Huerta.
The Reial Séquia de Montcada, l’Horta Nord’s water
It takes its water from the Túria at Paterna and irrigates Foios and much of l'Horta Nord. It is not part of the Water Tribunal.
The Reial Séquia de Montcada takes its water from the Túria at Paterna and irrigates much of l’Horta Nord, Foios included. It is not one of the Water Tribunal’s canals: it has its own organisation and its own irrigation court.
Where the water comes from
The canal takes its water from the river Túria at the Paterna weir and irrigates most of the river’s left bank, from Paterna to Puçol. How much water it can carry is set by four boards which, according to the canal itself, have stood since time immemorial in the sluice of the weir. It runs for about 33 kilometres.
What land it irrigates
The Reial Séquia counts 21 towns in its irrigated area. In l’Horta Nord they include Foios, Meliana, Vinalesa, Bonrepòs, Almàssera, Albalat dels Sorells, Museros, Albuixech, Massalfassar, Massamagrell, la Pobla de Farnals, Rafelbunyol, el Puig de Santa Maria and Puçol. The canal gives an irrigated area of about 7,000 hectares.
How it is run
The sovereign body is the General Assembly of Irrigators. Day-to-day management falls to the Governing Board, made up of syndics elected every three years by the irrigators of their area. The syndics in turn elect the Acequiero Mayor and President.
Disputes between irrigators are settled by its own Tribunal or Irrigation Jury. Its headquarters is the Casa Comuna in Montcada.
Not to be confused with the Water Tribunal
The Tribunal de les Aigües (Water Tribunal) of València brings together nine canals of the Vega: Quart, Benàger i Faitanar, Tormos, Mislata, Xirivella, Mestalla, Favara, Rascanya and Rovella. It meets every Thursday at noon at the door of València Cathedral. The Reial Séquia de Montcada is not one of those nine.
They do share heritage: the Generalitat decree that declared the weirs of the Tribunal’s canals a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) also included the weir of the Reial Séquia de Montcada.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Montcada canal irrigate Foios? Yes: Foios is on the list of towns in its irrigated area.
Is it part of the Water Tribunal? No. It has its own irrigation court.
Where does it take its water? At the Paterna weir, on the river Túria.
Sources
- Real Acequia de Moncada (in Spanish, accessed 19-10-2026)
- Tribunal de las Aguas de Valencia (in Spanish, accessed 19-10-2026)
- BOE · Decree 148/2006 of the Generalitat (BIC weirs, in Spanish)
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