Tons of water for a golf course without a permit in Llucmajor: the Government sanctions the responsible company

PalmaThe Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle has decided to sanction the company Novastar Ibiza SL for extracting groundwater without administrative authorization and using it for the irrigation of a private golf course in Llucmajor. As ARA Balears has been able to confirm, the file from the Directorate General for Water Resources, which classifies the facts as a serious infringement, also establishes the obligation to repair the damage caused to the public water domain. The facility is located on a rustic estate in the municipality and coincides with the characteristics of one of the two private golf courses that Terraferida reported in May for high water consumption.

The sanctioning procedure indicates that the company was extracting water from a borehole located on plot 489 of polygon 43 in Llucmajor and was using it to irrigate a golf course located on plot 490 of the same polygon. The resolution identifies the coordinates of the well and expressly points out the absence of the administrative authorization necessary to carry out the extraction. The file has the data provided by Environment agents after the environmental group Terraferida brought to the Administration's attention what it considered an abuse: the fact that water was being used from a presumably irregular catchment to irrigate a golf course.

Once the facts were verified, the Directorate General for Water Resources confirmed that this activity was carried out without the relevant administrative authorization. Added to this irregularity is the obligation to repair the damage caused to the natural resource, a measure that goes beyond the financial penalty.

The available documentation does not yet allow for specifying what volume of water was extracted, how long the usage was maintained, or what material actions the company will have to carry out to restore the public water domain. The exact amount of the fine has not been disclosed either, since the sources consulted explained that "it must first be communicated to the recipient of the sanction".

Terraferida has recently pointed out two golf courses

Before summer, the environmental organization demanded an investigation into the water consumption of two private golf courses, one in Llucmajor and the other in Manacor. Terraferida warned that both were located over overexploited groundwater bodies and considered them an example of what it described as "exaggerated and sumptuous consumption" on Mallorca's rustic land.

The entity demanded that Water Resources investigate the water intakes supplying these facilities and verify whether their activity compromised underground reserves. The complaint came in a context of supply difficulties and water restrictions in several municipalities on the island. Now, the file against Novastar Ibiza SL precisely documents an unauthorized extraction intended for the irrigation of a golf course in Llucmajor.

A private golf course, outside the federated circuit

The Llucmajor facility does not appear among the courses of the Balearic Golf Federation, among other reasons, because it only has a few holes and does not meet the sector's requirements. Local sources identify the property by its traditional name of Son Bono Vell, although this name does not appear in the fragment of the file consulted, which identifies the facility through the cadastral plots.

The distinction is relevant because the water consumption of these private facilities is added to that of conventional golf courses, but it is not necessarily reflected in the sector's sports records. The lack of federal registration does not mean, in itself, that a course is urbanistically illegal. The Water Resources file focuses on a specific issue: the extraction of groundwater without administrative authorization.

This is not the first sanction for watering golf courses with groundwater

The Government has already sanctioned several golf courses in Mallorca for irregularities related to water catchment and irrigation. One of the most significant precedents is that of Vall d'Or Golf, in l'Horta (Felanitx). In 2018, Water Resources confirmed that water was being extracted from two boreholes without authorization and used to irrigate the course. Inspectors verified that groundwater was being mixed with water from the Portocolom treatment plant. The Administration classified the irrigation-related infraction as serious, ordered the restoration of the area, and sealed the boreholes.

Another notable case was that of Son Gual, in Palma, where the Government detected unauthorized extractions and breaches of concession conditions. The 2019 sanctioning resolution also demanded the sealing and cementing of the affected catchments to restore the public hydraulic domain. The same control campaign included proceedings against Pollença Golf, for extracting water without authorization and irrigating with groundwater resources, and against Golf Maioris, in Llucmajor, for an unauthorized catchment. In the case of Maioris, the Government confirmed that the company had acknowledged the infraction and had paid the fine with a 40% reduction.

These precedents demonstrate that the irregular use of groundwater to maintain golf courses is not a new problem. They also show that administrative consequences can include, in addition to fines, measures to prevent the catchments from continuing to operate.

Rural water, under pressure

Terraferida has been denouncing for years the increase in water consumption associated with the transformation of rustic land. The organization considers that the proliferation of large homes, swimming pools, gardens, and recreational facilities entails a demand for resources that adds to the pressure of agricultural, urban, and tourist activities.

In its Inventory of the destruction of Mallorca 2015-2024, the collective documented the artificialization of 546 hectares of agricultural and forest land during this period, as well as the construction of more than 5,000 new swimming pools. For environmentalists, private golf courses are an especially visible expression of this model of consumption: grass surfaces that need regular irrigation in a territory where the availability of groundwater is limited.

The case of Llucmajor now adds a concrete administrative consequence to this debate. Water Resources has not only identified an unauthorized extraction, but also demands compensation for the damage caused to the public water domain.