Alcaucín drinking water declared safe to drink again

The town hall announced on Wednesday 27 May that the most recent anaysis had come back with good results from the Venta Baja-Puente Don Manuel network, supplied by the El Cerro deposit, following the repair of a faulty pipe.

The decision means the lifting of the restriction that prevented the use of tap water for drinking, cooking or any other food use in several areas of the municipality. The notice issued by the town hall through its social media explains that the "sanitary guarantee of the water from the aforementioned network is confirmed" and that the alternative supply of bottled water was suspended on the same day.

The resolution of the Junta de Andalucía, signed by the regional delegation of health and consumer affairs in Malaga, declares the water in the supply area of Alcaucín, SINAC code 5826, specifically the network of the Alcaucín Venta Baja-Puente Don Manuel Town Council, SINAC code 25419, to be fit for human consumption.

Among the measures highlighted by the Junta de Andalucía is that the operator must include the mercury parameter in the official control to be carried out over the next three months. The origin of the contamination was due to a burst pipe, which contaminated the water in the deposit with heavy metals.

The alert had been activated after an incident was detected in the latest analysis of the El Cerro reservoir. The municipal notice published on Monday 18 May warned of heavy metal contamination and expressly prohibited the use of mains water for drinking, cooking or any food use, limiting its use to personal hygiene and domestic cleaning.

The measure affected the population supplied by the Venta Baja-Puente Don Manuel network, identified in that first decree as R-25419. According to SUR, these areas are home to around a thousand of the 2,713 inhabitants registered in Alcaucín. .

During the days of restriction, the town hall activated an extraordinary water supply system with water tanks at different points in Cruce Don Manuel, Puente Don Manuel, Venta Baja and Puente de Salia. In the areas of Cerro-Puerta el Vergel and La Torrecilla, the alternative supply was by means of bottled water.

With the declaration that the water is once again safe to drink after eight days of restrictions in place, the Junta will continue to monitor the mercury parameter over the next few months to verify the stability of the water quality in the affected network.