La Laguna Offers €5,000 Aid for Sewage Connections
La Laguna City Council and Teidagua have launched a new program offering financial aid for private homes to connect to the sewage system, aiming to increase treated wastewater for agricultural reuse and improve water sustainability.
Yesterday, La Laguna City Council and Teidagua announced a new program to help connect private homes to the sewage system. This initiative is in line with European rules (Directive 91/271/EEC) that demand proper treatment of urban wastewater before it's released. It also addresses the "Water Emergency" declared by the Tenerife Island Council (Cabildo), which has asked local councils to collect more wastewater to create more "reclaimed water" – treated wastewater that can be reused.
Mayor Luis Yeray Gutiérrez explained that the project aims to connect more homes that currently aren't linked to the sewage system. This will send more wastewater to treatment plants to be properly cleaned.
"More connected homes mean more wastewater can be treated and turned into reclaimed water," he added. "This reclaimed water can then be used to irrigate farms and green areas."
Braulio Domínguez, Teidagua's manager, said the goal of this joint effort with the city council is to improve how wastewater is managed, follow regulations, and help the municipality become more water-sustainable. A study by Teidagua found that 27% of water customers in the area are not currently connected to the public sewage system. To fix this, the Cabildo has provided a grant. This means homes that aren't connected can get financial help, up to 5,000 euros per property.
A survey of sewage connections identified areas with the most potential for improvement, especially those with many septic tanks. Working with the Tenerife Island Water Council, they decided to focus mainly on the northeast part of the municipality. Key areas with few existing connections include El Ramal in Tejina (251 septic tanks), El Calvario in Valle de Guerra (204 septic tanks), Suertes Largas in Guamasa (122 septic tanks), and Vernetta in the Bajamar-Punta del Hidalgo area (76 septic tanks).
Ángel Chinea also mentioned that just two months ago, the City Council and Teidagua finished upgrading the Punta del Hidalgo Wastewater Treatment Plant. They added a new system that can reclaim 100% of the treated water. This water can now be reused to irrigate over 90 hectares of farmland in the Northeast region.
Around twenty farmers are already using this improved water supply. The plant's capacity has grown from 850 to 1,200 cubic meters per day, which is expected to meet the needs of this part of the municipality for the next 20 years.