Water for the North: Alcúdia Relies on Desalination — Paid for by the Tourist Tax

More water — but at what price? Alcúdia plans to expand the desalination plant

When the first vendor at the weekly market in Sa Pobla unpacks his goods, when gulls circle above the bay and the Alcúdia promenade already smells of salt after the morning mist, politicians are working on something you cannot see: water. The Balearic government wants to expand the seawater desalination plant in the Bay of Alcúdia (Alcúdia plans desalination expansion: Who pays, who really needs the water?) — the first time since it went into operation about 15 years ago. And part of the funding will come from the tourist tax.

The core question is not only whether more drinking water will be available. It is: how sustainable and fair is this model? €250,000 are to come from the tourist tax — the fee paid at check-in. At first sight that seems reasonable: visitors use water, so they should contribute to the infrastructure. This debate connects to wider infrastructure budgets such as €525 Million for Balearic Ports: Palma, Alcúdia and the Big Question of How. On closer inspection, however, questions remain: energy demand, environmental impacts and long-term costs for the municipality.

What is planned — and what remains unclear

Planned are modernizations of filters and pumps; not an entirely new plant. Timeline: planning, tenders and construction within the next one to two years. Technicians speak of efficiency gains, not a doubling of capacity. Still, the plant is an energy guzzler: desalination is technically feasible but electricity-intensive. Who will supply this electricity? Will it come from fossil fuels or from renewable installations on Mallorca?

The question of environmental management also arises: how will the brine, which is produced as a waste product, be handled? Without suitable dispersion, increased salt concentrations can stress local marine life — especially in a shallow bay like Alcúdia, where Posidonia meadows and small fishing boats are part of the everyday scene.

Voices from the neighborhood

On the plaza and along the promenade I hear mixed reactions. A gardener from Búger says, “In July there is sometimes not enough water for the plants.” A young lifeguard from Can Picafort hopes for clean and functioning showers at the beaches. But farmers from Es Pla ask specifically about irrigation times and prices. Many want to know: will the additional water stabilize agricultural prices in the long term, or will residents end up paying more?

Transparency seems to be a recurring keyword: detailed cost breakdowns, energy sources, environmental studies, monitoring of brine discharge and the exact shares of tourist revenue to be used.

What is missing from the public debate

Desalination is often presented as a cure-all — which it is not. Less discussed is how much water is actually lost before it comes out of the tap: leaks in old pipes, inefficient agricultural irrigation, outdated storage. One kilowatt-hour of electricity for desalination is expensive; the same money could be spent on repairing pipes and on smart metering systems that make actual consumption visible.

The seasonal dimension is also missing: water demand rises sharply in summer because of tourism. So why not pursue a dual approach? Produce more water, yes — but at the same time manage demand. That means simple measures such as drip-irrigation agricultural projects, incentives for hotels to adopt water-saving technology, and rainwater harvesting systems for private and agricultural use.

Concrete proposals

A few pragmatic steps Alcúdia should now consider:

1. Link to renewable energy: Approve the expansion only if a significant share of the electricity comes from solar or wind projects. The flat roofs of hotels and commercial buildings on Mallorca would be ideal.

2. Demand-reduction measures: Grant programs for drip irrigation, modernization of irrigation channels in Es Pla, discounts for hotels that install water-saving technology.

3. Transparency and monitoring: Publish all contracts, environmental assessments and annual reports on energy use and brine distribution. A publicly accessible dashboard would build trust.

4. Ecological mitigation measures: Fund protection programs for Posidonia meadows and implement a vetted brine discharge system with diffusers to avoid local spikes in salinity.

A realistic outlook

Similar debates are taking place elsewhere on the island; Palma examines desalination: Does the city need its own seawater plant? On Mallorca, where summers are hot and cicadas are loud, long-term planning is needed. Efficiency, green electricity and transparency must go hand in hand with technical solutions.

In the end, not only numbers will decide but people’s trust. If politicians in Alcúdia and the island authorities use this expansion as an opportunity — for a more modern water system, less waste and a cleaner coast — then the tourist tax can be more than a small surcharge on the bill: it can become part of an honest solution.