Marbella launches first 'water highway' project

Public company Acosol has put out to tender the design of what will be the first phase of this strategic project, which began last December with the connection linking Benalmádena Costa, Arroyo de la Miel and El Pinillo in Torremolinos.

The contract, valued at 1.84 million euros, includes project management and the coordination of health and safety measures on site.

The work concerns the eastern branch of the water supply network managed by the association of municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol. In total, this involves more than 11.8 kilometres of pipework forming part of the connection between Marbella (the desalination plant and the Río Verde drinking water treatment plant) and the Fuengirola water deposit, which is over 50 years old.

This will be the first phase of work on the Marbella-Fuengirola link, which will take place exclusively within the municipal boundaries of Marbella.

There are three sections, each corresponding to a separate branch line, which have been put out to tender separately (in lots). The first is 1,929 metres long and connects Las Albarizas and El Real. From there, it runs to El Rosario, covering a distance of 3,692 metres. The project finishes with the 6,195-metre section linking El Rosario and Artola.

To complete this phase, the connection between the Marbella desalination plant and the Río Verde water treatment plant, as well as the Las Albarizas diversion, remain to be completed, while the second phase runs from Artola (where this project ends) to the Fuengirola water deposit.

Companies may submit their tenders until 18 September, after which the tender evaluation process will begin. The project duration is 24 months, meaning that the technical document setting out the details of what will be the first phase will not be ready until late 2028 or early 2029.

The project is "a necessary component" within a "broader" water management plan, which "combines the upgrading of the main pipelines, the incorporation of new resources, reducing pressure on groundwater bodies and improving the capacity for exchange with other subsystems". It serves to "strengthen transport capacity, the functional interconnection of the system and the guarantee of upstream supply on the Western Costa del Sol".

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