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Roll-out of summertime water-saving measures

mesuresdestalviIn press conference today, CiF councillor of the environment Daisee Aguilera laid out a set of water-saving steps the administration will take during the central months of summer. “Application of the measures” explained the councillor, “will begin this Monday, 20 July, and continue through the end of August”.

A depletion of reserves
The technical malfunction 11 June at the desalination plant meant that, for several days, the amount of water being purified was lower than the local demand—which, according to Aguilera, translated into “a reduction of water reserves across the reservoirs of the island”. Mindful of that fact, “in an attempt to avoid exhausting the current stock, and aware that during the second half of July and August throughout water consumption outstrips the desalination plant's output,” the chief environmental appointee proclaimed: “The Formentera Council is administering —at the internal, municipal level— a set of water-saving techniques”.

Measures applied internally
Aguilera enumerated the measures that the Council would be applying to avoid diminishing current stores of water:
- Bring irrigation of public gardens to a minimum.
- Reserve water-intensive street cleaning operations for cases of absolute necessity.
- Suspend all dust-control waterings of dirt roads and parking lots.
- Suspend washes of Formentera Council vehicles.
- Apply generalised policies of responsible use and consumption.

Recommendations for private citizens:
Similarly, Councillor Aguilera asked the general population to adopt the following practises whenever possible:
- Bring watering of gardens to a minimum.
- Suspend recreational activities that require desalinated water (filling swimming pools).
- Avoid washing vehicles.
- Use water responsibly and reduce consumption to a maximum.

The regional director of Aqualia, Eduardo del Castillo, as well as the company's Formentera delegate, Maria del Mar Yern, showed their support for the local administration's newly-adopted strategem as a way to avoid future problems or limitations to the island's water supply. Del Castillo confided that the island's reservoirs are currently at 50 percent of capacity—“a level that can accommodate local needs,” he added. However, the Aqualia official recommended that the general population be responsible in their consumption.