Menorca drinks its water in the countryside

CitadelMenorca has started the summer with water reserves at their lowest level in a decade. While they were at 71% of their capacity in June 2015, this year they are barely at 42%. The island has been on pre-alert for drought for two years now, starting in May 2023, yet even today, local councils are resisting significant tariff increases. Only Mahón, which has not been able to supply drinking water to the population for a year, has implemented consumption restrictions.

In the last eight years, a desalination plant has been launched in Ciutadella, a water treatment plant in El Castillo, and two denitrification plants in Mahón, with authorization for the construction of a third. Furthermore, the regional government has just initiated the administrative procedures to plan a desalination plant in the eastern part of the island. But the situation, far from improving, is getting worse. Although the Administration has begun to invest in the reuse of treated water and in detecting leaks in the supply network, the population continues to grow, and land-use planning instruments propose further increases in the medium term: almost 24,000 new tourist places and a maximum capacity, including visitors and residents4, to accommodate2.

Ciutadella has had its General Plan paralyzed for eight years because it has not been able to prove that it will have enough water to supply the expected growth. The lack of control has even led to the intervention of the Civil Guard and the courts investigating an alleged environmental crime in water management. Water Resources does not know how much is being extracted from 30 of the 76 authorized catchments, and in some cases it is pumped tens of meters below sea level. Losses in the network, which are 30%, must also be reduced to 17%.

The GOB is calling for a review of tariffs to punish their abuse. Remember that in Ciutadella there is a considerable amount of land designated for intensive irrigation that extracts a lot of water from the aquifer, and at least 14 rural areas with hundreds of illegal villas without services. A reality not reflected in official data, although "it very likely implies extractions that equal or exceed urban ones," according to the organization. "The significant number of spaces with irregular houses and vegetable gardens on rural land represents considerable pressure on water intakes, as well as a lack of sewage systems and an almost complete lack of control over wastewater," it adds.

The solution to the serious problem that already existed in Ciutadella a quarter of a century ago was to build a desalination plant, which, the GOB concludes, "should serve to learn some lessons." "When a desalination plant is built, it sends the population the message that water availability will not be a problem, and this increases consumption," the organization emphasizes. But since the cost of desalinated water is higher and municipal governments haven't dared to raise the bill for citizens, "at this point, only 30% is used, due to price issues." "The rest of the growth experienced has been at the expense of the wells. And the consequence is that, if what is stated in the Sustainable Water Management Plan recently approved by the City Council is fulfilled, in 2031 even with the desalination plant operating at 100% it will not be enough to supply the entire municipality, since more water will have to be extracted.

Like last year, the Maó City Council has been forced to take measures to reduce its consumption. After the warnings issued before the summer to large consumers, it has taken action and prohibited cleaning cars, boats and terraces and watering ornamental gardens. It also requests that swimming pools be covered to prevent water evaporation.

In addition to urging citizens to make this effort, the City Council has closed public fountains and stopped watering roundabouts and garden areas. It has also reduced the volume of water it uses to clean the streets and will install smart taps in the sports center. For its part, The company that provides the service (Hidrobal) is installing smart meters on large consumers to encourage them to spend less and is asking hoteliers to collaborate in raising awareness among tourists as well.

"Reducing consumption in daily routines and non-essential activities can have a huge impact on aquifers," says Mayor Héctor Pons, who will try to resume supplying drinking water to the population after the summer, which has been relying on bottled water for a year.

"There has been a certain negligence in water management," criticizes the director of the Socio-Environmental Observatory (Obsam), David Carreras. "The problems have been coming for 20 years, but until now, Water Resources had paid little attention to the conclusions drawn from meetings within the scientific or environmental sphere. Since the situation on paper was not as serious as on other islands, Menorca could wait. And we couldn't wait." Although in recent years more so."

Carreras believes that "having the desalination plant has not helped Ciutadella to become aware." "In Mahón, the wells have not been redistributed in time and, therefore, now there is no other way out than to also build a desalination plant. If we don't take measures now, the next one will have to be built in Mercadal. The Albaida aquifer continues to decline and more water must be reused to turn the situation around."

The exit from the pandemic, Carreras explains, "has been very accelerated in Menorca." "The population and human pressure have grown, and there has also been a substitution of land ownership that has revitalized the rural world, with agrarian reforms and agrotourism that imply greater consumption and have given new uses to the countryside."

This is the only way to understand, according to the director of Obsam, that although water consumption in towns and tourist centers has been controlled, extraction is increasing. Confirming this, he points out, is almost impossible, since there are illegal wells and very few rural areas that have meters to regulate their consumption. "It rains more or less well, but it is not noticeable in the aquifers. This can only be because uncontrolled consumption has increased," he concludes.

The key: reusing water

According to David Carreras, "the key lies in knowing how to reuse more of the water treated in wastewater treatment plants, of which only 16% is currently used." The director of Obsam believes that "we should be able to prohibit irrigation with well water so that large areas are irrigated only with treated water." "That way, well water would be used exclusively for urban consumption." This initiative requires significant investment in interconnections to increase water availability everywhere.

"Daily use in villages and even in hotels sets adequate levels," he asserts. "The problem lies in detached villas and houses with gardens and swimming pools," which, according to his calculations, can use up to 900 liters per person per day, while in urban centers the figure only exceeds 100 liters.

For this reason, Carreras calls for the possibility of "turning off the tap" for large consumers who abuse it. "There are those who think that because they can afford it, they are allowed to consume all the water they want, when in no case is that the case. Those who irrigate hectares and swimming pools without any consideration should be able to be warned, first, and then turn off the tap if they exceed it."

A new ordinance must also be unified among all city councils that encourages water conservation and penalizes large consumers. "People are not sufficiently aware of the situation we find ourselves in, and if city councils don't start implementing decisive measures, it will be too late."

David Carreras gives the example of renewables. Why are more and more people installing solar panels in their homes? Because with electricity bills of 200 or 300 euros a month, they have seen that this way they could save a good part of the cost. monthly, we will make little progress."