Photo by Damien Guéras for Alianza por el Agua
With an average of around 300 days of sunshine per year, even in winter, Ibiza's largely warm and pleasant environs offer a pleasing contrast to the much greyer and chillier climes of northern Europe.
The flip side to this, of course, is that the island often goes for months on end with zero rainfall. Perfect conditions for sun-seeking holidaymakers, but when you consider that there are no lakes or other significant surface water reserves on the island, it all makes for one very dry landmass, and frequent drought warnings.
2025, however, was a wetter year than most, with the Ibiza airport monitoring station registering just under 600mm of rainfall over the 12 months, almost double that of 2024. This has allowed the island’s groundwater reserves to recover to 62% of their capacity (up from just 34% this time last year).
Running on empty
Nonetheless, according to data analysed by IbizaPreservation's Sustainability Observatory, half of Ibiza’s 16 aquifers are considered to be at risk or in a bad state, having been overused and depleted over the course of many years, during which they were the only source of water supply.
To help cope with the additional demand on the island’s water stocks, Ibiza now has three desalination plants which provide good-quality drinking water. However, while much of our fresh water comes from these plants, more than a third of demand is fed by the worn-out and salinated aquifers, particularly in the summer months when the human pressure on the island is greatest.
Cutting consumption
In recent years, the consumption of water in Ibiza has been more than double the target set by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals of 100 litres per person per day. While some of that is accounted for by leaks in the network, which is in dire need of investment and modernisation, a lot of that is down to our own habits.
Short of doing a weekly rain dance, you may wonder what on earth you can do to help a situation that seems so beyond your individual control. But by making just a little effort and trying to do our bit, we can all help to save the island's vital resource.
Ten ways to save water
Whether you're a visitor or a resident, here are ten easy ways to reduce your water consumption:
- Turn off the tap while you are washing your hands, brushing your teeth or shaving.
- The same applies to washing up. Fill the sink with water and soap to scrub the dishes, then rinse them all off in one go afterwards. Remember that a dishwasher uses less water than washing by hand if you put a full load on.
- Save up your laundry until you have a full load. If you have to wash a small amount, select the Half Load setting on your washing machine.
- If you're staying in a hotel, hang your towels up after you've used them. This way, they won't be taken away to be washed on a daily basis.
- Showers are better than baths. Keep them to once a day and a maximum of 5 minutes!
- Reduce the water pressure on your shower and, if possible, turn it off while you are scrubbing yourself or shampooing your hair.
- When using the toilet, remember the classic Aussie adage, “If it's brown, flush it down; if it's yellow, let it mellow”. We'll save you the detailed explanation!
- Recycle water wherever possible, e.g. wash your fruit and vegetables in a bowl and then re-use it to water the plants.
- If you have a garden, try to plant native varieties of trees and shrubs, which use less water than some of the more “fashionable”, tropical types.
- If you have a villa with a swimming pool, try to cover it when it's not in use. Around 55 litres a day can be lost through evaporation in hot weather.
You can find more solutions like this on our special web page. Each one may only feel like a drop in the ocean, but, taken together, these measures can add up to savings of as much as 50 litres of water per day. If we can replicate this across Ibiza, it will quickly begin to make a big difference, all without lessening our enjoyment of this beautiful island.
So let’s all do our bit to use our water wisely and help conserve this vital resource!
You can find out more about IbizaPreservation and donate towards their work by going to their website: ibizapreservation.org. You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
