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ARCHIVED - Salt harvest mounting up in San Pedro del Pinatar
The salt flats of San Pedro are arguably at their most attractive during the autumn
In spite of recent problems experienced by the Mar Menor due to the Gota Fría in September, the annual cycle of life continues as the salt flats yield their white harvest of sea salt in the regional park of the Salinas y Dunas de San Pedro del Pinatar.
The park, containing dunes and salt pans, is a great place to visit at any time of year, but the autumn is arguably the best as the migratory flamingos have set up home here and the white salt mountains grow quietly larger as the salt harvest progresses.
Each year around 100,000 tons of salt is harvested in the saltflats of san Pedro del Pinatar, but rather than representing a threat to the wildlife in the area, this is an example of production activity on the part of mankind actually providing a habitat which is favourable for the survival of numerous species.
As collection begins at the end of the summer 60 per cent of the salt produced at the northern end of the Mar Menor is packaged in 25-kilo sacks for distribution, another 25 per cent is packaged in 1- or 2- kilo bags for sale in shops, and the rest is loaded into “big bags” weighing a ton each. However, the sale of these last items is gradually being reduced in order to concentrate on the larger formats.
In essence, the method used to produce salt in San Pedro del Pinatar is a simple if slow one used by mankind for centuries: evaporation. As the water channelled into shallow pools evaporates, the salt content increases up to the point where salt crystals start to form, and the sunny and breezy conditions on this part of the coast accelerate that process.
But the process is slightly more complicated, as water in the pools is pumped from the Mar Menor into a circuit of flats: in the first ones impurities are filtered out and the salt concentration is raised to around 75 grams per litre, while in subsequent areas that concentration rises to between 300 and 325 g/l.
The water then enters the “headwater concentrator” flats, which are smaller due to the volume of water already having been reduced significantly, and here saturated brine is added and the precipitation of salt crystals occurs. Thus, a layer of salt measuring between 7 and 14 centimetres in thickness is obtained.
The remaining water is then drained and the salt removed using a digger to break the surface crust before it is piled up in order to allow any residual water to dry off: the product is then washed to eliminate any remaining impurities and centrifuged to reduce the humidity, and it is at this point that the large mountains are accumulated as the salt awaits packaging.
For more local news, events and other information go to the San Pedro del Pinatar section of Murcia Today.
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Images: Tourism San Pedro del Pinatar