Regional government appeals to Supreme Court over Malaga's new wastewater treatment plant
Work was halted after local residents filed a case opposing the location of the new plant that would avoid the tipping of untreated wastewater into the Guadalhorce river
José Rodríguez Cámara
Malaga
Friday, 12 September 2025, 11:34
The future of the planned wasterwater treatment plant in the Guadalhorce Valley took a new turn this week. The legal department of the Andalusian regional government lodged an appeal at Spain's Supreme Court on Wednesday after work was halted in the area known as Vega de Mestanza by the Andalusian high court in June.
Regional sources consulted by SUR argue that the decision is based on defending the general and environmental interests of the area. Among other things, failing to treat the wastewater of the area results in a substantial fine from the European Union every six months.
The Andalusian high court ordered work to stop in June after a case was filed by a local residents association that opposes the location of the new plant in the area.
The court upheld the residents group's claims that the land on which the plant is planned, between Alhaurín de la Torre and Campanillas, was of great environmental value, officially designated as part of the World Biological Corridor. The land is also, according to the case, in a flood zone and the environmental impact study had shortcomings.
The regional government has pointed out the consequences of continuing to discharge untreated wastewater into the Guadalhorce river.
Without a treatment plant, wastewater from the municipalities of Alhaurín el Grande, Alhaurín de la Torre, Cártama and Torremolinos, as well as part of Malaga city, an area with a population of around 250,000 inhabitants, will continue to be discharged untreated into the Guadalhorce river.
