Work continues apace on four new wastewater treatment plants in Serranía de Ronda

Work on new wastewater treatment plants in the Serranía de Ronda, which will serve the towns of Arriate, Jimera de Líbar and Cortes de la Frontera, are continuing at "a good pace".

The state-owned company, Aguas de las Cuencas de España (ACUAES) said works for the four wastewater treatment plants are progressing within the planned deadlines. The company is executing the projects following an agreement signed on 23 December 2021 with the Junta de Andalucía, Malaga's Diputación provincial authority and the respective town councils.

"Currently, the municipalities of Arriate, Benaoján, Montejaque, Jimera de Líbar and Cortes de la Frontera fail to comply with European Directive 91/271/EEC, directly dumping their wastewater into the Guadiaro river without being previously purified as they do not have any type of treatment for this, so it does not respect to the parameters required in the European and national regulations”, ACUAES pointed out. These municipalities are also located within the natural parks of Grazalema and Los Alcornocales, and other protected spaces in which other requirements must be met, such as the Sierra de Grazalema Biosphere Reserve, the Intercontinental Reserve of the Mediterranean and the Special Conservation Zone (ZEC) and Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA).

However, work is yet to start on one of the plants that will serve the municipalities of Benaoján and Montejaque, a project that has sparked controversy over the choice of location. An environmental assessment process is still in progress.

The full scheme will consist of five wastewater treatent plants, 12 kilometres of new collectors and ten pumping stations that will enable transport of the sewage from the discharge points to the treatment plants. Almost 19,200 residents are expected to benefit from the developments.

The Arriate project involves an investment of 6.1 million and the works are expected to be completed in September. The wastewater treatment plant at Jimera de Líbar will cost 3.8 million euros and will be finished in October, while the two plants in Cortes de la Frontera (one in the Gaucín-El Colmenar station area) will cost about 10.9 million and are expected to be finished in February next year. All the projects are financed with European funds.