Crews get Formentera's reservoirs sparkling for season ahead

foto neteja diposit 2018At 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.