Update on Mar Menor Environmental Efforts Gets Underway
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge has already shut down several departments and is pursuing further actions. In the Mar Menor area near Murcia, illegal irrigation affected about 5,500 hectares, with 3,700 of those farms voluntarily ceasing activity after being notified of irregularities.
Officials confirmed that roughly 3,000 additional irrigation operations remain to be closed. The ministry, led by Teresa Ribera, the third vice president of the government, recently visited the salt lagoon vicinity in the Region of Murcia. There, Ribera met with mayors from riverine municipalities, scientists, social groups, and local residents, and discussed with regional authorities including Fernando Lopez Macheta. They spoke with members of parliament about sanitation and purification plans, and actions taken to prevent severe floods similar to the Los Alcázares incident. The ministry has already transferred more than 61 million euros to municipalities to support these efforts.
The plan calls for the ongoing irrigation to be halted for the remainder of the year, matching efforts to shut down 140 wells and 215 desalination plants that were closed earlier. In addition, a large rolling plain around the Rambla del Albujón will be constructed and put up for auction soon to reduce flood risk and prevent the spread of pollutants into the Mar Menor. This would cover more than 900 hectares of the Sierra Minera area.
These measures align with the regional government’s project to install bioreactor pools using wood chips to capture pollutants before they reach the lagoon. The aim is to complement these works with other strategies to safeguard the Mar Menor’s water quality.
Algae Reduction and Biomass Management
The regional authorities noted that biomass removal has had a noticeable impact, with 150 soldiers involved in fieldwork. The effort has paused temporarily to reassess operations. To date this year, 13,600 tons of algae and other organic material have been removed, with an investment of five million euros, a marked increase from the yearly average of 1,600 tons removed in the preceding four years.
Images show dead fish along the beaches of Mar Menor, Villananitos, and La Puntica in San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, highlighting the ecological challenges faced in the area.
Attention remains on water inflow from Rambla del Albujón, identified as the most urgent problem. It is estimated that around 80 percent of the nitrates entering the lagoon originate from this source, prompting a fast tracked project to minimize water flow through this channel.
Both Ribera and regional leaders applauded the opening of Mar Menor’s new Technical Office. The office is designed to travel weekly to each coastal municipality to work with local officials in the field and coordinate actions across jurisdictions.
They emphasized the importance of integrated planning, with several projects from the ministry progressing toward a unified response. Future tenders should be designed to fit into land use plans and other initiatives that improve water treatment and pollution control.
Policy Coordination and Data-Driven Decisions
During discussions, officials stressed the need for robust data collection and better decision making. Ribera highlighted that the work involves not only the ministry and autonomous communities but also farmers and other social actors necessary to sustain lagoon reclamation efforts.
Public demonstrations calling for action against damage to the Mar Menor underscore the urgency of these measures. A ministry statement to the Constitutional Court noted that some inconsistencies exist between administrative interpretations and rules, with a continued focus on expediting recovery measures where possible.
The Mar Menor continues to face an excess of nutrients, with phosphates and nitrates stemming from centuries of agricultural and industrial activity around the lagoon. Urban development on nearby lands has compounded environmental pressures, affecting the lagoon’s health and biodiversity.