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Date Published: 15/04/2025

Portmán Bay cleanup sparks backlash over scaled-back government plan

The Spanish government has decided to seal off the old mining waste rather than remove it

A new plan proposed by Spain’s central government to deal with decades of toxic mining waste in Portmán Bay has sparked fierce backlash from local officials and residents. The Ministry for Ecological Transition’s latest proposal calls for sealing, rather than removing, the massive tailings left behind by mining activity between 1957 and 1990, a move that has been described by critics as a betrayal of the long-promised full environmental restoration.

Last week, Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, visited the area to present the proposal. He insisted that removing the waste is no longer an option, calling it “impossible to move,” and said that sealing the tailings is now the only viable solution.

The long-awaited Portmán Bay regeneration plan also includes redeveloping the beach, creating a small inland lake, upgrading the El Lastre port, planting vegetation and building walking trails throughout the bay.

But for the people of La Unión, this scaled-down version of the original regeneration project falls far short of expectations.

In a rare show of unity, all four political groups in the La Unión Town Council have condemned the Spanish government’s decision. During a heated plenary session held Monday at the Portmán Neighbourhood League Association auditorium, the council unanimously approved a motion rejecting the sealing plan and demanding a return to the original restoration project, which includes extracting the toxic waste and reclaiming 250 metres of coastline.

Mayor Joaquín Zapata didn’t hold back. He warned that now is the time to act, not just on social media, but through organised protest. The first demonstration is scheduled for Sunday April 27, with a rally outside La Unión Town Hall at 12 noon. More actions will follow in Murcia, Madrid and even Brussels. The council plans to help residents participate by providing transportation and materials.

Socialist spokesperson Pedro López Milán described the Ministry’s proposal as “intolerable, shattering everyone’s hopes” and urged all residents to stand with the council, regardless of their political leanings.

Defiende La Unión’s councillor, Daniel Cano, echoed that sentiment, proposing a working group to coordinate efforts between the council, neighbourhood associations and other local groups “to channel all possible actions to address the existing discontent.”

At the close of the session, María García, a spokesperson for the Portmán Neighbourhood League, voiced the community’s frustration. She criticised the long history of broken promises and delays since toxic dumping ended in 1990. For many, the new plan feels like yet another setback in a decades-long struggle to see Portmán Bay properly restored.

In other news: Lyrid meteor shower lights up the Spanish skies this April

Image: Archive

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