The coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife will be almost 100% free of discharges into the sea throughout this year. The City Council plans to complete most of the works carried out for wastewater treatment between mid and late 2024, leaving only those in San Andrés and Añaza-Acorán pending, which are expected to be completed in 2025.
This was announced yesterday by the Councilor for Strategic Planning, Environmental Sustainability and Public Services, Carlos Tarife, in the presentation of the budget that will be allocated this year to the Action Plan with the Municipal Water Company (Emmasa), which amounts to 16 million euros, of which 6.7 million will be allocated to eliminating discharges into the sea and improving wastewater treatment in isolated population centers.
Tarife explained that “the budget for 2024 for these actions amounts to 15.43 million, although there is a considerable increase compared to previous years by maintaining an item focused on resolving discharges to the coast, starting in 2023, and including a new one that includes “the Perte projects for digitalization of the water cycle.”
Regarding zero discharges, he explained that the actions during 2024 will focus on San Andrés, Añaza-Acorán, Taganana and Almáciga (Tachero), along with those that the company Sacyr has to carry out in the Ofra-El Chorrillo section to expand the network supply and desalinated water pumping facilities (Fumero-Aforadora binomial), projects whose budgets total 5 million.
Regarding the San Andrés zero discharge project, the investment will be 726,518 euros for 2024, which will be added to the more than 62,000 euros already executed in 2023. These works will begin on July 1 and will conclude in 2025. Tarife added that “The work will be carried out in two phases, and a progress level of 24% is expected.”
Thus, in the first place, a drive pipe will be installed between the wastewater pumping station (EBAR) of San Andrés and the connection with the drainage pipe, of which the section of pipe that runs along the Street has already been executed. The dam. Meanwhile, in the second phase, the work will focus on installing a drive pipe between the previous point and the connection with María Jiménez.
As for Añaza-Acorán, the councilor stressed that “the works are currently being carried out. By 2024, more than 3.8 million will be allocated, which together with what has already been done will mean that the work is at 80%.”
Likewise, “the necessary actions will be carried out for the construction of the wastewater pumping stations generated in Añaza, Acorán and Los Alisios, including the delivery pipes for its discharge to the Southwest collector and to be carried by it to the treatment plant in Buenos Aires,” he stressed. Work to be completed at the beginning of 2025.
Regarding the Taganana and Almáciga Global Sanitation Solution project (Tachero WWTP), he said that this work will be completed in December, for which more than 2.1 million will be invested. The work began in the Roque de Las Bodegas area, adapting the existing septic tank with new registers and with the construction of a valve chest, low voltage pipeline, pumping line and electrical panel, as well as the adaptation of the existing well and tapas exchange in the Casa África area.
On the other hand, Tarife announced that other items are contemplated aimed at ensuring and improving the quality of water in the city, such as adjusting the color and flavor perceived by the user (652,000 euros); improvements in the production of drinking water, with the construction of two new wells (209,000 euros); improvement and adaptation of supply and sanitation networks, as well as the Buenos Aires WWTP and pumping stations (3 million); sanitation network with the project and work to renew those on Calle San Martín (1.40 million), and other management tools (275,000 euros).
Likewise, together with European funds, 4.5 million will go to modernize the municipality’s comprehensive water cycle: 2.3 million to replace 25,000 water meters with digital ones and 2.2 million for the new sectorization.
