The request is based on a recent resolution from the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation (CHG) which, according to the company, legalizes the existing water abstractions on the property. This authorization would allow maintaining the approved extraction volume of 605,000 cubic meters annually, now distributed through the ten investigated wells.
Eurotécnica maintains that the CHG resolution validates the irrigation system of the Aljobar estate, certifying that it does not cause serious harm to the public hydraulic domain. The company insists that, since the start of the investigation, it has maintained that the maximum authorized irrigation volume has never been exceeded, arguing that no damage has been caused to the public hydraulic domain or the environment.
The defense argues that by not exceeding authorized flows, there is no criminal relevance. They point out that the aquifer in use is in good condition and that the entire abstraction system meets the approved technical specifications, stating that the maximum authorized volume has never been exceeded.
“"This resolution validates the existing irrigation system on the estate and certifies that it does not cause serious harm to the public hydraulic domain, otherwise it would not be authorized."
Ecologistas en Acción (Environmentalists in Action), a popular accuser in the case, has expressed surprise at the CHG's resolution, criticizing that the administration responsible for public interest in water management has contributed to the alleged crimes amounting to nothing, especially by issuing it before the judicial investigation concludes.
Within the investigation, Luis Martínez de Irujo Hohenlohe-Langenburg, grandson of the Duchess of Alba, appeared as an investigated person on February 20, 2025. He stated that the regularization process for the wells began following a complaint by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir itself, confirming the administrative steps taken to resolve the situation.
The judicial investigation is part of the broader issue of water use in the Doñana area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, facing tensions between environmental conservation and economic activities like intensive irrigation agriculture. The proceedings were initiated after a complaint from the CHG regarding water abstractions lacking administrative authorization.
