SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 2nd October (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands announced on Wednesday that the significant presence of harmful agents in Playa Jardín (Puerto de la Cruz), which has resulted in its closure since July, is not attributable to the failure of the Punta Brava underwater outfall.
During a gathering of the monitoring commission with the Cabildo of Tenerife and the City Council, the findings from the extensive sampling campaign conducted in recent weeks along the coastline of the city were shared.
It is noteworthy that out of the 60 tests conducted, only one, from Playa Chica, showed values exceeding acceptable limits. No other location among the 15 tested indicated pathogen levels above the normal threshold.
Attendees at the meeting included the Director-General for Ecological Transition and the Fight against Climate Change, Ángel Montañés; staff from the General Directorate of Public Health; the Minister for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies for the Cabildo, Blanca Pérez; Puerto de la Cruz’s councillor for Sustainable City, David Hernández; and the manager for the Tenerife Island Water Council, Javier Davara, in addition to technicians from various administrations.
The coordination group has agreed to prioritise and support the Puerto de la Cruz City Council in implementing sanitation measures in the Punta Brava area.
Consequently, the Cabildo of Tenerife has allocated 1 million euros, while the Department of Ecological Transition and Energy from the Government of the Canary Islands will contribute 300,000 euros in 2024 to partly finance the upcoming works, which will involve connecting local residents to the sanitation network and enhancing the system.
Furthermore, the ongoing works initiated by the CIATF at the outfall will persist, alongside efforts to secure approvals for both the extension and enhancement of the La Orotava Valley Treatment Plant, as well as the development of a new outfall; the intensive analytical campaign in the area will carry on, and planning for the comprehensive improvement of sanitation within the municipality of Puerto de la Cruz will continue.
Throughout the meeting, updates regarding progress made by each party were disclosed, leading to a preliminary conclusion that the elevated levels of pathogenic agents in the vicinity are not linked to the rupture of the outfall, as evidenced by the recent analyses.
THE CALM OF THE SEA ACCELERATES PROGRESS
The Tenerife Island Water Council also provided updates regarding the repairs on the fissure of the underwater outfall, stating that the calm sea conditions have enabled progress on this treated water evacuation system at the Valle de La Orotava Purification Station, despite the initial technical challenges.
Councillor Blanca Pérez and CIATF manager Javier Davara explained that work is still ongoing in the emissary to eliminate as much of the effluent located at the fissure site as possible.
David Hernández, the first deputy mayor and councillor for Sustainable City of Puerto de la Cruz, noted that the municipality has conducted meetings among the various municipal departments responsible for this issue, and initial steps have been taken in planning the works aimed at enhancing the overall sanitation system of the city, with a specific focus on the Punta Brava area.
Meanwhile, the technical representatives from Public Health in the Government of the Canary Islands confirmed that values are still being recorded that prevent the use of this section of the Portuense coast for swimming.