Water Supply in Port de Sant Miquel: Wells Authorised for Hotels Also Supply Homes and Businesses

10. November 2026

A private water network serving Port de Sant Miquel in northern Ibiza has been supplying homes, tourist accommodation and businesses using groundwater wells whose existing authorisations are linked to two hotels and irrigation, rather than general public supply.

A municipal legal report incorporated into an administrative file at Sant Joan Town Hall concludes that the private supply to the wider population has been operating in practice without the necessary authorising title. The report describes the situation as a service provided “de facto, without an enabling title”.

The findings raise questions about the legal basis of the water supply, the condition of infrastructure that has been in use for more than half a century, and the municipality's responsibility to establish a public alternative.

However, the distinction between the wells and the wider distribution service is important. The wells do have water-use authorisations. The issue identified by the municipal reports is that the permitted uses do not expressly cover supplying the wider population of Port de Sant Miquel.

The current operator is Real Estate San Miguel Suministro de Aguas, S.L. (RESM), which belongs to Hotel Investment Partners (HIP). The company has confirmed that its subsidiary supplies homes, tourist establishments and other businesses through contractual arrangements with Port Esmeralda, S.L.

Wells Authorised for Two Hotels and Irrigation

Documentation from the Directorate-General for Water Resources, part of the Balearic Government's Department of the Sea and Water Cycle, identifies groundwater-use rights associated with irrigation and supplying the Cartago and Galeón hotels.

Both hotels are now owned by HIP and operated by Barceló under the Curio Collection by Hilton brand.

However, the uses expressly listed in the authorisations do not include a general domestic water service for homes and commercial premises across Port de Sant Miquel.

A legal report prepared for Sant Joan Town Hall concludes that the private supply to the wider population has therefore been operating without an authorising title corresponding to that service.

A technical report signed on 13 July by engineer Javier Colomar Riera also states that the existing concessions do not constitute general permission to supply water to third parties, expand the population served or charge an unrestricted group of users.

The municipality's legal assessment argues that this situation does not establish a consolidated private economic right that would prevent the Town Hall from taking responsibility for organising a public supply.

The distinction is significant: the concern is not that the wells have no permits, but that the scope of their existing authorisations does not match the wider use of the water.

Authorised Water Volumes Also Under Question

The municipal file identifies another issue concerning the volume of groundwater authorised for extraction.

According to the legal report and the minutes of the municipal study commission, the authorised volume does not cover the service currently being provided to the area.

However, the documentation described in the investigation does not include a detailed comparison between the actual quantities extracted and the volumes permitted under the concessions.

This means that a specific excess in groundwater extraction has not been quantified in the available evidence. The Directorate-General for Water Resources also did not provide La Voz de Ibiza with further details on this point when approached by the publication.

It would therefore be inaccurate to state that the operator has been proven to extract more water than its permits allow. The established issue is that the authorised volumes are considered insufficient for the wider service described in the municipal file.

A Private Network More Than 50 Years Old

Port de Sant Miquel currently receives water through two groundwater abstraction points near the village of Sant Miquel.

From there, a pipeline approximately 4.5 kilometres long transports the water to treatment, storage and distribution facilities serving the tourist area.

According to the municipal documentation, the infrastructure is more than 50 years old. It was originally developed to meet private requirements rather than as a planned public network designed to supply the entire local population.

The technical assessment identifies several difficulties with the existing installations. These include pipes crossing private properties, easements that have not been adequately documented, branches of the network without complete records and limited access for maintenance.

The municipal engineer also says that the hydraulic and sanitary suitability of the entire network has not been sufficiently demonstrated. The documentation is incomplete in areas including infrastructure inventories, watertightness testing, water-loss measurements and records for certain installations.

The different ownership arrangements covering the wells, reservoirs, pipelines and land also complicate any potential acquisition of the existing system by the municipality.

Sulphate Levels Exceeded the Parametric Value in 2025

The municipal file also records a water-quality incident identified by Public Health on 9 June 2025.

Sulphate concentrations reached 399 milligrams per litre in the Port de Sant Miquel network and 343 milligrams per litre at the Can Marsà reservoir. Both readings were above the parametric value of 250 milligrams per litre established under Spain's drinking-water quality regulations.

The incident was considered resolved after extraction from the Can Joan Cova well was stopped.

According to the report, the readings did not reach the level at which the water would be classified as unsuitable for human consumption. This distinction matters: exceeding the sulphate parametric value required attention and corrective action, but it does not mean the water was officially declared unfit to drink.

The municipal documentation also refers to two structural deficiencies at the reservoirs. These concerned the absence of a minimum 50-centimetre paved perimeter and the lack of a sampling tap at the outlet of the Can Marsà reservoir.

The Town Hall subsequently identified these issues as still requiring correction. HIP, however, told La Voz de Ibiza that the deficiencies had been addressed.

The two positions have not been independently reconciled in the documentation reviewed for this report.

HIP Confirms Its Subsidiary Supplies the Area

HIP has confirmed that RESM belongs to its corporate group and that it has contractual rights to use and operate the wells and installations through its relationship with Port Esmeralda, S.L.

The company also acknowledges that the supply reaches homes, tourist accommodation and businesses throughout Port de Sant Miquel.

HIP says the private network continues to provide water because there is no operational municipal alternative currently available.

The company has separately argued that maintaining the network and supplying the wider area is not a profitable activity. It says the operating costs exceed the income received, although it has not provided detailed financial figures to independently verify that claim.

Sant Joan Town Hall identifies RESM as the company currently managing the supply. It distinguishes this role from that of Port Esmeralda, which has contractual links to the infrastructure but is not identified as the direct provider of the water service.

A New Public Supply Based on Desalinated Water

Sant Joan Town Hall is working towards replacing the private supply with a public network based primarily on desalinated water from the Balearic Water and Environmental Quality Agency (ABAQUA).

The planned infrastructure includes a new pipeline measuring 4.95 kilometres, connecting the regulating reservoir in Sant Miquel with Port de Sant Miquel. The Balearic Government lists the project with a budget of €695,397.64 and describes its status as a project drafted with an approved budget.

The planned pipeline will connect with the existing municipal network and include remote-control systems and monitoring meters. According to the regional government's project description, the new connection is intended to replace private groundwater abstraction and reduce pressure on natural aquifers.

The project is expected to improve the security and stability of the supply for residents, tourist accommodation and local businesses.

However, the pipeline is not yet an operational replacement for the private system. Until the new public infrastructure is completed and brought into service, the existing network remains essential to the area's water supply.

Questions Remain Over the Future of the Water Service

The findings place the future of Port de Sant Miquel's water supply at the centre of an administrative and infrastructure challenge.

The existing groundwater wells have authorisations for specific uses, but municipal reports question whether those permissions cover the wider supply to homes and businesses. The technical assessment also raises concerns about the age, documentation and condition of the private network.

At the same time, the available evidence does not quantify an actual excess in groundwater extraction, and the disagreement over whether the reservoir deficiencies have been corrected remains unresolved.

The municipality's planned desalinated-water connection is intended to provide a long-term public alternative and reduce reliance on private groundwater sources. Until that infrastructure becomes operational, the private network operated by RESM continues to supply Port de Sant Miquel.

For residents and businesses, the key outstanding questions concern the legal framework governing the current service, the condition of the infrastructure and the timetable for the transition to a public water supply.

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