The Mossos d’Esquadra are still investigating who is behind the sabotage of three wells in Castelló d’Empúries that were supposed to supply drinking water to municipalities in the north of the Alt Empordà, some of which are in emergency phase 2 of the decree of drought, like Roses, Cadaqués or Castelló d’Empúries.
The acts of vandalism were reported by the Girona Provincial Council, the body on which the Consorci d’Aigües Costa Brava Girona depends, this past Wednesday. The facilities have been left unused and out of service.
The vandals tore down the fences that delimit the facilities, located in the municipality of Castelló d’Empúries, in an area known as La Gallinera. They also sawed stainless steel pipes, took water pumps and set fire to electrical installations.
In one of the three wells, they deposited iron. A fact that according to the president of the Girona Provincial Council and the Consorci d’Aigües Costa Brava-Girona, Miquel Noguer, makes it useless forever. The other two infrastructures could be repaired, but he doubts they can be operational before this summer. In a first estimate, the damage could amount to one million euros.
The wells had been put into operation in recent years to improve the supply of drinking water to the north of the Costa Brava in the event of possible emergency situations, such as breakdowns in the main catchment or drought situations like the current one. Consorci sources explain that in 2023 these wells contributed 7% of the water supplied in this area of ??Alt Empordà.
The region is one of the most affected in Catalonia by the drought situation. Twelve municipalities are in emergency phase 2 of the drought decree. They are the ones who depend on the water supply from the Darnius Boadella reservoir, which is at 11% of its capacity.
“The wells were the guarantee of water that we do not have in Darnius-Boadella; now we have lost this alternative and we will have to look for others, but the situation is complicated. If until now it was alarming, now it is tragic,” said the manager of the Consortium this Wednesday. d’Aigües Costa Brava Girona, Jordi Agustí. He criticized an act of vandalism that “goes against public interest.”
The act of vandalism was discovered one day after the rally called in Castelló d’Empúries by Unió de Pagesos and Revolta Pagesa to demand the stoppage of new extractions from wells that capture water from the Fluvià-Muga aquifer.
The agricultural union has denounced on more than one occasion the “delicate situation” of the aquifer and the “serious risk of salinization of existing wells”, a fact that – it assures – can translate into a loss of value of agricultural productive capacity and the biodiversity of the area.
Since in February, the Costa Brava Consortium announced its investment plan of 2.6 million euros to recover old wells in the Fluvià-Muga aquifer, environmental and agricultural entities have denounced the impact that the measure would have on the territory.
Conservation entities agree with the agricultural sector on several points. They consider that the commissioning of these wells will cause a “dangerous increase in salinization in an aquifer that is already very damaged.” They also agree in saying that “to save a summer tourist season we cannot further damage this aquifer.”
Environmentalists ask to “stop” the urban growth model and tourism model considering that it requires “a high demand for water.” Given this situation, they demand a review of urban planning, especially in the municipalities of the Costa Brava “to update” their POUMs to the context of the climate emergency.
