Sewage treatment plants in Mallorca
Septic tank, treatment plant or holding tank, the documents and maintenance, in detail.
See the guide →Treatment plants · Palma
Sewage treatment plants in Palma: for the homes the mains sewer does not reach
Palma is a city, but its municipality has a lot of countryside: the Pla de Sant Jordi, s'Aranjassa, Son Ferriol, Establiments… and some estates are not reached by the mains sewer. There the Water Plan requires the house to treat its own waste water. We are Joaquín and Juan, installers in Mallorca since 1998: we supply the new treatment plant, install it, do the electrics and prepare and sign the documents for your architect or engineer to file.
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- New approved unit
- Signed documents
- Ses Fontanelles and Sant Jordi checked
- Since 1998
Your area
What is different in Palma: two tired aquifers and four wetlands
The Balearic Water Plan describes in detail the water under Palma. It is not filler: it decides which unit your house needs and where the treated water may go.
The Pla de Sant Jordi
The Sant Jordi groundwater body (1814M2) lies almost entirely within Palma. According to Annex 9 of the Plan it is in poor status: 104 % of the available water is abstracted, with 104 mg/l of nitrates and 791 mg/l of chlorides, partly because the basin was a lagoon that was drained in the 20th century. That is why here it matters so much that the water leaving a house is treated and goes to a green area.
Sa Vileta, under the city and the hillside
Under part of the city and the southern slope of the Serra lies the Sa Vileta groundwater body (1813M1), made of Jurassic limestone and dolomite, abstracted at 132 % according to the same Annex. If your house is there, your builder should expect rock when digging the pit: before anyone digs, we give them in writing how the pit must be according to the manufacturer.
Ses Fontanelles and three more wetlands
The Plan's wetland catalogue (Annex 5) lists four in the municipality of Palma: Ses Fontanelles (transitional water body MAMT27), next to Platja de Palma, the Prat des Pil·larí (MAZH26), the Prat de l'aeroport de Son Sant Joan (MAZH28) and the Prat de sa Font de la Vila (MAZH29). If your house has 12 population equivalents or more and is 500 m or less from one of them, a responsible declaration is not enough: a prior authorisation is needed, and if the authority does not reply, the answer is no.
Sources: Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023 (regulations, art. 70, 71, 76 and 77) · Annex 9 of the Plan, entries for the groundwater bodies “Sant Jordi (1814M2)” and “Sa Vileta (1813M1)” and the wetland “Ses Fontanelles (MAMT27)” · the Plan's wetland catalogue (Annex 5 of the regulations) · EN 12566 · manufacturer's manual (GRAF one2clean, as an example).
The rules here
Which documents are filed in Palma, and who files them
In Palma the city sewers are run by EMAYA, but a private treatment plant is not processed there: the responsible declaration is filed with the Balearic Directorate-General for Water Resources (DGRH), with proof of purchase and installation, technical specifications, performance and a maintenance plan (art. 70.4).
If it is a new-build house on urban land with no mains sewer, a prior notice goes first to the Balearic water authority, Recursos Hídrics (fourth transitional provision of the Balearic Urban Planning Act, Law 12/2017), and from then there are at most two years to file the declaration (art. 70.5). As the installation company we prepare and sign the documents your architect or engineer asks for, and they file them.
What we do
What we do in Palma, and what others do
- The documents go to Recursos Hídrics, not to EMAYA: your estate's responsible declaration, with the unit's performance and the maintenance plan, is prepared and signed by us as the installation company, and your architect or engineer files it.
- A new treatment plant instead of the old cesspit, approved with CE marking and compliant with EN 12566 (art. 70.14), so the water ends up in your green area above an aquifer like Sant Jordi. We work with all brands; the GRAF one2clean is one example.
- Installation, power line and start-up, from s'Aranjassa to Establiments, as a licensed low-voltage installation company. We don't subcontract anyone.
- The pit, on the Pla or on the Sa Vileta hillside, is dug by your builder, who may hit limestone on the slope, following what we give them in writing according to the manufacturer. The sludge is later removed by an authorised waste company (art. 70.7.f).
