Santa Cruz de Tenerife 28 Feb. (Europa Press) –
The Plenary of the Cabildo de Tenerife has approved the establishment of a new wastewater treatment facility in the La Orotava Valley (Phase I) this Friday. With a total investment of €20.8 million, it will cater to 102,000 residents from the municipalities of La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Realejos, and Santa Úrsula.
In the plenary meeting, a credit modification of €13.8 million was sanctioned to facilitate the execution of this infrastructure, with a total financial commitment of €20.8 million. The remainder of the funding will be supplied by the Insular Council of Water of Tenerife, and the project is expected to take 24 months to complete.
“This is a significant initiative that will enable us, in its initial phase, to process 10,000 m3 of water each day. The collectors that gather this water are being constructed, and the new WWTP will enhance and expand water treatment for La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Realejos, and Santa Úrsula,” commented the island’s president, Rosa Dávila, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Safety, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, noted that the plan is to award the construction works urgently, with a contract anticipated to be signed by mid-2025.
Details of the Project
The new wastewater treatment plant within the Hydraulic Complex of the La Orotava Valley will provide secondary treatment for a daily capacity of 10,000 cubic metres (first phase), while ensuring that the current WWTP remains operational throughout.
According to the Cabildo’s reports, this design will facilitate the future development of a second phase capable of treating up to 20,000 cubic metres per day.
The planned activities will enable the establishment of a primary phase for the secondary treatment of some fractions of wastewater intended to be collected in the urban area, as part of a subsequent project.
Furthermore, the facility’s development plan (20,000 cubic metres/day) includes the transformation into a water regeneration station (ERA) by dismantling existing facilities and incorporating a tertiary treatment system of desalination through reversible electrodialysis (EDR), allowing treated water to be used for agricultural purposes.
In the initial phase, MBR technology (Membrane Bioreactor) will treat a flow of 10,000 cubic metres per day of urban wastewater from La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Realejos, and Santa Úrsula.
The second phase will augment wastewater treatment with an additional 10,000 m3 per day, ultimately enabling the WWTP to manage a total flow of 20,000 cubic metres per day.
This second phase will also include tertiary treatment of purified waters using reversible electrodialysis (EDR), producing high-quality water for agricultural irrigation in the island’s northern region and for various other applications.
