Playa Jardín, a significant attraction in the tourist town of Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife, has been closed for almost a month for swimming due to fecal contamination in its waters.
On Wednesday, the mayor of the municipality, Marco González, will meet the presidents of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, and the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, to coordinate efforts to find a solution to the closure caused by spills, according to the City Council.
At the meeting scheduled for Wednesday at the Government’s headquarters in the Tenerife capital, the City Council will present municipal, island, and regional reports on this incident with the aim of collaborating on analysing the situation.
The City Council will also commence underwater investigations this week to analyse the area around the leak from the sewage treatment plant near the beach to assess the impact of this incident on the surroundings.
Nonetheless, the Island Water Council’s report, under the Tenerife Island Council, suggests that the deterioration in water quality around Playa Jardín observed since 2016 may not be linked to the leak detected at the Punta Brava submarine outfall.
The City Council stresses the importance of involving the Government and the Council in all actions to identify the cause and implement corrective measures promptly.
These measures include conducting a thorough analysis of the entire Punta Brava neighbourhood area and expediting the repair of the outfall, along with securing approvals from the Canary Islands Government. This will allow the Council to tender for the comprehensive rehabilitation of the outfall and the enhancement of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The City Council has been actively working on proposals and projects to enhance the sewage network in the area, including repairs to the network surrounding the neighbourhood in 2022, which will undergo further evaluation by the concessionaire company.
Additionally, plans are in place to divert sewage networks so that wastewater from the La Vera and Las Dehesas neighbourhoods flows directly to the treatment plant, bypassing the Playa Jardín pumping stations used for the last three decades. This plan also includes implementing an independent energy system for the Playa Chica pumping station, with approved financing from the May plenary session.