Tenerife Water Emergency Extended to February 2026

Tenerife's water emergency has been extended for another four months.

The Drought Committee has agreed to keep the emergency declaration in place until the end of February 2026. This is to allow time to finish ongoing water projects.

The Island Water Council (Ciatf) is expected to approve this extension at a meeting on Thursday.

Previously, the head of the Island Council, Rosa Dávila, had hoped the emergency would end this month. However, the extension is now necessary.

The Island Government has announced that the amount of recycled water being used has increased by 8,000 cubic meters per day since mid-June. At that time, 26,496 cubic meters had already been added to the system. Since the water emergency began, almost 35,000 cubic meters have been added.

Some sources say that after 16 months, the system should be using more than 62,000 cubic meters per day.

Valentín González, the Island Councilor for the Primary Sector, reviewed the 75 projects planned to address the water emergency.

González highlighted a project at the El Chorrillo Groundwater Station (EDAS) that improves the quality of water from the Metropolitan area treatment plant for irrigation in the Northeast. This project is expected to provide over 120,000 cubic meters of water to an area that needs it most.

González noted that the El Chorrillo project was completed and put into operation on July 11. Since then, it has produced over 120,000 cubic meters of desalinated recycled water, averaging 1,500 cubic meters per day. This water is currently used for farming in the Northeast of the island.

González also provided updates on other projects. One project involves pumping desalinated water to the Montaña de Taco pond in Buenavista del Norte. This will allow excess water from the La Monja Seawater Treatment Plant (EDAM) and Funche to be used, as well as desalinated water from another station. This project is almost finished and is expected to be operational before December.

Work on the La Orotava Valley treatment plant project began testing in June and became operational on September 15. However, González noted that there have been occasional stops for adjustments. A five-month extension will allow for specific treatments to remove solids, fats, and oils.

Another measure involves using spare capacity at the Cepsa Refinery plant, which has been implemented since July 29, 2024. This allows Balten to receive 1,500 cubic meters of water per day.

Another project encourages owners of the Tágara, Niágara, and La Canal water sources to exchange water for water from the Lomo del Balo pond. The goal is to increase storage at the Trevejos pond. Since July 2024, exchanges from Niágara have increased, resulting in a larger volume of water and improved quality. Additionally, the Angola Well has been tested and put into operation, raising almost 42,000 cubic meters of water to the Trevejos pond.

The Drought Committee acknowledged that the water contributions have not been as high as expected due to delays in many projects. This is why the extension is needed. Farmers have expressed concern, stating that they are still facing water restrictions despite the additional water being added to the system.

In October, the water level in the island's 21 public ponds has decreased by 2% compared to the end of September, going from 28% to 26%. There is concern that autumn has begun without rain after a very dry summer, and farmers are relying on reserves from a rainy spring. For now, Tenerife remains in a water emergency.