Malta will lose one of its finest sources of natural groundwater if the proposed golf course in the limits of Ghajn Tuffieha goes ahead, according to hydrologist Marco Cremona.
Media reports have in the past weeks claimed that the site at Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra and Tal-Qortin, earmarked by the government for the development of a golf course, lies on a potable water table protected by European Union law.
Mr Cremona is a former technical consultant with Friends of the Earth Malta and a water treatment engineer who has tackled water issues in several environmental impact assessments.
He said that more than half the golf course footprint lies on the Mizieb mean sea level aquifer which produces 600,000 cubic metres of potable water annually - equivalent to the amount consumed by the population of Fgura in a year.
A close look at the golf course plan and the Mizieb mean sea level map shows that the northern part of the golf course site, which comprises 64 out of the 114 hectares allocated for development, falls on one of six drinking water safeguard areas protected by the EU's Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC.
The regulation, which was transposed into Maltese law in 2004, states that groundwater bodies should be protected because they are important sources of potable water for humans.
"Rain falling on the site of the proposed golf course seeps through the rock and replenishes the aquifer. If the golf course development goes through, the drinking water source would be contaminated by the large amount of pesticides and fertilisers needed to keep the golf course in good shape," Mr Cremona said.
"The question is not whether contaminants will manage to seep through or not, it is to what extent the water source will be contaminated. The vulnerability of this particular aquifer to contamination is very high. The aquifer is not protected by a blue clay layer that mitigates against contamination," Mr Cremona said.
The hydrologist's claim conflicts with the Project Description Statement (PDS) for the proposed golf course, which states among its pros that the site "may accommodate a golf course without affecting the aquifer protection zone".
Mr Cremona said water from the Mizieb mean sea level aquifer is of such good quality that it is extracted by the Water Services Corporation and pumped into the public water system directly, without the need for costly treatment.
According to water quality data found in the WSC Annual Report 2000-2001, this water body has one of the lowest levels of nitrates in Malta.
Potable water is considered good according to European Union standards when it contains up to 41.2 micrograms of nitrates per litre. Despite the agricultural activity in the area, the pesticide content in the Mizieb groundwater is below 0.5 micrograms per litre.
"The low level of nitrates in this aquifer is attributed to the fact that most of the catchment area of the aquifer is made up of garigue. Garigue does not contribute to the contamination of the aquifer. Rather it ensures that the water remains as pure as nature intended," said Mr Cremona.
The water there has the fourth lowest amount of chlorides - 270 mg per litre - after that pumped up from the Falka, Bingemma and Mgarr pumping stations where the chloride levels are 150, 160 and 210 mg per litre respectively, according to tests carried out by the WSC. The chloride level of the water pumped from the other mean sea level aquifers exceeds the 1,000 mg per litre mark.
"The water pumped up from Mizieb is definitely among the best groundwater to be found in Malta," Mr Cremona said.
He said the contamination of ground water had been a major issue in the Verdala golf course application which was refused by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, adding he was very surprised that the authorities were not aware of this problem before they earmarked Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra for the development of a golf course.
"The hydrological discussion in the Verdala case centred on whether the Blue Clay layer was sufficiently fractured so as to allow contaminants from the golf course to reach the aquifer. In this case there is no protective clay layer between the golf course and the aquifer. At Mizieb the clay layer lies beneath the aquifer and not above - offering no possible protection."
Along with the Mizieb water table, the Malta main mean sea level, the Rabat-Dingli perched, Mgarr-Wardija perched, Mellieha perched and the Gozo mean sea level water tables had been identified by the Malta Resources Authority as protected areas under the European directive.
The directive obliges the Malta Resources Authority, as the regulator, to put in effect measures that not only protect the aquifer but actually improve the groundwater quality. In one of its documents, the MRA, in fact, discourages "any development lying within the groundwater protection zone that may have a pronounced impact on the quality and quantity of the resource".
"The golf course proposal goes directly counter to the aims of the directive. And the EU Commission will not let this infringement go unnoticed," Mr Cremona pointed out.
Of these aquifers, the Rabat-Dingli perched and the Mellieha perched water tables are the two groundwater sources which are not being used for drinking water at present because of a high nitrate concentration from fertilisers used by farmers, according to another MRA report.
Mr Cremona appealed to the professional integrity of the Environment Impact Assessment consultants to immediately inform the government on the "impossibility of a golf course at Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra".
"The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has declared that a professional 18-hole golf course requires 60 hectares of land. The amount of land at Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra lying outside the potable water safeguard zone is less than 45 hectares. Clearly, there is literally no space for golf at Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra" Mr Cremona concluded.