The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, along with the Mixed Water Company of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Emmasa), a part of the Sacyr group, has announced the removal of the water consumption restrictions that were imposed on the southwest district due to the discovery of elevated fluorine levels in the area.
The lifting of the consumption limits has been made possible following the completion of the Chorrillo supply channel works, which enable access to desalinated water produced at Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s seawater desalination plant (EDAM) for over 19,000 residents in Galician, Llano del Moro, and Sobradillo.
The mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, states that the finishing of these works, which began in May 2024 and were completed six months ahead of schedule, reflects the Consistory’s commitment to the Southwest District. “It is a significant advancement in managing the comprehensive water cycle in Santa Cruz that residents no longer need to depend on water supplies from the northern side of the island,” he remarks.
In this context, the Councillor for Public Services, Carlos Tarife, emphasizes that the desalinated water channeling is a vital element of the strategic plan that the City Council and Emmasa have been developing, aimed at boosting desalinated water production to reduce reliance on external water sources, while also promoting the reuse of properly treated water for crop irrigation, among other initiatives.
The limitations that affected the Galician, Llano del Moro, and Sobradillo neighbourhoods were implemented after high fluorine levels were detected, a change tied to reduced flow contributions via the Araya and Río Portezuelo channels, as well as a decline in the quality of the water supplied by the channel.
