Sewage contamination in s'Albufera Natural Park Mallorca

THE Guardia Civil has charged 8 people and 3 companies for contaminating the s’Albufera Natural Park in Mallorca with sewage.
An investigation was launched by the Seprona division after a resident reported a bad smell at his farm which was located near to the Sa Pobla treatment plant.
An area of Es Vinyet was then inspected, where officers discovered built up sludge giving off a strong smell of faecal. The liquid was analysed at the Water Resources Laboratory where it concluded that the wastewater was untreated and heavily contaminated.
An operator on duty at the time at the Sa Pobla treatment plant was questioned, admitting that the facilities “were not prepared for the volume of water entering inside it”. The Guardia Civil then contacted several former employees of the purification plant, who told agents that discharges were a daily occurrence and that those responsible were fully aware of the problem.
Agents then analysed 5 wells in the area, finding that the waters were not suitable for human consumption nor for the irrigation of gardens, being contaminated with faecal matter and E. coli.
The Guardia Civil has subsequently charged 3 managers of the treatment plant, 2 from Abaqua, the Balearic Agency for Water and Environmental Quality and another from Socamex, a water management company, in addition to 2 consultants who work for the Sa Pobla City Council.