Reservoirs on Mallorca Continue to Fall: Drinking Water Becomes Scarcer

Reservoirs on Mallorca continuing to fall — what this means for Palma and the villages

The numbers sound unremarkable until you turn on the tap and notice that less water comes out. Currently the island's two main storage reservoirs, Gorg Blau and Cúber, are together around 29.45 percent full. Gorg Blau holds about 30.51 percent of its capacity of 7.36 million cubic metres, Cúber is at just under 27.81 percent. This is shared by the utility Emaya — and the hotline voice does not sound calm.

In practice this means less cushion for hot spells, for agriculture, and for the peak tourist season, which in our villages is never entirely gone. Meteorologists of AEMET describe an "slightly dry" August: on average only about 13.1 liters of rain per square meter — around 38 percent below the long-term average. Yes, there were some heavy showers, for example in Colonia de Sant Pere, but they did not save the overall picture.

Why this is worrying

The island lives for the most part from these reservoirs. Palma receives additionally around 17 percent of its drinking water from springs that have been used for centuries — water that reaches the island center through limestone conduits from the Serra de Tramuntana. Altogether such springs feed an estimated over 30 million cubic metres into the network. But when storage shrinks, this additional supply suddenly becomes much more important.

Experts warn: Without meaningful rainfall in autumn could the lakes fall to 20 percent. By comparison: last year the reservoirs reached a low of around 27 percent in October; after autumn rain the level rose to around 40 percent by year end. Such fluctuations are normal — but they become riskier when dry summers occur more frequently.

What is already happening (and what we can do)

On the island you can see it in small details: prickly lawns, thinned irrigation plans in gardens, isolated restrictions on large-scale watering in municipalities. Some farmers push drinking water into tanks, others hope for rain. Emaya recommends households to be thrifty — fix dripping taps, take a shower instead of a bath, water at night if possible.

In the short term only two things help: saving together and reliable rain. Forecasts are hesitant. Until there is noticeably more water in the reservoirs, it remains advisable to treat the last drop with care — whether you live in Palma, Sóller or in a mountain village. And yes: the discussion about long-term solutions, storage techniques and fairer distribution should now be at the top of the agenda again.