Buenavista del Norte Ends Bottled Water; El Palmar Tap Water Safe

The Buenavista del Norte Town Council has announced it will no longer provide bottled water to residents of the El Palmar Valley. This decision comes after new analyses confirmed that the drinking water now has optimal fluoride levels and is safe to consume.

The council had been distributing bottled water since last July, following a prohibition on using tap water for drinking or cooking that began on July 23. An official statement declared that the latest tests "have yielded results within permitted values, therefore, the restrictions dictated at the time are rendered null and void." It concluded, "As of today – November 6 – potable water can indeed be used for drinking, cooking, or preparing food."

For the past four months, approximately 400 residents across six mid-altitude settlements – including Las Portelas, Las Lagunetas, El Palmar, Barranco de Las Palmas, La Sabina, and the upper part of Casablanca – collected three large water bottles per household twice a week. While the municipal government hasn't provided official figures, unofficial estimates suggest more than 20,000 eight-liter bottles, or 160,000 liters of water, were distributed during this period.

The issue stemmed from a leak in one of the reservoirs supplying these areas, which was detected at the end of October thanks to cooperation from local residents.

Mayor Eva García acknowledged that finding a solution took almost four months but emphasized that the Town Council "worked intensely and as quickly as possible to resolve the situation and restore the use of potable water." In an official statement, she also thanked the residents whose help in detecting the leaks was "fundamental" and urged the community to "be responsible and moderate with this resource, promoting conscious consumption that guarantees its availability for everyone."