The investigation into alleged wastewater discharges from Ibiza Airport's treatment plant into the Torrent de sa Font remains open, with the precautionary measures imposed by the Balearic Government still in force.

Aena, which operates Ibiza Airport, is currently prohibited from discharging water into the torrent while the regional authorities continue examining the circumstances surrounding the reported contamination.

The latest update from the Balearic Government comes after weeks of controversy over wastewater reaching the Torrent de sa Font, a watercourse that flows towards es Codolar within the Parc Natural de ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera.

The investigation has involved the regional water authorities, environmental officials and the Guardia Civil's environmental protection unit, SEPRONA.

Aena has now submitted its own laboratory analysis to the authorities, and those results will be incorporated into the ongoing administrative proceedings.

The investigation is still open

The Balearic Government's Department of the Sea and Water Cycle has confirmed that the investigation into the airport wastewater treatment plant remains underway.

Officials said the precautionary measures previously adopted continue to apply while the available evidence is assessed.

The most significant measure is the prohibition preventing Aena from discharging water from the airport treatment system into the Torrent de sa Font.

Authorities said they are continuing to examine all the information before deciding what further action may be appropriate.

That means no final conclusion has yet been reached about the cause of the contamination or whether Aena has committed an offence.

Aena has submitted its own analysis

Aena has provided the regional authorities with the results of analytical tests it commissioned independently.

Those results will now form part of the official investigation alongside samples and other evidence collected by public authorities.

The submission is particularly important because the dispute has centred on conflicting interpretations of the quality and origin of the water reaching the torrent.

Aena maintains that the airport's treatment plant processes wastewater generated by the airport itself and that treated water is reused for irrigation.

The company has also previously acknowledged that, during exceptional periods of very high consumption or when discharge infrastructure becomes saturated, some treated water may escape towards the exterior.

At the same time, Aena has argued that other installations located along the Torrent de sa Font could also contribute occasional discharges.

Authorities have not yet determined the source of the contamination

This is an important distinction in the ongoing story.

Although environmental groups have alleged that wastewater from the airport treatment plant entered the Torrent de sa Font, the authorities have not yet publicly established that Aena's facilities are definitively responsible for all of the contamination detected in the area.

The Balearic Government is still examining samples and documentation.

The investigation is intended to establish both the characteristics of the discharge and its possible source.

Until that process is completed, it would be inaccurate to state as a confirmed fact that the airport plant caused all of the contamination found in the torrent.

The controversy began in August

The dispute became public at the beginning of August 2026, when a group of social, environmental and neighbourhood organisations accused the airport wastewater plant of repeatedly releasing inadequately treated water.

Eleven organisations supported the complaint, including Aliança per l'Aigua, Amics de la Terra, GEN-GOB and the Institut d'Estudis Eivissencs.

They based their concerns on four sampling campaigns carried out between June 12 and July 22 by a laboratory authorised by the Balearic health authorities.

The organisations said the analytical results indicated serious problems with several wastewater parameters.

Some of the reported measurements were extremely high

The results from July 8 were particularly striking.

The samples reportedly showed a biochemical oxygen demand of 427 milligrams of oxygen per litre.

The organisations said this was approximately 17 times the applicable discharge limit.

The same sample reportedly contained 643 milligrams per litre of suspended solids, around 18 times the relevant limit.

The campaign also detected very high levels of faecal contamination.

E. coli levels exceeded 2,420 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres in all four sampling campaigns, which was the maximum value that the analytical method used could quantify.

The organisations therefore argued that the actual levels could have been even higher.

These figures are part of the evidence cited by the groups that raised the complaint. They remain separate from the final findings of the official investigation.

The controversy reached the protected area of ses Salines

The Torrent de sa Font flows towards es Codolar, within the Parc Natural de ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera.

This makes the matter particularly sensitive from an environmental perspective.

Ses Salines is protected under several national and international environmental frameworks, meaning any potential pollution entering the watercourse can have wider implications than an isolated urban drainage problem.

The authorities therefore need to establish not only the quality of the water but also whether any discharge has affected the protected natural environment.

Es Codolar beach was temporarily closed

The wastewater controversy also resulted in a temporary closure of part of es Codolar beach.

On August 7, Sant Josep Town Council closed an approximately 80-metre section near the mouth of the Torrent de sa Font after detecting elevated concentrations of faecal bacteria.

The closure was a precautionary public-health measure.

The section was reopened on August 11 after new samples showed levels compatible with bathing.

