Santa Cruz de Tenerife Sues Island Council Over Wastewater Plant Management
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council is taking the Island Water Council to court to force a transfer of management for the Buenos Aires Wastewater Treatment Plant, arguing the facility serves multiple municipalities and should be under regional control.
The dispute over who should manage Tenerife’s water infrastructure has reached a breaking point. Following a recent local government meeting, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council announced it is taking the Island Water Council (CIATF)—a body under the Cabildo—to court. The City Council argues that the island administration is failing to meet its legal obligations regarding the Buenos Aires Wastewater Treatment Plant (EDAR).
The conflict centers on the fact that the plant, located in Cabo Llanos, serves more than just the capital. While Santa Cruz currently owns and operates the facility, it also processes wastewater from the neighboring municipalities of La Laguna and El Rosario. In fact, technical data shows that over half of the water treated at the plant comes from these other towns. Because of this, the City Council argues it is unfair for the capital to be solely responsible for funding and managing a service that clearly serves a wider region.
The Cabildo has refused to take over management until expansion works, currently being carried out by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, are finished. Carlos Tarife, the First Deputy Mayor, has dismissed this as a delaying tactic. The City Council maintains that water regulations require the island authority to manage supra-municipal systems, regardless of whether improvement works are ongoing. After failed attempts to resolve the issue through dialogue in 2020, 2022, and 2024, the City Council has decided that litigation is now the only remaining option.
The council is asking a judge to decide whether the CIATF can legally delay taking responsibility until the state-led construction is completed, which is expected by the end of 2025. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez described the current situation as an "anomaly" that undermines the legal certainty needed for such an essential public service. The City Council plans to file the lawsuit within the next month, marking the start of a legal battle to end decades of municipal management for a facility that serves a much larger area than just the city itself.