The Town Hall of Cross port has once again decreed restrictions on the consumption of tap water for pregnant women and children under six months in the towns of Las Arenas, La Asomada, San Antonio, El Esquilón, San Fernando, Taoro, Malpaís and Las Dehesas. These limitations, which are common in northern municipalities, are due in the specific case of Puerto de la Cruz to the presence of high concentrations of nitrates, from fertilizers used massively in the 90s for agriculture and that have passed to the aquifer.
The Hydrological Plan of Tenerife points out that the coastal mass of the Valley of La Orotava is in poor condition as a consequence of the high concentration of nitrates in its waters. It details that during the nineties the concentration of nitrates in the coastal aquifer of the Valley maintained an increasing trend, however, from the year 2001 a certain stabilization is observed, which is presumed to be due to the implementation of the code of good practices. and, to a lesser extent, to improvements in sanitation and purification systems.
There are still problems, however, although the City Council tries to solve them with different actions. For example, improvements have been made to the deposits since 2020 so that the nitrates in the El Esquilón deposit disappear. The III Hydrological Plan proposes solutions in other reservoirs such as La Vera.
Sources from the Porto City Council assured this Friday that progress has been made on a draft for the definitive solution to the problem of nitrates in the La Vera deposit, an improvement that is included in the new supply contract that is expected to be launched for its award in the coming months, a solution that is contemplated in the development of the III Hydrological Plan of Tenerife. The intention of the Government led by the mayor, Marco González, is to advance in this file to implement the improvements.
Canarian Coalition of Puerto de la Cruz accuses the restrictions “of the null management of the local government of the PSOE and ACP”, since it explains in a statement that “this situation shows that they neither had nor have a plan or protocol of action to resolve this type of issues”. Marco González’s team denies this and assures that “work has not stopped” to end these limitations that occur from time to time in the tourist city.
