The Government and Palma City Council sign the protocol to build the new underwater outfall

The agreement lays the foundations for carrying out a strategic infrastructure project that will improve sanitation in the Bay of Palma and strengthen protection of the marine environment.

The Regional Minister for the Sea and the Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, and the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, signed yesterday, Tuesday, July 7th, at Palma City Hall, the general action protocol between the two administrations to promote the construction of the new outfall for the Palma II wastewater treatment plant and the future treatment lines numbers 5 and 6. The event was also attended by the Director General of Water Resources of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Joan Calafat; the Deputy Mayor for Public Services, Environment, Sustainability, Natural Spaces, Animal Welfare and Innovation, Llorenç Bauzá; and the manager of EMAYA, Lorenzo Morey.

The protocol establishes a framework for institutional collaboration between the Government and Palma City Council with the aim of facilitating the development of an initiative considered strategic for sanitation in the Bay of Palma, the improvement of the wastewater treatment system and the protection of the marine environment.

The new outfall is an essential infrastructure project to ensure the discharge of surplus reclaimed water when it cannot be used for reuse, guaranteeing the proper operation of the Palma II wastewater treatment plant and strengthening the environmental safeguards of the city’s sanitation system. The project includes the construction of an outfall approximately 6.8 kilometres long, of which 1.5 kilometres will run over land and 5.35 kilometres under the sea.

The initiative is part of the process to expand and modernise the Palma II wastewater treatment plant, one of the main hydraulic infrastructures in the Balearic Islands. It will increase treatment capacity and improve the management of treated water, encouraging its reuse while also ensuring an adequate solution for surplus flows.

The Regional Minister for the Sea and the Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, stressed that “this protocol demonstrates the willingness of the Government and Palma City Council to work together to make a vital infrastructure project for the future of the city’s sanitation a reality.” He also underlined that “the new outfall is a strategic initiative that will strengthen the protection of the Bay of Palma, guarantee the proper operation of the treatment system and continue moving towards a more efficient and sustainable water management model.”

Under the signed protocol, both administrations express their willingness to collaborate to make the execution of the project possible within the scope of their respective powers. In this regard, the Government will study the different legal and budgetary formulas that would allow it to contribute to the financing of the part corresponding to Palma City Council, using resources from the sanitation levy, the insularity factor or other regional, state or European funding sources, always in accordance with current regulations and the corresponding administrative procedures.

The protocol also provides for the creation of a monitoring committee made up of representatives of the Government and Palma City Council, which will meet periodically to coordinate the development of the actions and help the project move forward.

The planned investment for the construction of the new outfall exceeds 39.6 million euros, while the future treatment lines numbers 5 and 6 have an estimated budget of 22 million euros. Together, both projects will allow Palma to continue modernising its sanitation system and strengthen the environmental protection of the bay through infrastructure adapted to the city’s present and future needs.