Puerto de la Cruz Approves €420M 40-Year Water & Sewage Contract

Puerto de la Cruz City Council has approved a new 40-year contract for water and sewage services. This deal is worth over 420 million euros, meaning the town will pay about 10.5 million euros each year. The vote, held on Tuesday, showed a split in the local government. David Hernández, the first deputy mayor and an ACP councilor, voted against the plan. However, the PP and CC parties, along with the opposition PSOE party, supported it.

The local government says this agreement is crucial for the town's future over the next few decades. They explained it will allow for major investments to protect the sea, ensure public health, and completely update the town's water system. The council justified the 40-year length by saying it offers stability. This stability will allow the winning company to get back its large investments without hurting the town's finances, ensuring a modern and efficient public service for many years.

Now that it's approved, companies have 45 days to submit their bids for the contract. The company that wins the contract will manage the services and maintain the new infrastructure for the entire contract period. The contract terms require an initial investment of over 28.4 million euros, which must be spent this year and next. This investment plan is a mandatory part of the contract for the winning company. It's seen as a long-term strategy to transform the water and sewage system, focusing on environmental improvements and structural changes.

A key part of this plan is to stop all wastewater from being discharged into the sea. To achieve this, 8.4 million euros will be spent on completely upgrading wastewater pumping stations and their backup systems. The plan also includes moving stations currently located in coastal public areas. This means demolishing old facilities, restoring the environment where they stood, and building new ones away from sensitive zones. This aims to stop illegal discharges, improve the quality of bathing waters, and protect the coastline.

Another major focus of the contract is the complete overhaul of the water system in the Punta Brava neighborhood, with 8,248,000 euros allocated for this. This coastal area has long had serious problems with its sewage system and is considered a threat to the environmental health of Playa Jardín beach. The planned work will completely renew the water supply, sewage, and rainwater networks, aiming to fix long-standing issues and remove ongoing sources of pollution.

The contract also includes 6,800,000 euros to ensure the town has a secure water supply and to improve water quality, particularly by controlling nitrates. This money will fund a desalination plant capable of producing about 2,800 cubic meters of water daily, along with new pumping pipelines, systems, and storage tanks. Controlling nitrates is vital because they can affect public health and the environment.

Another significant investment, totaling 1,348,000 euros, will go towards renovating sewage networks and permanently getting rid of absorbent wells. New networks will be installed across various parts of the town, replacing old infrastructure, much of which is in poor environmental and sanitary condition. Finally, the contract includes 3,613,000 euros for technological upgrades, such as digitalization, remote meter reading, and improving operational efficiency.

The PSOE party in Puerto de la Cruz proposed an amendment. They wanted to prioritize sewage investments, especially in Punta Brava, and ensure that building the desalination plant was not the town's main focus. The PP and CC parties supported this amendment, believing it fit with the plans for administrative concessions and general services.