The Tenerife Island Council and Waters of Spain Basin (Acuaes) are investing 73.1 million euros in various hydraulic infrastructures to eradicate coastal discharges in the South and provide regenerated water for the agricultural sector. The insular president, Rosa Dávila; the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, and the president of Acuaes, Rosa Cobo, visited the West and Los Letrados wastewater treatment plants located in Guía de Isora and Granadilla de Abona, respectively, which will start operating by the end of June.
During the visit, they were accompanied by the councilor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, and Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez; the mayor of Guía de Isora, Ana Dorta; Emilio Navarro from Santiago del Teide; the local councilor of Granadilla de Abona, Jennifer Miranda, and the manager of the Insular Water Council of Tenerife, Javier Davara.
Rosa Dávila expressed gratitude for the presence of the Secretary of State for the Environment, stating, “With the activation of the West wastewater treatment plant, we will eliminate discharges into the sea along the coastline from Santiago del Teide to Playa San Juan, and with the Los Letrados plant, we will resolve the issue at El Médano beach and Montaña Pelada.” She added, “We have made a push to eliminate irregular discharges that pollute our valuable coastline and achieve zero wastewater discharges into the sea. Additionally, we are not only solving the discharge problem but can also provide the agricultural sector with all this recycled water and ensure sufficient flow for its activities.”
Explanations during the tour of the facilities. / E. D.
Dávila mentioned that “we will go from 4 million cubic meters in Guía de Isora to being able to provide 7 million cubic meters of water.” Additionally, “in the Abona region, one of the most needed areas, we will go from 300 cubic meters to over 2 million cubic meters. This is a significant investment exceeding 73.1 million euros in total.” It is worth noting that 25% of the island’s banana plantations are located in the Southwest.
A separate mention is that the maximum authority of the Tenerife Island Council stated that this summer there will be zero discharge in El Médano, on the coast of the municipality of Granadilla de Abona.
Zero Discharge Expected in El Médano this Summer, on the Coast of Granadilla de Abona
On the other hand, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, remarked, “Water is part of the essential economic structures for any territory, beyond being a vital element for life. When we talk about island territories, this strategic sector becomes even more crucial. We have been implementing actions for sanitation and purification treatment in Tenerife for some time in a collaborative process through Acuaes, leading us to deploy an investment of around 200 million euros, approximately, in infrastructures.”
“The island has a calling as an environmental resource as the basis for its economic development and the creation of employment, and it is impossible to understand environmental quality disconnected from a water management model and circular economy. Thus, firstly, we respond to an evident need, which is the treatment of urban wastewater, and secondly, we see how we can reuse that water through technological development that allows its use in spaces with limitations,” Morán explained.
