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San Javier farmer jailed for dumping brine into the Mar Menor
The man was sentenced to 15 months behind bars for polluting the Murcia lagoon
The Provincial Court of Murcia has sentenced a farmer to 15 months in prison and fined him €900 after he admitted dumping 20,300 cubic metres of brine that seeped into the Mar Menor lagoon between 2015 and 2017.
According to the plea agreement, the defendant admitted that the spill came from a desalination plant on his farm in Santiago de la Ribera, San Javier, which covers 16 hectares. He also acknowledged that he'd been using the plant illegally, as he didn't have the required permit from the Segura River Basin Authority.
As well as the prison sentence and fine, he's been ordered to pay €4,600 in compensation to the State for the environmental damage caused, along with a further €2,300 to the Region of Murcia. He's also been barred from working as a farmer, or as an administrator or manager of agricultural businesses, for nine months starting this August.
The prison sentence itself has been suspended for two years, on the condition that he doesn't reoffend during that time.
The timing feels particularly relevant, as this week also saw parts of the Mar Menor turn a bright green colour. People on the beaches noticed the change on August 24 and quickly took to social media to share photos and ask what was going on.
Given how environmentally sensitive the lagoon is, the unusual colour understandably caused some concern among residents and visitors. However, Los Alcázares Town Council has said there's no risk to bathers or to the marine environment, explaining that the green colouring was linked to filtration tests being carried out as part of ongoing sewerage works in the area.
