The Insular Water Council (CIATF), an entity aligned with the Cabildo de Tenerife, has received two proposals from specialised firms to carry out rehabilitation work on the submarine emissary of the La Orotava Valley via an emergency procedure.
The project entails an investment of 2.7 million euros and has a timeline of 16 months for completion, commencing once the work begins.
The president of the Insular Corporation, Rosa Dávila (CC), declared on April 15 during an interview on Radio Club Tenerife (Cadena Ser) that no firm submitted a bid for the emissary works, whose tender deadline expired on Monday, April 7.
Dávila now indicates in a statement that two offers have indeed been received, and all technical documentation must be evaluated before awarding the contract for the works.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability and Safety and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, notes that the new tender has been processed “in record time” through the emergency protocol.
“The team at the Insular Water Council of Tenerife is currently analysing all the documentation to initiate the works as soon as possible,” she states.
As it stands, the expectation is that the contract for the works may be awarded before the end of the first half of the year, although it is necessary to account for the procedures and deadlines established by law for undertaking such actions.
Additionally, Minister Blanca Pérez (CC) mentioned in an interview with people Radio, a local station in Puerto de la Cruz, that the statement would reopen for competition at the end of April, with the possibility of awarding the works in the first half of May.
The Emisario project is part of broader efforts to improve water treatment, which also include the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in the La Orotava Valley region (phase I). This facility is expected to serve 102,000 residents from the municipalities of La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Realejos, and Santa Úrsula.
The initiative involves replacing the submarine emissary in Punta Brava, specifically the section currently made of PRFV (fibreglass reinforced polyester) where the fissure is located, with a new Pead (high-density polyethylene) structure. This aims to enhance the existing spill situation, with the prohibition of swimming at Playa en Jardín Beach effective from July 2024.
Furthermore, the replacement of covers is included in the emissary segment, where the prefabricated blocks, which serve as driving anchors, have deteriorated, necessitating the anchoring of new ballast blocks in the diffuser area, taking into account the condition of the existing ones.
