Historic milestone for 'water highway' between Costa del Sol and Malaga

Connections between supply areas are vital for water management, especially in periods of drought. Between Malaga and the eastern Axarquia, collaboration and transfers in both directions are a constant. In this case, water is transferred that has already been treated. In contrast, for the western Costa del Sol there are many problems. One of them is the obsolete state of the high-pressure network. Pipeline bursts are regular. The public water management company for the western Costa del Sol, Acosol, has a multimillion-euro project for new pipelines in its portfolio and has just taken the first administrative steps to make it a reality: it is putting the first work out to tender for 16 million euros, including IVA sales tax. It is the concept of a 'water highway'.

The project is included in Acosol's investment plan for the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental, which covers the 11 main towns between Torremolinos and Manilva. It is an ambitious programme with a budget of more than 350 million euros.

The first contract out to tender to improve water transfer along the coast involves drafting the project and executing the section of pipeline between Torrequebrada (Benalmádena) and El Pinillo (Torremolinos). This is a complex project, with points of conflict with the Cercanías commuter train service for the Costa del Sol, the port in Benalmádena, underpasses and other tricky areas. Geotechnical and archaeological aspects must also be taken into consideration, as well as any connections with gas, telephone services and so on.

The drafting project is scheduled to take just one month to complete, given the urgency of the work, which will then take eight months on the ground.

In the specifications that form the basis of the tender, reference is made to the recent prolonged drought and the importance of having a whole arsenal of resources at one's disposal. The population along the coast is estimated at 579,530 inhabitants, which doubles in summer. The document also points to the area's high dependence on La Concepción reservoir, although the Marbella desalination plant can now produce 20 million cubic metres annually. The Guadalmansa and Fuengirola wells also provide a further 11 million cubic metres. Exceptionally, water is also received from the Campo de Gibraltar. In short, the document considers it strategic that Malaga city and the Costa del Sol be well interconnected, especially so in high season when the Costa manages to move more than 3,000 litres per second.

In this regard, an emergency project was carried out by the Junta de Andalucía: the upgrade of the Rojas pumping station in Churriana. This allows the theoretical transfer of 500 litres per second in both directions.

Acosol's two main pipeline projects date back to 1965 and originate at the Verde wastewater treatment plant (currently another bottleneck for water flow transfers). One branch runs east and the other west. It is easy to understand that the network is nearing its useful life. The technical report itself admits the high number of explosive bursts that occur. In a densely populated urban area, the risk of material damage and personal injury is extremely high. The section where this begins is the main trouble spot on the coast. In fact, only three weeks ago some emergency work was completed to repair a break.

This major project has been declared of regional interest by the regional government. In this first subsection, an alternative has been sought to remove the metal-reinforced concrete pipes from service and connect them to ductile cast iron pipes instead. An 800-millimetre-diameter pipeline is planned. It will be laid in a trench with an earth cover of at least one metre.

Logically, the new pipeline will have connections to the Astosam and Emabesa water supply points. This route is one kilometre long and also covers a variety of terrain, ranging from limestone to slate.