The Vice-Ministry of Fight against Climate Change and Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands will renew tomorrow for the last time, the authorization to discharge water into the sea from the Valle de Güímar Industrial Estate. For this, the municipalities of Candelaria, Arafo and Guimar they will have to comply with restrictive measures such as reducing 30% of the flow and the polluting elements with respect to the extensions granted in October 2020 and in November 2021. This will force them to transport the industrial treatment plant in the La Campana industrial estate (El Rosario) 360 cubic meters of the residual water flow generated by the Polígono de Güímar. Its cost is yet to be defined, but it is close to 300,000 euros per month.
miguel angel perez, Deputy Minister for the Fight against Climate Change and Ecological Transition, assures that industrial activity in the Güímar Valley will not cease nor will employment be put at risk. More than 200 companies that generate around 3,000 jobs remain operational in this complex.
The Insular Council hopes to start treating all the wastewater from the Industrial Estate on the 28th of this month
This situation is reached because the end of the construction of the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (Edari) is delayed, due to the lack of essential material due to the crisis in transport, derived from the effects of the pandemic. This forces the Island Water Council of Tenerife (Ciatf)the body that manages this project, to modify the Stage Plan and for the municipalities to request an extension of the authorization to discharge into the sea.
In accordance with this Stage Plan, Javier Davara, Ciatf manager, announces that March 28 will be when the industrial treatment plant “completely begins to purify the wastewater” of the Güímar Valley Industrial Estate. Until then, Candelaria, Arafo and Güímar will invest 90,000 euros a month each to make 36 trips each day to the La Campana wastewater treatment plant, although there are more optimistic calculations.
The industrial wastewater treatment plant at Polígono La Campana appears to be essential to solve the problem of discharges into the sea from Polígono Valle de Güímar. This is where the Tenerife Island Water Council determines that 360 cubic meters of wastewater must be transferred every day. The La Campana treatment plant is owned by the City Council of El Rosario, whose mayor was denounced before the Prosecutor’s Office by the opposition (PSOE-CC-Podemos) and its construction had 1.5 million from the Cabildo at the proposal of CC, rejected by PSOE and Cs, but supported by Podemos. The judge agreed with the alderman, Escolástico Gil, in an order that highlights the legality of the action promoted by the same mayor who must authorize the deposit of discharges in an infrastructure that was questioned in court.
Since last December, the pre-treatment plant has been operational, which reduces the pollution of the water discharged into the sea in a notable way, according to the technicians. On November 30, the testing period of the Valle de Güímar industrial treatment plant will end and it will be delivered. This is how Davara exposes it and this is how it will be if the Stage Plan that the affected municipalities approved yesterday is fulfilled. Not without surprises.
Arafo
With the vote of the municipal government (CC-PSOE) and the abstention of the PP and IU, the Arafero Plenary gave its approval to the document yesterday, the day on which the authorization of the Vice-Ministry of Ecological Transition for the discharges of the Güímar Polygon expired . It corrected a previous agreement, adopted last Thursday, for not adjusting to what the regional government demands.
Candlemas
Correction also made by Villa Mariana, where the government group had the support of Neighbors for Candelaria and the abstention of CC, PP and Ciudadanos. Solo Sí se puede voted against, defending that the authorization has expired since September 2020 and asked to bring the fact to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office “in case it could constitute a new crime against the environment and prevarication”. The mayor, Mari Brito, reproached the councilwoman, Lourdes Mondéjar, for her ignorance of the file since the discharge authorization “is extended”.
Guimar
The Güimarero Plenary also said yes to the new Stage Plan. He did so with the support of the municipal government (CC-PSOE), except for the socialist councilor Beatriz Perdono (she abstained), and the PP, except for Francisco Armas who voted against, along with Nayra Caraballero (IUC). Raquel Díaz (Cs) abstained and Carmen Luisa Castro (PP) did not attend. Gustavo Pérez, the mayor, understands that the municipalities of the Güímar Valley “intend to ensure that the regulations are complied with and guarantee business activity and employment.”
