The long-running problems surrounding the water supply in Port de Sant Miquel have remained unresolved despite repeated political initiatives dating back more than a decade. Successive municipal administrations in Sant Joan de Labritja have discussed municipalising the supply, negotiating with the private operator and connecting the area to Ibiza’s desalinated-water network. However, the process has yet to deliver a fully operational public water-supply system for the coastal settlement.

The issue has returned to the spotlight following the latest municipal documentation, which acknowledges that the existing groundwater concessions do not expressly cover the general supply of homes, tourist accommodation and businesses. The Ayuntamiento de Sant Joan also confirms that it was aware of the limitations before the plenary agreement of 22 December 2025.

A Private Water Network With Decades of History

Port de Sant Miquel has historically relied on a privately operated water-distribution network. According to the municipal documentation discussed in the latest reporting, the existing groundwater concessions are associated with the supply of two hotels and irrigation uses, rather than general distribution to the wider population.

The municipal legal report describes the supply to third parties as a service provided in practice without the necessary authorisation for that general purpose.

The exact date on which the network began supplying homes and businesses under these circumstances has not been established.

PSOE councillor Pep Torres places the origins of the infrastructure in the late 1960s, when tourism development began in Port de Sant Miquel. According to his account, the original installations were constructed to serve tourist establishments before connections were gradually extended.

The municipality, however, has cautioned that the available administrative documentation does not establish precisely when the supply to third parties began or whether the same legal circumstances applied throughout the entire period.

2015 and 2016: The First Political Initiatives

The PSOE says it first raised the need for a comprehensive municipal water plan in 2015, identifying Port de Sant Miquel as an area requiring particular attention because of its dependence on private groundwater sources.

By December 2016, the question of municipalising the water supply had already reached the municipal political agenda.

Under the mayoralty of Antoni Marí Marí, the Ayuntamiento committed to studying the possibility of bringing the Port de Sant Miquel water service under municipal management, following an initiative from the socialist group.

At the time, the proposed approach involved negotiating with the existing company, assessing the condition of the infrastructure and preparing a technically sound project capable of guaranteeing the future service.

However, the proposal did not result in the transfer of the network to municipal management.

Further Initiatives in 2018 and 2020

The issue returned to the municipal debate in 2018, when Gian Di Terlizzi, then a councillor for Guanyem Sant Joan, presented a motion calling for the municipalisation of the water network.

A further step followed in February 2020.

The municipal plenary agreed to establish a committee to oversee the process of municipalising the water supply. The proposed work included examining the possibility of negotiating the acquisition or expropriation of the existing private infrastructure so that it could eventually be incorporated into the municipal service.

Contemporary reporting at the time confirmed that the appointment of the committee members had received agreement across the municipal political groups.

One of the principal objectives was to connect Port de Sant Miquel to the desalinated-water network, which already reached the village of Sant Miquel.

Despite these initiatives, the proposed transfer of the existing infrastructure and the creation of a fully municipal supply system were not completed.

The Municipality Acknowledges Previous Knowledge of the Concession Limitations

The latest municipal documentation provides further information about when the authorities became aware of the legal limitations surrounding the existing groundwater concessions.

The Ayuntamiento de Sant Joan has confirmed that it knew about the restrictions before the plenary agreement of 22 December 2025, although it has not established the precise date on which that knowledge was first acquired.

The municipality identifies administrative precedents dating back at least to 2018, including the earlier municipalisation process and subsequent actions in 2020.

It also explains that, until the more recent infrastructure developments, it did not have either the necessary water resource or a public distribution network in Port de Sant Miquel to provide the service directly.

The existing groundwater sources were privately operated, and their authorisations did not expressly cover general domestic supply. Taking over those sources for a municipal service would therefore have required the appropriate legal rights and changes to the relevant water-use authorisations.

The municipality says that the availability of desalinated water supplied through ABAQUA, together with the development of new public infrastructure, has changed the situation and provides a route towards establishing a municipal service without depending on the existing private wells.

No Municipal Sanction Proceedings Recorded

Another important aspect of the case concerns the regulatory oversight of the existing water supply.

According to the Ayuntamiento, the municipal documentation examined does not record the opening of sanction proceedings or procedures to review the existing water-use concessions.

The municipality says that the Public Health authorities confirmed that no infringement proceedings against the operator were recorded in the information provided to the council.

Meanwhile, the Department of Water Resources supplied information concerning the registered groundwater concessions.

However, the Conselleria del Mar has not confirmed whether any sanctioning proceedings have been initiated over the possibility of extracting volumes of water beyond those authorised.

The available information therefore does not establish that an offence has been formally determined or that an operator has been sanctioned in connection with the reported situation.

Desalinated Water Offers a Route Towards a Permanent Solution

The future of the supply depends increasingly on the development of public water infrastructure connecting Sant Miquel with Port de Sant Miquel.

The plans include a new 2,000-cubic-metre regulating reservoir in Sant Miquel, intended to store and distribute desalinated water and prepare the system for the future connection to the coastal settlement.

The reservoir project advanced to the tender and contract-award stages during 2026.

A separate project involves a new pipeline measuring approximately 4.95 kilometres between Sant Miquel and Port de Sant Miquel. According to the Balearic Government's published project information, updated in August 2026, the pipeline project had been drafted and its budget approved, with an allocated budget of €695,397.64.

The infrastructure is intended to reduce dependence on private groundwater sources, improve supply reliability and provide a more sustainable long-term solution for residents and businesses.

However, the planned pipeline must not be confused with a completed or operational connection. Until the necessary infrastructure and administrative arrangements are in place, the long-standing private supply system remains central to the provision of water in Port de Sant Miquel.

The history of the issue illustrates the difficulty of transforming repeated political commitments into a functioning public service, particularly when the process involves private infrastructure, groundwater concessions, legal authorisations and substantial investment in new water facilities.