The ongoing expansion of the Santa Cruz Water Purification Facility is progressing well and is anticipated to be finished by March 2025. This development is crucial in addressing the water scarcity crisis on the island. Once completed, it will be capable of providing an additional 20,000 cubic meters of irrigation water per day, equivalent to eight 50-meter Olympic swimming pools, benefiting the areas from Santa Cruz to Valle San Lorenzo (Arona) and towards the Northeast of the Island (Tegueste and La Laguna). The recurrent discharge into the sea in the bay of the Tenerife capital will also be halted or significantly reduced. Councilor Blanca Pérez, together with Councilor Carlos Tarife from the Chicharrero City Council, and Javier Davara, the manager of the Tenerife Island Water Council (CIATF), verified the current status of the facility located in the Chamberí neighborhood, in the South Coast Polygon. The start-up of the upgraded treatment plant necessitates supplementary actions in addition to the expansion, carried out by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of Spain. These actions are aimed at appropriately treating wastewater, preventing its discharge into the sea, and enabling its subsequent use for agricultural activity in the Northeast and South of the Island.
The Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability and Safety and Emergencies from the Cabildo, Blanca Pérez; Councilor Carlos Tarife from Santa Cruz for Public Services; and Javier Davara visited the site with the responsible authorities to assess the progress of the works. In 2018, the Ministry awarded a 20.1 million euros budget for the expansion of the Santa Cruz Wastewater Purification Facility. These actions are expected to conclude by March 2025, increasing the treatment capacity to approximately 55,000 cubic meters per day. Blanca Pérez emphasized the significance of these actions for the metropolitan area and the rest of the Island in ceasing the discharges occurring on the capital’s coast. The initial work involves the adaptation of the Cabo Llanos Wastewater Pumping Station (EBAR) to pump water to the Santa Cruz Purification Plant (WWTP), which will have an expanded storage and treatment capacity for subsequent reuse and exploitation. Additionally, pipelines are being installed on Manuel Hermoso Avenue for the water pumped from the EBAR to be treated in Buenos Aires, where the purification system collects water from Santa Cruz, La Laguna, and El Rosario. Pérez stressed the importance of having “a complete wastewater sanitation, purification, regeneration, and reuse system, something that is not common.”
Fruitful Visit
Carlos Tarife stated, “The visit was fruitful.” He emphasized the importance of expediting the work, stating, “We have urged the Ministry representatives to expedite the work, as it is one of the most pressing environmental issues in Santa Cruz.” He also called on the Tenerife Council to “fulfill its responsibility” as “it is a treatment plant serving three different municipalities.” Furthermore, he invited the Minister, Teresa Ribera, to visit the site and take all necessary measures to expedite the project. Javier Davara, the manager of CIATF, described the actions taken at the Buenos Aires Treatment Plant as “strategic” for two reasons. Firstly, due to the additional daily water supply for crops in the south and northeast of the Island, and secondly, in ending or minimizing the long-standing discharges on the capital’s coast.
