was believed to be extinct decades ago. It is the bivalve Margaritifera auricularia, currently considered among the species at most risk of extinction in the planet.

As a result from the loss of Cuba in 1898, at the beginning of the XX century was boosted the production of sugar beet. It was for many years the most important crop in the Canal area, where were placed facilities intended to its transport and process. In these photographs from 1935, we can see the activity of sugar beet transport in the vicinities of Grisén and Gallur.

We arrive in Grisén, located between the Canal´s right bank and the Jalón river´s left one.

One of the biggest challenges in the construction of the Canal was to cross the Jalón river.

The water flows over an ashlar stone bridge composed of four big arches of outstanding sturdiness.

Given the valley wideness, it was necessary to build some walls in order to channel the water at both sides of the bridge, so it flowed at an almost constant level.

The walls, built of stone and lime, have a length of more than 1.4 Km.

Even nowadays, it is considered an impressive engineering work.

By the walls, close to the bridge, we find “el Caracol” (the snail). It consists of a tower intended to gain access to the Canal by means of a spiral

staircase. There was a jetty where the passengers embarked and disembarked.

From this place we can enjoy a beautiful landscape. On the one side there is a park with lots of trees, surrounded by green fields criss-crossed with ditches; on the other side we can distinguish, in the horizon, the Moncayo mountain.

Also near the bridge, downstream, is the Almenara of San Martin, which pours water to the Jalón river and feeds irrigation ditches.

Before getting to Zaragoza we find the air base and the airport to the right bank, while the locality of Garrapinillos is located to the left.

Very near the left bank is the Larralde pool, managed, as well as the Canal, by the Ebro River Basin Authority.

It consists of a space that gathers a lot of animals and plants typical of wet environments, like the duck, the kingfisher, the penduline tit or the coot.

The building of the Canal carried the planting of lots of trees on its banks, that in addition to contribute to the ground consolidation, led to an outstanding leisure and landscape space.

As we get into the city of Zaragoza, the Canal serves to the bigger of its water supplies: the one that gives fresh water to the city.

We can still see San Carlos Locks, built in ashlar stone. They were used to overcome the great drop that appears before the Huerva river.

Next is the old mill of la Casa Blanca (white house), which gave name to the Casablanca District. Some time ago was turned into an hydropower plant.

Very near we can drink from the waters of  La Fuente de los Incrédulos (the incredulous fountain), built in 1786 by Pignatelli in commemoration of the arrival of the Canal waters to Zaragoza.  

On the fountain we can see an inscription in Latin: “Incredulorum convictioni et viatorum commodo” that means: “ for incredulous convincing and walkers relief”, because of the little faith that was around in those days about the feasibility of such a plan.

A bridge aqueduct, known as the Ojo del Canal (Canal´s eye), cross over the Huerva river. Next is the Almenara de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, where the water is poured to the aforementioned river.

Near the Torrero district we find the Puente de America (the Bridge of America). The current, of modernistic type, replaces the original that was built by the infantry regiment

in the way of the cemetery, due to the labour shortage in some moments during the Canal building.

The area surrounding this bridge was, along with el Bocal, the more significant of the Canal. Here was the main harbour, called Miraflores, already missing.

Is was also built by Pignatelli a magnificent church in order to be parish for the Canal workers. It hosted three pictures from Goya, that disappeared forever during the Independence War.

This genial painter, also painted the portrait of Fernando VII and the Duque de San Carlos in 1815 commissioned by the Canal Imperial de Aragón Company, works that can be admired at the museum of Zaragoza.

The oldest people perhaps can still remember the gondola of la Quinta Julieta.

Behind the mount of Torrero we can see the Barranco de la Muerte (death gully), crossed by a terrific masonry work built by Pignatelli. At the moment of the shooting of this documentary it is being drilled in order to leave the way open to the Zaragoza´s third ring road. At present, the water flows by a new bridge-aqueduct.

Not very far we find the Almenara de San Antonio de Padua, that included a system for the cleaning of the solids swept along by the Canal.

Ahead, still in the municipal area of Zaragoza, is the Almenara the San Bernardo. From that place we can notice that the Canal keeps its height in relation to the Ebro river, if we look at El Pilar and La Seo´s towers.

Just ahead we can see Valdegurriana locks, as impressive as little known. They consist of four navigation locks built in ashlar stone, that are in good condition, except for the disappeared floodgates, that were burnt by the French army in the Independence War.

After this point, the Canal gets considerably narrower.

The soils following Zaragoza are very rich in gypsum, so that the water tends to seep and to form dolines. This peculiarity made very difficult the advance of the Canal and was one of the reasons that prevented from reaching Sástago to flow into the Ebro river, as it was planned.

For that reason, also, part of the old course was replaced by  a smaller and simpler one at the beginnings of the XX century.

In the junction of the old course and the road to Torrecilla de Valmadrid, we find the Valmadrid locks, little known too.

The ravages of time and neglect have left them in ruins.

After La Cartuja Baja, we arrive in the known as Barranco del Paso del Ganado (the livestock crossing gully). In this aqueduct, smaller than the one from El Barranco de la Muerte, the new course is inside the old one.

After this point both courses part forever.

In the old course we can see several bridges and aqueducts of ashlar stone, that are totally forgotten, some of them invaded by adjacent land owners.

After a 108 Km journey it ends in the Barranco de Zaragoza (Zaragoza gully), in the border of El Burgo de Ebro and Fuentes de Ebro municipal areas.

We owe this great work to D. Ramón Pignatelli y Moncayo, protector of the Canal Imperial de Aragón, that thanks to his perseverance and good work succeeded where others had failed before.