The Director of Environmental Quality for the Canary Islands, Ángel Montañés, announced on 24 June that the completion date for the rehabilitation of the submarine outfall in Puerto de la Cruz has been revised. This project, which affects the Valle de La Orotava and Santa Úrsula, has been controversial due to a public advisory against swimming at Playa Jardín starting July 2024.
Initially awarded to Ferrovial in June 2025 for €2.7 million, the project was meant to be finished within 16 months. However, the latest update indicates that, pending the necessary permits, the work is now expected to conclude around December 2027.
This project follows previous work on the filtration wells. Rosa Dávila, the President of the Cabildo, and Vice President Lope Afonso visited Puerto de la Cruz to outline the efforts to mitigate pollution, emphasising a total investment of €30 million to eliminate discharges, protect the coastline, and ensure proper water treatment. Notably, this extends the estimated timeline from the initial promise of 16 months to a staggering 28 months.
The planned repairs involve replacing the underwater installation in Punta Brava, specifically in a section that previously used fibreglass-reinforced polyester, where a leak was detected. The new high-density polyethylene material should significantly enhance the current discharge situation.
Additionally, plans include constructing a new treatment facility with a projected cost of €25 million, designed to serve approximately 100,000 residents in La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Realejos, and Santa Úrsula.
Furthermore, €2 million has been allocated for a tertiary treatment system at the existing plant to supply regenerated water for irrigation, benefitting local agriculture. Improvements have also been made to the sewage system in Punta Brava, injecting €1 million into modernising the network to prevent further discharges.
