Eastern Costa del Sol town updates waste water regulations while waiting to take over management of the facility

Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol has updated its sewerage and wastewater treatment regulations without raising rates while awaiting the transfer of the management of its waste water treatment plant from the central government to the town hall.

The councillor for human resources and finance, Ángela Díaz, explained in a statement that the update is necessary in accordance with technical reports and stressed that it is not going to implement an increase in the rates or changes in the public services paid for by users.

The modification complies with the 'Ley de Desindexación' law and is intended to allow rates to be updated to cover the increase in the costs of the various factors involved in providing the service, ensuring its economic viability.

The councillor for infrastructure, Alberto Tomé, has specified that the sewage treatment fee is not currently being applied because the town hall does not directly provide this service. He pointed out that the main objective of the amendment is to make the ordinance fully operational by the time the management of the treatment plant is transferred to Nerja town hall, so that it can be applied "from the outset".

The town hall has stressed that this measure will ensure the sustainability of the system, comply with current regulations and reinforce the efficiency and quality of the public sewerage service in the town, which it argues high population and tourist pressure, where the correct management of the integral water cycle is a strategic part of the urban and environmental functioning.

In addition to the regulatory adjustment, the process of taking over the wastewater treatment plant has been marked by a long conflict with the Spanish government, which has demanded that Nerja town hall pay the 'Tarifa de Utilización del Agua' (water use tariff) for the treatment plant, amounting to more than 5.3 million euros for 2024 and 2025, as confirmed by the Ministry for Ecological Transition in parliament and reported by Nerja town hall in a statement.

The mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, has described this claim as "unfair and misguided", arguing that the fee is intended to cover the construction of a facility which does not allow thetown to reuse the treated water due to technical limitations of tertiary treatment and because, in his opinion, the work was declared to be in the public interest.

The town hall has taken the case to the 'Tribunal Económico Administrativo Central Central' (economic administrative court) to determine whether this tariff should be enforced, while negotiating with the central government for the formal transfer of the treatment plant and pumping stations under conditions that would allow Nerja town hall to take over the service and directly apply the treatment fee in the future.