The increase on population pressure (local and visitors) and several drought periods during the 80’s and 90’s of the past century led to an expansion of desalinated water production in the Balearic Islands. This non-conventional resource has been used as the key resource to face drought management. The Balearic Islands has eight desalination plants (three in Mallorca and in Ibiza, one in Formentera and one in Menorca) with a potential production of 55 million of m3/year. During dry periods the production increased substantially (i.e.: 2000- 01, 2004-08 and 2016-17) and decreased during wet periods (i.e.: 2009-15 and 2018).
This up and down in the water production was mainly due to the more expensive water cost in comparison with the groundwater. In fact, groundwater is the main source for domestic water consumption in the archipelago (77% of a mean water consumption of 102 million of m3). Only two islands have shifted from groundwater to desalinated water. Formentera is totally supplied with desalinated water; and in Ibiza consumption of desalinated water surpassed groundwater in 2019 being now 63% to 37%, respectively.