The reopening did not resolve the underlying question of where the contamination had come from.

Instead, the broader investigation continued.

Environmental officers had already taken samples

The Balearic Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment later confirmed that environmental agents had inspected the area and taken their own samples before the public complaint was formally announced.

The agents recorded the situation and collected samples for analysis.

Their evidence was intended to help determine whether the protected natural area had been affected and whether there were grounds for opening a sanctions procedure.

This means the government investigation was not based solely on the sampling carried out by the organisations that publicly raised the issue.

SEPRONA was brought into the investigation

The regional water authorities also requested assistance from SEPRONA, the Guardia Civil's environmental protection unit.

SEPRONA officers inspected the area and collected additional samples.

Their involvement provides another independent layer to the investigation and is aimed at determining the characteristics and possible origin of the discharge.

The authorities are still assessing the evidence.

Aena says the water is treated

Aena's position has remained that the airport treatment plant processes wastewater generated at the airport and that the treated water is reused for irrigation.

The company says this system forms part of its water-management strategy and helps reduce freshwater consumption.

Aena also says that the water used for irrigation is not untreated wastewater.

The airport operator has previously explained that water requiring additional treatment is diverted to another treatment facility.

The company has also questioned whether all the water appearing along the Torrent de sa Font necessarily originates from the airport.

Trucks have been collecting treated water from the airport

Another part of the controversy emerged in late August, when images showed tanker trucks collecting water from the airport treatment plant.

The trucks were subsequently seen spraying water across land managed by Aena within the airport perimeter.

Aena explained that the water was treated water intended for irrigation.

The Balearic Government has confirmed that Aena does have authorisation to reuse treated water for irrigation of landscaped areas within the airport site.

However, the government also confirmed that Aena remains prohibited from discharging water into the Torrent de sa Font while the investigation continues.

Reuse for irrigation is different from discharge into a natural watercourse

The latest government explanation also makes an important technical distinction.

A wastewater treatment plant may discharge treated wastewater into an authorised receiving environment if it complies with the relevant discharge limits.

That does not automatically mean that the same water qualifies as regenerated water suitable for a particular reuse purpose.

Water intended for reuse may require additional treatment and must meet specific quality requirements depending on how it will be used.

The distinction is important in the Ibiza case because the debate involves both alleged environmental discharge and the reuse of treated water for irrigation.

Aena is adapting to new water-reuse regulations

The Balearic Government says Aena is currently adapting its facilities to the newer regulatory framework governing water reuse.

The applicable legislation is Royal Decree 1085/2024, which replaced the previous 2007 framework.

The newer system places greater emphasis on assessing health and environmental risks associated with regenerated water.

It also requires a Water Regeneration Risk Management Plan for relevant reuse systems.

The authorities say Aena is currently working to adapt its facilities to these requirements.

The investigation could lead to further action

The Balearic Government has not yet said what final action it will take.

Officials are continuing to examine the analytical results and other available evidence.

The authorities will need to establish whether the applicable discharge and environmental rules were breached, whether the protected natural area was affected and whether responsibility can be attributed to the airport's treatment system.

Depending on the findings, the case could potentially result in administrative or other legal action.

At this stage, however, it would be premature to state that Aena will definitely be sanctioned.

Why the Torrent de sa Font matters

The Torrent de sa Font is not simply an ordinary drainage channel.

Its route leads towards one of Ibiza's most environmentally sensitive areas, the Ses Salines natural park.

The watercourse therefore connects the airport area with the coastal environment around es Codolar.

Any significant contamination entering the torrent has the potential to move through that system towards the protected coastal area.

That is one reason the authorities have treated the allegations seriously and brought environmental officials into the investigation.

The wastewater issue comes as Ibiza debates airport expansion

The investigation has also become politically relevant because it coincides with a separate controversy over plans to remodel Ibiza Airport.

Aena says the planned airport project is intended to modernise the terminal, improve passenger flows and comply with new European requirements without increasing operational capacity.

Critics of the project argue that the airport's existing environmental and infrastructure problems should be resolved before any major expansion or remodelling takes place.

The wastewater dispute has consequently become part of the wider debate about the airport's future and the environmental limits of development on Ibiza.

Residents and environmental groups are demanding answers

The organisations that raised the original complaint have called for greater transparency over the airport's wastewater system.

Their concerns focus on several questions: whether the treatment plant is operating correctly, whether wastewater is reaching the torrent, whether the contamination is affecting the protected area and whether the existing infrastructure is adequate.

