A new report has uncovered that the Oliva Nova Golf resort has been irrigating its course with potable groundwater from the protected Marjal de Pego-Oliva wetlands for the past 30 years—without the required authorisation. The revelation comes as environmental group Acció Ecologista-Agró formally objects to a pending application by the developer Construcciones Hispano Germanas (CHG) to legalise the use of water from the Ullalet well, located near the natural park, for golf course irrigation. According to Agró, CHG has been tapping this source since the resort opened in 1995, in breach of Spain’s Water Law. The evidence is contained in a report from the Júcar River Basin Authority’s (CHJ) own Office of Hydrological Planning. It states that the golf course is currently irrigated by a pumping station located near a lake between holes 1 and 7, which receives water directly from the Ullalet well. The same report notes that sports fields forming part of the Oliva Sports Centre also occupy land originally dedicated to citrus farming, which did hold water rights. A “clear violation” of national water regulations, Agró describes this as a “clear violation” of national water regulations, which stipulate that groundwater granted under concession for agricultural use—specifically for irrigating citrus crops—cannot be repurposed for leisure activities like golf without prior approval. “It is worth asking,” the group adds, “what oversight the Júcar River Basin Authority has exercised over the past three decades. Have any sanctions been issued?” Concerns about the misuse of water in the area are not new. As early as 2002, a study by the Polytechnic University of Valencia warned that the golf course should be irrigated with treated wastewater from the surrounding development. “It is unacceptable,” the researchers wrote, “that water is being extracted from the Bullent spring—vital to the river system feeding the wetlands—for the sole purpose of maintaining a golf course.” Oliva Nova has seven wastewater treatment plants Adding to the controversy is the fact that Oliva Nova has seven wastewater treatment plants. According to the CHJ report, only one is currently being considered for use in tertiary irrigation treatment. “Why not the others?” environmentalists ask. A third objection filed by Agró draws attention to the dire state of the local aquifer. Official hydrological planning documents for 2015–2021 already classified the Pego-Oliva groundwater body as being in poor quantitative condition. Draft data for the 2028–2033 cycle confirms the situation has not improved. The case raises serious questions not only about the responsibility of the golf resort but also about decades of regulatory inaction. Stay tuned with Euro Weekly News for the latest news about Europe and Costa Blanca.