The Environment Prosecutor’s Office of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has filed charges against six public officials for the discharge of sewage in Playa Jardín, Puerto de la Cruz. Following an extensive investigation, the Public Prosecutor lodged a complaint with the local Peace Court in mid-July for a crime against natural resources and the environment due to the contamination of this area, which had been closed for almost a year as a result of alarming levels of E. coli and Enterococci detected in the water.
As confirmed by sources from the Prosecutor’s Office to this newspaper, the individuals facing indictment include the former mayor of Puerto de la Cruz, Marco Antonio González (PSOE); the current councillor and deputy mayor, David Hernández (Asamblea Ciudadana Portuense); the Employment councillor, Alberto Cabo (ACP); the island councillor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Safety and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez (Coalición Canaria); the manager of the Insular Water Council of Tenerife (CIAT), Javier Davara; and the former Tourism councillor of the Cabildo, Alberto Bernabé Teja (CC).
Swimming in Playa Jardín, one of the key locations on the northern coast of Tenerife, was discouraged for nearly a year due to high levels of faecal bacteria detected in the water. From March to June 2024, as stated in a Public Health report issued on 21 June of that year, continuous readings of E. coli and Enterococci “compatible” with “insufficient” water quality were identified.
The same document warned that exposure to high levels of faecal contamination increases the risk of contracting waterborne illnesses, such as respiratory conditions, diarrhoea, vomiting, or meningitis.
Until 17 June of this year, swimming was discouraged, although it was not prohibited, leading to frequent sightings of bathers at Playa Jardín. Meanwhile, analyses revealed values of up to 1,000 bacterial units of E. coli per millilitre of sample, significantly exceeding the 250 required for the water quality to be considered “excellent” and the 500 necessary for it to be classified as “satisfactory or good.” This data derives from results of samples taken on 23 September at the three points established by Public Health.
The breakage of the outfall
The environmental consultancy Elittoral conducted analyses at 13 stations around the underwater outfall of Punta Brava, the only one authorised at that time to discharge the waters from the wastewater treatment plant of Valle de La Orotava. On 15 October 2024, readings at one of the points revealed levels of up to 68,000 bacterial units of E. coli and 19,000 of intestinal Enterococci.
This underwater outfall has suffered a fissure approximately ten metres from the shore since 2020. Consequently, as explained in this report compiled in January 2025, the treated waters from the wastewater treatment plant “are not being discharged at a sufficient distance to ensure the dispersion of the plume before reaching the coastline.”
Following a complaint, the Environment Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation. The objective was to determine whether the events constituted a violation of the dumping offence outlined in Article 325 of the Penal Code. This article stipulates prison sentences ranging from six months to two years, fines of ten to fourteen months, and disqualification penalties for those who directly or indirectly cause discharges that could inflict substantial harm to water bodies.
