Sewage treatment plants in Mallorca
Septic tank, treatment plant or holding tank, the documents and maintenance, in detail.
See the guide →Treatment plants · Vilafranca de Bonany
Sewage treatment plants in Vilafranca de Bonany: treat the water and use it again
Vilafranca is market-garden country, and in a market garden water counts. The village already irrigates with the reclaimed water from its treatment works; on a finca off the mains, the rules ask for the same on a small scale: treat the household water and make use of it on the plot. We are Joaquín and Juan, installers in Mallorca since 1998: we supply the new treatment plant, with its installation, its electrics and the documents prepared and signed for your engineer.
Send us photos and details · Reply within 24-48 hours on working days · We assist you in English, Spanish and German
- New approved unit
- Signed documents
- Green area calculated
- Since 1998
GRAF · Image: GRAF
Your village
Why every litre counts in Vilafranca
Under Vilafranca lies the Justaní groundwater body (1818M4), which it shares with Petra and Manacor: 41 km² between the Pla and the Serra de Llevant. Its entry in Annex 9 of the Water Plan gives two figures.
Almost everything that goes in is taken out
Justaní has an abstraction index of 94 %, and the Plan calculates that abstraction should fall by 15 % for the body to be in good status. The pressure is agricultural. The measures already carried out include irrigation with reclaimed water from the Vilafranca treatment works.
Nitrates
The body has 69 mg/l of nitrates on average, with no significant change from historical values, and the Plan expects to designate it a zone vulnerable to nitrate pollution from agriculture. That is why, in high-vulnerability zones of the aquifer, the Plan lists denitrification as additional treatment (art. 70.10, tables 13 and 14).
The green area, measured
Art. 70.12 requires the treated water to be reused on the plot, with 25 m² of green area per population equivalent. In a home, the Plan gives one per bed space as a guideline (art. 70.8, table 12): a house with six bed spaces needs 150 m². We measure it with you before proposing the unit.
The rules here
Declaration or authorisation: when each applies
If the treated water stays in your green area, the responsible declaration to the Direcció General de Recursos Hídrics (DGRH) is enough (art. 70.4). If it goes to a trench or soakaway, whatever the number of bed spaces, an authorisation is needed (art. 70.1 and 70.12, and note 1 of tables 13 and 14). With 12 population equivalents or more inside the restriction perimeter of a public supply well, or within the 500 m strip around a wetland, a favourable report from the Water Authority is also needed (arts. 76.5 and 77.3).
In a high-vulnerability zone of the aquifer, the rules only allow a green area and also list denitrification and disinfection: recommended up to 12 population equivalents and compulsory above (art. 70.10, tables 13 and 14). We check your plot on the DGRH map before giving you a price, because it changes the unit.
What we do
What we do in Vilafranca de Bonany, and what others do
- A new unit sized to your green area, approved with CE marking and EN 12566 (art. 70.14), with denitrification and disinfection where the high vulnerability of the Justaní aquifer calls for it (art. 70.10). We work with all brands; for example, the GRAF one2clean.
- The documents: with the water going to your garden or fruit trees, the responsible declaration (art. 70.4); if it goes to a trench or a soakaway, prior authorisation as well. We prepare and sign them as the installation company, and your architect or engineer submits them.
- Installation, electrics and commissioning, as a licensed low-voltage installation company, with the outlet taken to the green area we have measured with you. We don't subcontract anyone.
- The services required by the rules or, if the manufacturer asks for more, the manufacturer's (on the GRAF one2clean, twice a year), with a signed report: over an aquifer exploited at 94 %, it matters that the water leaves properly treated.
- The excavation is done by your builder, following our written instructions according to the manufacturer, and emptying the sludge by an authorised waste company that you hire, keeping the receipts for five years (art. 70.7.f).
Sources: Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023 (regulations, art. 70, 71, 76 and 77) · Annex 9 of the Plan, entries for the groundwater body “Justaní (1818M4)” · EN 12566 · manufacturer's manual (GRAF one2clean, as an example).
How we work
How we do it in Vilafranca de Bonany, in 3 steps
1
Bed spaces and square metres of garden
Tell us the bed spaces of the house and how many m² of green area the finca has. With the location, we check on the DGRH map whether it falls in a high-vulnerability zone of the aquifer.
2
Unit and written quote
With that we choose the unit, with or without denitrification, and send you in writing the unit, installation, electrics and documents, plus the pit instructions for your builder.
3
Installation and water to the garden
We install, take the treated water to your green area and commission the plant. We leave the declaration documents signed so your engineer can submit them.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about treatment plants in Vilafranca de Bonany
How much green area do I need for a treatment plant in Vilafranca?
25 m² per population equivalent (art. 70.12 of the Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023), and in a home the Plan gives one per bed space as a guideline (art. 70.8, table 12). A house with six bed spaces needs 150 m² of garden, fruit trees or ornamental kitchen garden where the water can be used. If there is not that much land, the options left are a drainage trench, with a favourable report and prior authorisation (art. 70.12), or a sealed holding tank emptied periodically (art. 70.2.a).
Why does the Vilafranca aquifer matter so much?
Because it is at its limit. Annex 9 of the Balearic Water Plan gives the Justaní body, under Vilafranca, an abstraction rate of 94 % and 69 mg/l of nitrates, and expects to designate it a zone vulnerable to nitrates from agriculture. That is why it matters that the water from each house leaves treated and is reused on the plot instead of soaking away untreated.
Can I soak the treated water away into a soakaway or a trench?
Only with a prior authorisation from the Water Authority (Administración Hidráulica), whatever the number of bed spaces (art. 70.12 and note 1 of tables 13 and 14), and silence means refusal (Public Water Domain Regulation, art. 249.2). In high-vulnerability zones of the aquifer, not even that: the rules only allow a green area (art. 70.10, table 13 of the Balearic Water Plan, Royal Decree 49/2023). We check it on the DGRH map with the location of your finca in Vilafranca.
Will the septic tank the house already has do?
A septic tank only settles: it holds back the solids, and nothing more. The Balearic Water Plan requires a minimum performance of BOD₅ 70 %, COD 75 % and suspended solids 70 % (art. 70.10), certified by the manufacturer to EN 12566-3. That is why what we install is a new extended-aeration treatment plant; we work with all brands, for example the GRAF one2clean.
Does the treatment plant use much electricity?
Little, but continuously: the blower pumps air 24 hours a day to keep the water-treating bacteria alive. We install the power line and the board as a licensed low-voltage installation company and hand over the electrical installation certificate. On a finca in Vilafranca with solar panels, part of that consumption can come from its own roof.
Keep learning
More for your home in Vilafranca de Bonany
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Heat pumps in Vilafranca de Bonany →In the Pla and across Mallorca
Sewage treatment plants in the Pla de Mallorca: Montuïri · Sant Joan · Santa Eugènia · Maria de la Salut · Costitx. Also nearby: Manacor · Felanitx · Palma, or see the guide to sewage treatment plants in Mallorca →
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Also in Vilafranca de Bonany: air conditioning
See our work and customer reviews on the JSL Google Maps profile →
Quality
We work with all brands
As an example, GRAF tanks. We propose the unit for each house and what the area requires.
A finca in Vilafranca with no mains sewer?
Send us the location, the bed spaces, how much green area you have and a few photos. We reply within 24-48 hours on working days.