EMAYA dumps sewage in the bay during maintenance work

EMAYA, the water board, is carrying out work to improve and guarantee the quality of the effluent from the sewage farms in Palma, but as a result, sewage from the underwater outlets is being pumped into the bay of Palma. From today, however, all sewage will be filtered and its only outlet will be at Torrent Gros. Work, which is part of the routine maintenance and conservation work of EMAYA, will continue for a fortnight. Before starting, permission was obtained from the Balearic government's environment department. Work is being done now to cause a minimum impact on the environment and tourism. A spokesman for the company said everything had been done to ensure a minimum of sewage is poured into the bay, and water is being analysed on a daily basis. Its biggest concern is not to cause problems in the environment. Maria Crespo, the president of EMAYA, said that the sewage which is being dumped into the bay has been partially treated and does not present a health risk for persons or for fish. However, residents in the Can Pere Antoni area say that they are tired of complaining about problems caused by sewage and smells which give the area a poor image.