Arona's Sara Community: 20 Years of Sewage Overflows From Unconnected Homes

People living in Sara Community, in Arona's La Camella neighborhood, are constantly dealing with overflowing sewage. This problem, as we've confirmed, costs them a lot of money and raises worries about health and the environment. The root of this ongoing issue is that their homes, built twenty years ago, still aren't connected to the public sewage system.

The building, home to about 200 people across 72 families, was built in 2006. Since then, their wastewater has been handled by a central soakaway well and two side septic tanks. When the system was installed, it was only guaranteed for five years, with a promise that it would eventually connect to the town's main sewage system. But twenty years later, this crucial connection still hasn't happened.

Davide Cortellino, the community president, says the current system is well past its expiry date. Fats and other waste build up, clogging the pores in the well's volcanic walls. This causes the well to fail and sewage to spill out. These overflows happen about every two weeks, and each time the well needs emptying, it costs residents 2,000 euros. Over the past two decades, the community estimates they've spent nearly 98,000 euros trying to fix a fundamental problem that isn't their fault.

The problem gets worse when it rains, leading to more frequent spills. For instance, on March 1st, the building's garage was badly flooded with sewage, showing just how unreliable the system is. Cortellino notes that a well like theirs should only last up to eight years, highlighting how long their infrastructure has been failing.

According to the community representative, Arona City Council has not responded to residents' concerns. Cortellino says he hasn't heard anything from the City Council and denies reports of meetings with Javier Baute, the Urban Planning Councilor. He explains that after his own efforts in December and two months of pushing, Baute told him the street "had not been officially accepted." This explanation puzzles residents, who regularly pay all their local taxes, including driveway permits, property tax (IBI), and rubbish collection fees.

The community president suspects this isn't just their problem but a common issue in other higher parts of Arona, like Cabo Blanco, where he's also seen flooded garages. He believes this points to a bigger environmental problem, as the sewage constantly leaks into the ground.

With no immediate solutions from the local government, Sara Community plans to take legal action. Residents are worried about the long-term effects on the building's structure and public health. They argue that homes should never have been approved for construction without a proper sewage system in place.