Residents of Can Frígoles, the neighbourhood next to Ibiza airport, have reported a new suspected leak of wastewater from the airport grounds. They say there has been a strong smell in recent days. In videos sent to the press, the newly planted gardens along the main road in front of the terminal are being watered with hoses. According to the residents, the water pools on the lawns, seeps through the perimeter walls and ends up in the stream that runs alongside the airport.
The residents’ association, led by Elena Roig, believes the water is untreated or contaminated. It has asked Aena, the state company that runs the airport, for the sludge management plan of the airport’s own sewage treatment plant, a document it says the plant is required to have. A week later, the association says it is still waiting for a reply.
A long-running complaint
This is not the first time. Neighbours first raised concerns about the airport plant discharging into the stream that flows down to Es Codolar in 2024. Since then the complaints have become more frequent:
- 3 August: Sant Josep council detected discharges into the torrent de sa Font and closed part of Es Codolar beach for a time.
- 7 August: eleven social and environmental groups presented a scientific report. They said the plant was discharging wastewater into the Ses Salines Natural Park, a Natura 2000 site, a Ramsar wetland and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Four rounds of sampling between 11 June and 22 July, they said, showed systematic breaches of both the discharge limits and the rules for reusing treated water to irrigate green areas. Their complaint to the Balearic water authority led to a formal investigation, and the Guardia Civil’s environmental unit, SEPRONA, became involved.
- 28 August: neighbours complained about sprinklers on the airport grounds. Aena said the water was fit for irrigation.
- 21 September: the campaign group Aliança per l’Aigua reported a discharge through the walls into the Can Cirer stream, near the Camí des Còdols. It called on Aena to stop any uncontrolled discharge immediately and to publish the plant’s technical data: its design capacity, how much it discharges and its current permits.
What Aena says
Aena has acknowledged that it has difficulties managing its wastewater, but argues that the leaks may come from sources other than the airport. In September it awarded a small contract to the firm Gasifred SL to audit the airport’s water networks. No results have been made public so far.
