Estepona beach pollution alert: environmentalists report waste plant spills into Arroyo de Enmedio stream
Verdemar files complaint with Malaga prosecutors over suspected toxic leachate from the Casares waste management plant reaching the Estepona coastline
The environmental association Verdemar Ecologistas en Acción has filed a complaint with Malaga's environmental and urban planning prosecutor's office regarding the possible existence of polluting discharges from the Costa del Sol waste management plant, located in the municipality of Casares.
According to the written complaint filed by this environmental action group, "the presence of leachate from urban waste has been detected, apparently seeping into or flowing into the Arroyo de Enmedio stream".
According to the complaint, obtained by Diario Sur, "these liquids, generated by the decomposition of waste and the filtration of water through it, contain high concentrations of pollutants and could be affecting the waterway".
The environmentalists warn that "the stream eventually flows down to Estepona's coastline, specifically onto Arroyo Vaquero beach, so the pollution could end up reaching the marine environment".
A potential environmental crime
The complaint states that "these polluting liquids generated in waste treatment facilities can contain high concentrations of contaminants, including ammonia nitrogen, heavy metals, toxic organic compounds and high levels of organic matter".
Antonio Muñoz, president of Verdemar Ecologistas en Acción, told Diario Sur that "scientific studies demonstrate that the release of these substances into natural waterways can cause phenomena such as eutrophication, a massive growth of algae and plants in coastal areas due to excess nutrients. This can be toxic to aquatic fauna and flora, pollute aquifers and also cause serious alterations to river and marine ecosystems, together with potential risks to public health".
Muñoz believes that the reported incidents could constitute serious breaches of current environmental regulations and even be deemed a crime against the environment, as defined in article 325 of Spain's penal code, which penalises discharges and spills that could seriously harm the balance of natural systems.
Request for urgent inspections
The waste management plant named in the complaint is managed by the company Urbaser and is owned by the Mancomunidad (the association of main towns along the western Costa del Sol). This facility receives urban waste from eleven municipalities on the Costa del Sol.
In its written request, Verdemar asks the public prosecutor's office to open an investigation into the possible spills and to analyse the plant's overall environmental management processes.
Verdemar also calls for "urgent environmental inspections" to be carried out by Seprona (the Guardia Civil's wildlife and environment protection service) and the Junta de Andalucía, "in order to determine whether there are any criminal, administrative or civil liabilities arising from the reported facts".
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