Desalinated water production on Ibiza rose by 5.51% in 2025 to 13.94 million cubic metres, while the Sa Coma wastewater treatment plant operates at full capacity during the peak tourist season.
“One of the positive findings in the reports is that, for the first time in a long while, we can say that water leaving the treatment plants is being properly treated and meets the required standards in most cases.”
That is how Mariano Juan, vice-president of the Ibiza Island Council (Consell d’Eivissa), summed up one of the “most positive” findings of the 2025 Ibiza Sustainability Report. He presented the report on Tuesday at Sa Nostra Sala alongside Elisa Langley, coordinator of the Ibiza & Formentera Preservation Sustainability Observatory, and Inma Saranova, executive director of Ibiza & Formentera Preservation.
“We had cases where wastewater leaving treatment plants failed to meet health standards. These problems stemmed from the poor performance of one particular plant, which was treating a larger volume of water and discharging wastewater that did not comply with sanitary requirements. That facility has been replaced by a new, much larger plant in Sa Coma, which is now treating the water properly and meeting the required standards,” Juan explained.
Only a small proportion of treated wastewater is reused
Despite the improvement in treatment quality, just 2.6% of Ibiza’s treated wastewater was reused last year, Langley pointed out.
Meanwhile, the island’s production of desalinated water increased by 5.51% in 2025, reaching 13.94 million cubic metres.
“The facilities that have shared their data, and which use the largest volumes of treated wastewater, are Ibiza Golf Course, the airport and the Sa Rota reservoir. The reservoir began a pilot scheme in 2025, and we hope it will be able to increase the volume of water reused this year,” Langley said.
The figures highlight the gap between improving wastewater treatment and making greater use of the resulting water, particularly on an island where demand rises sharply during the summer tourist season.
Cyprus offers a model for wastewater reuse
Saranova used the presentation to compare Ibiza with Cyprus, another Mediterranean destination with similar characteristics.
In Cyprus, she explained, 69% of treated wastewater is used to irrigate crops and green spaces, 27% goes towards replenishing and storing water for irrigation, and just 4% is discharged into the sea.
“We need to speed up the introduction and expansion of water reuse infrastructure, but we also need to increase demand for treated wastewater,” said the executive director of Ibiza & Formentera Preservation.
The comparison underlines the potential for Ibiza to make better use of an existing resource. Expanding reuse infrastructure, alongside creating more demand for reclaimed water, could help reduce reliance on other water supplies as the island faces the pressures of tourism and seasonal demand.
