The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has expressed his satisfaction with the favorable resolution of the environmental impact report of the execution project of the maritime section of the drinking water supply to La Graciosa, promoted by the General Directorate of Water of the Government of the Canary Islands.
The document determines that the action will not have significant adverse effects on the environment as long as the planned protection measures are met, so it will not be necessary to submit it to the ordinary environmental assessment procedure.
Oswaldo Betancort has stressed that "this resolution allows us to move forward in a priority work that guarantees a basic service such as drinking water for La Graciosa. We have acted with responsibility and rigor to reconcile this action with the preservation of our natural spaces, responding to a historical demand of the people of Graciosa." "This project," adds the president, "is part of our commitment to the quality of life and equal opportunities in all the islands of the archipelago."
For his part, the Minister of Water, Domingo Cejas, stresses that "the execution of this maritime section is a strategic investment that ensures the supply of drinking water and also does so under strict criteria of sustainability and environmental protection. La Graciosa deserves a modern and efficient service, and this progress brings us closer to that goal."
Details of the work
The intervention, which is now awaiting the inter-administrative cooperation of the municipalities of Teguise and Haría, that is, the approval of the local administrations involved, will take place in the Estrecho del Río and will allow the replacement of the current submarine pipeline installed in 1997, which has structural deficiencies after more than 25 years of service.
The new system seeks to guarantee "a safe, continuous and optimal supply", as reported by the Cabildo de Lanzarote in a statement, for the residents of La Graciosa, minimizing the movement of land and the impact on the natural environment by installing it parallel to the current pipeline.
The evaluation, carried out through the simplified procedure provided for in Law 21/2013 on Environmental Assessment, has taken into account factors such as human health, flora, fauna, biodiversity, geodiversity, soil, air, water, climate, landscape, cultural heritage and their interaction. Likewise, the action is compatible with the regulations of the Island Planning Plan, as it is a hydraulic infrastructure belonging to the Insular General System, which legitimizes its layout through protected rural land provided that the established conditions are respected.