Sewage project at Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz temporarily shelved

The sewer pipe near Playa Jardín cannot be repaired. This is the conclusion reached by the Tenerife Water Board in its latest report. According to the CIATF, the works will therefore have to be completely re-planned.

Playa Jardín was closed to bathers for just under a year from 2024. The reason: high levels of bacteria in the bathing water. Among other things, a burst sewage pipe had caused the contamination. This was followed by a political review.

A look at the recent beach closures shows just how important the repairs would be. For several months after it reopened, Playa Jardín operated as normal; even a fast-food restaurant returned to the most popular beach in the entire region. But hopes for a permanent solution have now been dashed:

Playa Jardín: Puerto de la Cruz must rethink its plans

Around 240 metres of the sewage pipe – which is supposed to pump partially treated and therefore still contaminated sewage just under a kilometre offshore, where it is discharged into the sea – are in a state of disrepair. A rupture around 95 metres offshore highlights what this means:

Photo: WET

The reasons for the dilapidated pipes are complex. The concrete blocks used to support them have shifted, and the pipe has been corroded over the years by currents and salt water. A project carried out last year was intended to replace this section with a high-density plastic pipe. The total cost of all the work: around 2.7 million euros.

Whilst Tenerife’s Island President, Rosa Dávila, stated as recently as 9 September that the works depended on certain ‚conditions‘ at sea, the CIATF has reached a different conclusion: the plan for the works is simply not feasible in its current form, regardless of how high the waves are or how strong the currents off the coast of Puerto de la Cruz. Another explosive revelation is that the Water Council’s report was published on 18 August and, according to the register of received documents, was received by the town hall on the very same day. That was three weeks before Dávila’s statement.

Wastewater: Sewage treatment plant near Puerto de la Cruz must be upgraded

According to the report, «none of the proposed alternatives» is feasible for the intended objective. According to the Cabildo, the decision on the solution now lies with the CIATF. If the Water Council deems a completely new outfall necessary, this proposal will be followed. However, this would entail a completely new project, as the focus so far has been on repairs. The consequence: new planning, tenders and procurement procedures. For the municipal and regional budgets in particular, this would represent a significantly greater financial burden than the planned 2.7 million euros.

The sewage treatment plant responsible for treating wastewater receives the bulk of its inflow from Puerto de la Cruz. The Punta Brava district, situated close to the beach, was, however, only partially connected to the system. Numerous houses discharged their wastewater directly into the sea via a pipe for emergency drainage. Whilst this is being rectified through a further project – which will also expand the capacity of the sewage treatment plant – the CIATF is additionally calling for improved treatment: Ultrafiltration – whose capacity currently falls short of the total flow rate – and flotation are to be expanded. To this end, the chemical binding of the finest suspended solids – known as coagulation and flocculation – must be optimised. Until then, the Water Council regards the existing outfall as the only option.

Tenerife’s septic tank transition plan fails

The pipeline has a total length of just over 1.1 kilometres. Of this, around 950 metres run below the sea surface and are intended to discharge the water into the Atlantic at a depth of approximately 30 metres. For the repair work, the CIATF planned an interim solution involving three boreholes. These were to be around 95 metres deep and would discharge treated water into the ground rather than pumping it directly into the sea.

These infiltration pits came into operation on 17 July, but by 29 July water was already seeping out at the coastal embankment. The third absorption well could no longer take in any more water, as the filters at the sewage treatment plant were not retaining particles effectively enough, causing the infiltration pits to become blocked. On 4 August, the discharge was finally halted and switched to the outfall. Since then, there have been an increasing number of beach closures.

The Tenerife Water Council is therefore convinced that the plans need to be fundamentally revised. Furthermore, treated water should be reused rather than discharged into the sea – for example, as industrial water in agriculture.

In the meantime, the septic tank plan has been shelved until the filtration of the partially treated effluent has been improved. It is not yet clear exactly when or how the project will proceed. Residents and users of Playa Jardín should therefore be prepared for further closures.