The agricultural sector in the northeast of Tenerife will soon have the first reclaimed water pool which will allow subscribers to reduce the cost of irrigation water by five cents per cubic metre, also improving quality levels.
This was stated by the island councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla, after his meeting with the mayor of Tegueste, Ana Rosa Mena, to analyze the conversion work of the Valle Molina agricultural water pond into a regenerated water reservoir .
Parrilla recalled that this action “will help to maintain a more balanced level of storage in the region and will make it possible to improve the productivity of crops in the area and the introduction of new ones.”
The councilor also emphasized that it will be the first reclaimed water pool in the north of the island and that this action will benefit a total of 2,925 subscribers throughout the region.
“Currently only about 51 subscribers benefit from reclaimed water, but with this intervention 2,874 more subscribers to the water network of the Valle Molina reservoir will benefit,” he added.
At the same time, he explained that with the incorporation of this reclaimed water, a water product of 1,000 microsiemens per centimeter of conductivity will be obtained, “which will mean an increase in its quality, since it is currently at 1,200.”
For her part, Ana Rosa Mena declared that “for an agricultural municipality such as Tegueste, it is essential to guarantee irrigation to all farmers.”
For this reason, he said, “we are confident that, through collaboration with the Council of Tenerifelet’s continue taking steps in this direction, looking for formulas such as reclaimed water for irrigation”.
The meeting was also attended by the insular director of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cayetano Silva; the Councilor for Agriculture and Rural Development, Julián Rodríguez Pérez; the manager of Balten, Ana Sánchez Espadas, as well as representatives of the Tegueste Wine Association (Avite) and technical staff of the island corporation.
The Valle Molina pool is the head pool of the Northeast Region of Tenerife, It was built in 1987 and has a capacity of 614,373 cubic meters.
Since 2019, the University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands has been carrying out a plan to monitor reclaimed water in the implementation of irrigation in the Northeast region of the Valle de Guerra treatment plant, the results of which, according to Parrilla in a note, reflect that the microbiological quality criteria established in the current regulations for their use in agricultural use in all cases described in the Royal Decree are met, “which provides peace of mind and guarantees for farmers”.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
During the meeting they also addressed other issues such as the connection of the Valle Molina reservoir with the deposit of the Las Peñuelas irrigation network.
In this regard, the councilor explained that the possible definitive layout has already been sent to the City Council, “after an exhaustive study of the area, in which up to four possible alternatives were analyzed”, in order to obtain the municipal report that would allow the execution project “of this vital pipeline for the agricultural sector of the municipality”.
Likewise, the island councilor and the mayor of Tegueste agreed work together on the possible transfer of the management of the Las Peñuela irrigation network to the public company Balsas de Tenerife (Balten) with the aim of improving the service currently provided.
