The Santanyí Town Council is making progress in improving the security of the water supply with the construction of four new water intakes in the area managed by Aigua Sa Figuereta. This project will provide more extraction points and strengthen the response capacity to potential breakdowns or incidents in the wells currently in service, thus reinforcing the reliability of supply during the peak season.
The mayor of Santanyí, Maria Pons, along with the councilor for the Environment, Bárbara Xamena, visited the construction site yesterday to see firsthand the progress of the work and the technical details of the project. Also present at the official visit were the Santanyí Town Hall's Environmental Technician, Maria del Mar Rigo, accompanied by Xisco Martorell, representative of Facsa; Josep Beltrán, coordinator; and Xim López, head of service.
Work began on Monday, July 13, immediately after receiving authorization from the Directorate General of Water Resources, and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Specifically, the project involves drilling two boreholes in Sa Vinya and two more in Can Baltasar.
The mayor of Santanyí, Maria Pons, emphasized the importance of these works for the peace of mind of residents: «Our priority is to guarantee a continuous and high-quality service in all areas of the municipality. With these new boreholes, we increase the security of the supply during periods of peak demand, such as summer, anticipating any potential technical problems.».
For her part, the Councillor for the Environment, Bárbara Xamena, highlighted the sustainable management of water resources: «With this action, we are moving towards a more robust supply system with a greater capacity to respond to potential incidents. And we are doing so through responsible management of the aquifer, since the objective is not to extract more water, but to distribute the authorized volume among more wells so as not to overload the natural environment.».
The goal is not to increase the volume of groundwater extraction, but rather to distribute the authorized annual volume among a greater number of extraction points. This diversification will reduce the concentration of pumping in specific wells, balance the system's operation, and decrease its dependence on particular extraction points.
In this way, Aigua Sa Figuereta will be able to manage available resources more flexibly and preventively, and will have a greater margin of response to possible incidents.
These works improve the reliability and robustness of the network, although they do not change the current health classification of the water in this area, which remains unfit for human consumption. The definitive and structural solution to guarantee the potability of water in this territory depends on the future desalination plant in Levante de Mallorca and the connection infrastructure planned by the Government of the Balearic Islands.
Thanks to the smooth coordination between the Santanyí City Council and Aigua Sa Figuereta, work continues in a preventative manner to offer the maximum guarantee and stability in the water service to the entire population.