- Services with a signed report: those required by the rules or, if the manufacturer asks for more, the manufacturer's (on the GRAF one2clean, twice a year). That keeps to the maintenance plan filed with your declaration.
How we work
How we do it in Palma, in 3 steps
1
Location and bed spaces
With the address we check on the DGRH map whether the estate sits over Sant Jordi or Sa Vileta, and how far it is from Ses Fontanelles and the other three wetlands in the municipality.
2
Quote and legal case
We tell you in writing whether, with your bed spaces, a responsible declaration is enough or a prior authorisation is needed, which unit and electrics it takes, and the pit size for your builder.
3
Works and handover
With the pit open we install, connect and start the plant; your engineer gets the signed documents to file with Recursos Hídrics, never with EMAYA.
Keep learning
More on treatment plants and energy in Palma
The general guide to treatment plants and what else we do in your area.
Solar panels in Palma
Self-consumption for the house, the treatment plant blower included.
See solar in Palma →Heat pumps in Palma
Heating and hot water with a heat pump.
See heat pumps in Palma →Across Mallorca
Sewage treatment plants by area (west and centre): Andratx · Calvià · Llucmajor · Marratxí · Santa Maria del Camí · Binissalem, or see the guide to sewage treatment plants in Mallorca →
Need the house drainage (downpipes, rainwater, chambers)? Drainage in Mallorca →
Sewage treatment plants near Palma: Algaida · Sóller · Bunyola · Esporles
Also in Palma: air conditioning · water softeners · EV charger installation
See our work and customer reviews on the JSL Google Maps profile →
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about treatment plants in Palma
Do homes in Palma also need a treatment plant?
Yes, any house with no access to the mains sewer. The Balearic Water Plan (Royal Decree 49/2023, art. 70.1) accepts three solutions: an on-site treatment system, a sealed holding tank that is emptied periodically, or a natural system with a favourable report. In Palma this applies to estates on rural land and to houses in the outlying villages that the network does not reach.
My house is near Ses Fontanelles. Does anything change?
Only if the house has 12 population equivalents or more (one per bed space in a home) and is 500 m or less from that wetland at Platja de Palma: then a prior authorisation from the water authority is needed, and silence means refusal. Below 12, if the treated water is reused on your plot, the responsible declaration is enough.
Why does it matter so much in the Pla de Sant Jordi where the treated water goes?
Because the Sant Jordi aquifer is in poor status: 104 mg/l of nitrates and 104 % abstraction, according to Annex 9 of the Water Plan. The rule is to reuse the water on your plot, with 25 m² of green area per population equivalent (art. 70.12 of the Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023). If the plot lies in a high-vulnerability zone, the Plan also lists denitrification and disinfection, marked as recommended up to 12 population equivalents and required above 12 (art. 70.10, tables 13 and 14): we check the DGRH map before quoting.
Is the treatment plant on my estate processed with EMAYA?
No. EMAYA runs Palma's sewers; your treatment plant is declared to the Balearic Directorate-General for Water Resources (art. 70.4 of the Water Plan). As the installation company we prepare and sign the documents, and your architect or engineer files them.
My plot is small. What do I do with the treated water?
If you do not reach 25 m² of green area per population equivalent, the Plan provides for a sealed holding tank emptied periodically (art. 70.2.a of the Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023) or, in justified cases, a drainage trench with a favourable report from the water authority (art. 70.12). Bear in mind the trench needs a prior authorisation, whatever the number of bed spaces.
Can I keep using the old cesspit on the estate?
No: a cesspit is none of the three solutions the Water Plan accepts (art. 70.1 of the Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023), because it neither treats the water nor is it sealed. What we install is a new treatment plant, approved with CE marking and compliant with EN 12566 (art. 70.14); the sludge is then emptied by an authorised waste company (art. 70.7.f).
Quality
We work with all brands
As an example, GRAF tanks. We propose the unit for each house and what the area requires.
An estate in Palma with no mains sewer?
Send us the location, the number of bed spaces, where the water will go and a few photos. We reply within 24-48 hours on working days.