Sewage treatment plants in Mallorca
The full guide: septic tank or treatment plant, paperwork, treated water and maintenance.
See the guide →Sewage treatment · Cala Murada
Sewage treatment plants in Cala Murada, until the mains sewer arrives
Cala Murada is the southernmost resort on the Manacor coast, and its houses treat their wastewater on the plot: in March 2024 the town hall described it as the only adopted estate in the municipality with no sewer network built, with more than a thousand homes running on septic tanks. We are Joaquín and Juan, installers in Mallorca since 1998: we supply the new treatment plant, fit it, leave it running and prepare and sign the documents your architect or engineer asks for.
Send us photos and details · Reply within 24-48 hours on working days · We assist you in English, Spanish and German
- Villas on septic tanks
- New approved unit
- Signed documents
- Since 1998
Image: GRAF
Your area
Cala Murada: what has been published and what we check
For treating wastewater on the plot, the rules are the same across the island: the Balearic Islands Water Plan (Royal Decree 49/2023, art. 70). In Cala Murada there are three more things worth knowing before choosing the unit.
More than a thousand homes on septic tanks, according to the town hall
On 14 March 2024, Última Hora reported that Manacor town hall was submitting a sewerage project for Cala Murada, valued at 8.4 million euros and drafted back in 2017, to the sustainable tourism tax funding round, and that building licences in the resort were on hold for lack of a sewer. The town hall can tell you where the works for your street stand today; until the network runs past your door, the wastewater is treated on the plot.
The bassa de cala Murada and a vulnerable aquifer
Next to the beach, the Water Plan's wetland catalogue lists the bassa de cala Murada (code MAMT16). A house with 12 population equivalents or more within 500 m needs prior authorisation from the Direcció General de Recursos Hídrics (DGRH). And on the Balearic government's aquifer vulnerability map (IDEIB viewer), much of the estate shows as high vulnerability: there the rules only allow discharge to a green area, with denitrification and disinfection (art. 70.10, table 13). That is why we first look at where the water goes and what lies around the house.
Urban land with no sewer: what the planning act says
For residential urban land with no sewer network, the Balearic Planning Act 12/2017 (fourth transitional provision) ties licences for single-family homes to three things: an approved wastewater collection system, a prior notice describing it to the water authority, and a guarantee to connect to the network once it is in service. All of it within deadlines that depend on each town hall: whether licences are being granted in your street today is for Manacor town hall to confirm.
What we do
What we do in Cala Murada, plainly
- The new extended-aeration treatment plant (or the holding tank, when that is the right answer): approved, CE-marked and from the EN 12566 family, as the Water Plan requires (art. 70.14). We work with every brand; as an example, the GRAF one2clean.
- Installation, electrics and commissioning: the electrics as an authorised low-voltage installation company.
- The documents: we prepare and sign them as the installation company, and your architect or engineer files them.
- Digging the pit is done by your builder, and beforehand we give them in writing how it must be left according to the manufacturer. Sludge emptying is done by an authorised waste management company, as the law requires (art. 70.7.f).
- Service visits on what we install: the ones the regulations require or, if the manufacturer asks for more, the manufacturer's (two a year on the GRAF one2clean). We don't subcontract anyone.
The paperwork
Existing house or house under construction: which paper applies in Cala Murada
For an existing house replacing its septic tank with a treatment plant, the paper is the responsible declaration to the DGRH, filed once the unit is installed (art. 70.4 of the Water Plan): proof of purchase and installation, technical data, the manufacturer's performance figures and the maintenance plan. If the house is still being built, the prior notice goes to Recursos Hídrics first (Manacor town hall asks for it), and from then there are two years at most to file the declaration (art. 70.5).
We prepare and sign the documents as the installation company, and your architect or engineer files them. The treated water irrigates your garden, with 25 m² of green area per population equivalent (art. 70.12); if the plot does not have that much, what remains is a drainage trench with a favourable report from the water authority, or a sealed holding tank (art. 70.2), which discharges nothing.
