The state company Aguas de las Cuencas de España (ACUAES), dependent on the Ministry for Ecological Transition, has given the green light to tender the technical assistance for drafting the project to expand and improve the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Tías.
The project, which will involve a total investment of 20.1 million euros, is part of the set of actions that ACUAES is developing in Lanzarote to improve the sanitation and purification of wastewater on the island. In total, the estimated investment is 37.5 million euros, where a treatment plant and a land outfall will also be developed in Arrecife.
According to a statement from the PSOE of Lanzarote, along with the expansion of the Tías treatment plant, a network of collectors of 17,289 meters will be built, which will collect and transport the discharges from the Puerto Calero nucleus to the WWTP, and four pumping stations.
The current WWTP, in operation since 2003, treats the wastewater from Tías and Puerto del Carmen with a flow of 8,000 m3/day. The facility has significant operating deficiencies and works to the limit of its capacity, so it needs to be expanded and improved.
The objective of the action to be developed by ACUAES is to expand the treatment capacity of the current WWTP by 50% to 12,000 m3/day and provide it with advanced purification systems, including a tertiary treatment that allows the reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural uses and irrigation of gardens and streets.
The action, declared of General Interest of the State, contemplates the expansion of the treatment capacity of the current WWTP to cover the future needs of Tías and Puerto del Carmen, guaranteeing adequate treatment of wastewater and complying with the regulatory limits set by Directive 91/27/EEC. Likewise, the discharges from Yaiza, Uga and Puerto Calero will be incorporated, which will require the creation of a new sanitation network and a general collector that leads the flows to the treatment plant.
The action is expected to be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020, within the Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain (POPE).
The general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, stressed that "this investment is extraordinary news for Lanzarote, because it translates into more sustainability, better water management and an island that advances towards a cleaner and more responsible future."
Finally, María Dolores Corujo wanted to emphasize the impact of the work: "The expansion of the Tías WWTP will not only improve the quality of the treated water, but will also allow the service to be extended to neighboring municipalities such as Yaiza, responding to a need long demanded by the population and guaranteeing compliance with the highest environmental standards."