Officials contacted the owner of a boat left on the shore of s'Estany des Peix to notify him of the situation and order him to pay the cost of removal. After tracking down the man, the watercraft was hauled away earlier today.

The ship had run aground after heavy rainfall this winter and was missing navigation equipment. The Council can order the immediate removal of any watercraft with characteristics that make it either unsafe for navigation or a spill risk. In such cases, the two agencies authorised to oversee withdrawal are Demarcació de Costes (the coastal authority in the Balearic Islands) and the environment department of the Govern balear. Any boat left immobile for more than one month on the public seashore can be considered refuse, a distinction allowing the Council to take direct action overseeing removal and issuing fines. The owner of the boat was located and made to pay the associated costs.

The Council, the coastal authority and the Govern balear all play a role in regulating moorage at s'Estany des Peix and overseeing patrols to ensure abandoned watercraft can be removed in short order. Regulations in place require a permit to be issued for any occupation of a public beach.

At the urging of the Formentera Council, Aquàlia, the concessionaire for the island's water works, has completed cleaning and disinfection of Formentera's water sources. Such maintenance of the equipment —a 3,000m³ reservoir in Sant Ferran, a 1,000m³ one in es Ca Marí and a 22,000m³ reservoir in es Pujols— is required by law. A piece of nationwide legislation known as Real Decreto 140/2003 sets quality standards for water used for human consumption, while Decret 53/12 establishes similar standards for water in the Balearics.

Such efforts are crucial to optimising the quality of water stored in reservoirs and later distributed to the island at large. Crews emptied the reservoirs and scrubbed and disinfected their inner walls with sodium hypochlorite. They also took advantage of the opportunity to carry out checks and necessary maintenance of valves, storage tanks, pipes and other equipment.

Cleaning sewage grid
In addition, Aquàlia oversaw cleaning of the sewage grid as part of Formentera's prevention plan and regular upgrades scheduled ahead of summertime. Operators train their sights on dirt, leaves and paper that builds up in the inner chamber of reservoirs and complicates water collection on days of rain.

Islanders can help keep Formentera's water facilities in good operating order by not throwing rubbish in stormwater drains, which can clog pipes and create foul smells street side. Tossing litter into the toilet, which can cause problems with sewerage systems and natural biological filtering processes, must also be avoided.

The Formentera environment department reports that the administration will make resources available to anyone wishing to present remarks or critiques about the proposed acoustic surveys by Medsalt. Islanders who visit the CiF environment office at 15 carrer Mallorca in Sant Ferran can fill out and submit comment forms between Tuesday, May 8 and Monday the 21st. Forms can also be presented electronically via the Virtual Citizen's Information Office (OVAC) from Thursday, May 10.

The Council has collectively opposed plans for the project. As part of the administration's April plenary, council members voted to urge Madrid to immediately halt review of Medsalt's proposed initiative based on the potentially devastating impact it could have on adjacent ecosystems. It is believed the plan, if carried out, would have calamitous repercussions on a range of underwater species like cetaceans, turtles, fish, birds and invertebrates.

The idea of making things easier for islanders objecting to the environmentally devastating project arose from local group Aliança Mar Blava and has the backing of the Formentera administration. CiF environment secretary Daisee Aguilera pointed out that “getting islanders involved on this issue is crucial—the more opposition we flag now, the stronger the push to block prospections will become”.

The Formentera environment department is hosting a course in home composting this Saturday from 11.00am to 1.30pm. The session will take place in the Council's Sala d'Actes and at Sant Francesc's garden for hands-on learning, Capilla de sa Tanca Vella.

Anyone interested in taking part is encouraged to visit the Council's environment office, located at carrer Mallorca in Sant Ferran, or the CiF Virtual Citizen's Information Office (OVAC).

The course will be given by specialist Juanjo Torres, of Amics de la Terra. Included in the €20 registration fee applied to each participant is a composter valued at €65, a ventilating device, an instruction manual and the knowledge required to compost at home.

In addition to Saturday's session, which will include both theory-based and hands-on instruction, Amics de la Terra offers telephone assistance and a home visit to keep track of each participant's progress after the course.