Sources: Balearic Islands Water Plan, RD 49/2023 (art. 70) · wetland catalogue, supply boreholes and aquifer vulnerability in the Balearic government IDEIB viewer · Última Hora, 14 March 2024 · Balearic Planning Act 12/2017, fourth transitional provision.
How we work
How we do it in Cala Murada
1
You send us the details
Location, maximum beds, how the house is used, where the water will go, what is nearby, photos and your email.
2
We check and quote
We check wetlands, wells and aquifer vulnerability, and send you a written quote.
3
Installation and documents
We fit the plant once the pit matches what we gave you in writing, commission it and hand over the signed documents.
Keep learning
More on treatment plants and energy in Cala Murada
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See heat pumps in Manacor →Other areas off the mains
Sewage treatment plants in other areas with homes off the mains: Portocolom · Cala Ratjada · Sóller, or see the guide to sewage treatment plants in Mallorca →
Sewage treatment plants near Cala Murada: Manacor · Felanitx
See our work and customer reviews on the JSL Google Maps profile →
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about sewage treatment plants in Cala Murada
Is there a mains sewer in Cala Murada?
According to Última Hora on 14 March 2024, quoting Manacor town hall, Cala Murada was the only adopted estate in the municipality with no sewer network built, with more than a thousand homes on septic tanks and an 8.4-million-euro sewerage project awaiting funding. The town hall can confirm the state of the works street by street. As long as there is no sewer in front of the house, the wastewater is treated on the plot.
My villa in Cala Murada has an old septic tank. Is it valid for the responsible declaration?
For that paper, the unit must prove a minimum performance of BOD₅ 70%, COD 75% and suspended solids 70% (art. 70.10 of the Balearic Islands Water Plan, RD 49/2023), with the manufacturer's certificate under EN 12566-3. A septic tank only settles solids; if yours has no such certificate, it does not qualify for the declaration. We replace it with a new CE-marked extended-aeration plant; we work with every brand and, as an example, the GRAF one2clean.
What happens to the treatment plant when the sewer reaches my street in Cala Murada?
The Balearic Planning Act 12/2017 (fourth transitional provision) requires anyone building on urban land with no sewer to guarantee connection once the network is in service: on that day the house is connected. So before deciding, it is worth asking Manacor town hall about the works in your street. With that information and the location, we look with you at which of the solutions the rules allow makes sense for your house.
Can I water the garden with the treated water in Cala Murada?
That is the first option in the rules: reuse it on your own plot, with at least 25 m² of green area per population equivalent (art. 70.12), which means 150 m² for a 6-bed house. Where the government map shows high aquifer vulnerability (in Cala Murada, much of the estate), a green area is also the only permitted destination, with denitrification and disinfection (art. 70.10, table 13). The Google Maps pin is all we need to check it.
How often is the plant serviced, and who empties it in a holiday villa?
The service visits are the ones the regulations require or, if the manufacturer asks for more, the manufacturer's: on the GRAF one2clean, for example, two a year, with a signed report. Sludge is emptied by an authorised waste management company that you hire, as often as the manufacturer states (art. 70.7.f), and the receipts are kept for five years. In a Cala Murada villa that stays closed all winter the blower keeps running: if the power is cut, the bacteria die.
What do you do in Cala Murada, and what does my builder do?
We supply the new treatment plant, approved to EN 12566 and CE-marked, fit it, do the electrics as an authorised low-voltage installation company, commission it and hand over the signed documents. Your builder does the pit, the sand bed and the backfill, to the measurements we give in writing from the manufacturer. We reply within 24-48 hours on working days, in English, Spanish or German. We don't subcontract anyone.
Quality
We work with every brand
As an example, GRAF tanks. We propose the unit according to the beds and the use of each house.
House in Cala Murada on a septic tank?
Send us the Google Maps location, the maximum number of beds, where the water goes today and a few photos of the tank and the garden. We reply within 24-48 hours on working days.