Residents living near the airport have also been monitoring developments closely.

The location of the torrent and its connection to es Codolar means the issue affects both nearby communities and the wider environmental debate on the island.

The earlier beach closure showed the potential public-health concern

The temporary closure of es Codolar in August demonstrates why the investigation is relevant beyond environmental policy.

The beach was closed after elevated concentrations of E. coli and enterococci were detected near the mouth of the torrent.

It was reopened only after subsequent samples fell below the levels requiring a bathing prohibition.

The closure was therefore temporary, but it showed that contamination in the area can have an immediate effect on public access to the coast.

The situation has not been declared resolved

Despite the reopening of es Codolar and the removal of visible signs warning about discharges, the underlying investigation remains open.

The current government position is that the precautionary measures remain in place.

Aena is still prohibited from discharging water into the torrent.

The company has submitted new analytical data, and those results will now be considered alongside the samples obtained by public authorities.

This means the situation is still evolving.

What is confirmed at this stage?

The Balearic Government has confirmed that an investigation into the Ibiza Airport treatment plant and the Torrent de sa Font remains open.

Precautionary measures remain in force.

Aena is currently prohibited from discharging water into the torrent.

Aena has submitted its own analytical results to the authorities.

The government is reviewing those results together with other evidence.

Aena has authorisation to reuse treated water for irrigation within the airport grounds.

The government says Aena is adapting to the newer water-reuse regulations.

The source of the contamination has not yet been conclusively established by the authorities.

No final sanction has been announced.

What Aena says

Aena maintains that its treatment plant processes wastewater generated by the airport itself.

The company says treated water is reused for irrigation and that the system forms part of its water-saving strategy.

It has also acknowledged that exceptional situations involving high consumption or saturated overflow infrastructure can result in some treated water escaping externally.

Aena has further argued that other installations along the Torrent de sa Font may be responsible for some of the water observed in the area.

These are Aena's stated positions and remain part of the evidence being considered by the authorities.

What the environmental organisations allege

The organisations that raised the issue publicly say the airport treatment plant has been releasing wastewater with pollutant and bacterial levels above the permitted thresholds.

They based their claims on four sampling campaigns carried out between June and July.

They specifically highlighted high biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids and faecal bacteria.

Those results prompted wider scrutiny, but they are not themselves the final conclusion of the government investigation.

What happens next?

The immediate next step is for the Balearic authorities to complete their assessment of the evidence.

Aena's analytical results will be added to the samples and reports already collected by government agencies and SEPRONA.

Authorities will then determine whether the wastewater system complied with the relevant legal requirements and whether the Torrent de sa Font and protected areas downstream were affected.

Until that process is completed, Aena remains prohibited from discharging water into the torrent.

The case could therefore continue to develop over the coming weeks.

Ibiza waits for answers over airport wastewater

The controversy surrounding Ibiza Airport's wastewater system is still unresolved.

The Balearic Government has confirmed that its investigation remains open and that precautionary measures preventing Aena from discharging into the Torrent de sa Font are still active.

At the same time, Aena has submitted its own laboratory results and continues to maintain that its treatment plant treats airport wastewater and produces water that can be reused for irrigation.

The authorities now have to reconcile the different pieces of evidence and determine what actually happened.

For Ibiza, the stakes are significant because the Torrent de sa Font leads directly towards es Codolar and the protected Ses Salines natural park.

The temporary closure of part of the beach in August has already shown the potential consequences of contamination in the area.

For now, the key fact is that the investigation is still open, no final finding has been announced and Aena remains prohibited from discharging water into the torrent while the authorities continue their work.

Key Facts

Location: Ibiza Airport and Torrent de sa Font

Affected coastal area: Es Codolar

Protected area: Parc Natural de ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera

Investigation: Ongoing

Lead regional authority: Balearic Government Department of the Sea and Water Cycle

Other authorities involved: Environmental agents and Guardia Civil SEPRONA

Current precautionary measure: Aena is prohibited from discharging water into the Torrent de sa Font

Aena's position: Airport wastewater is treated and reused for irrigation

Aena's latest action: Submission of its own analytical results to the authorities

Es Codolar beach: Temporarily closed on August 7 and reopened on August 11 after subsequent results were compatible with bathing

New water-reuse framework: Royal Decree 1085/2024

Final responsibility for the reported contamination: Not yet established

Sanction: No final sanction announced at the time of the latest report