Benidorm completes the renovation work of the waste collector on Madrid Avenue to end discharges and bad odors

Benidorm City Council has completed the work of replacing a section of the wastewater collector on Madrid Avenue, on Paseo de Levante, to put an end to bad odours and the arrival of dirty water to the beach every time there is an episode of heavy rain or a storm.

This was announced this morning by the Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate, during a visit carried out together with the technicians and managers of Hidraqua, the concessionaire company for the Integrated Water Cycle in the city.

The action, with a budget of 94,710 euros, began last December and covers a section of 150 linear meters, from the Torre Principado building to Ametlla de Mar avenue, according to González de Zárate.

The action has been financed from the concessionaire's Renewal Fund.

The problem had its origin not only in the age of the collector but also in the fact that it had "little inclination", which is why "the water did not flow as it should and when there is rain with a certain intensity we have seen that it came out of the sewers and “It accumulated on the promenade and the beach.”

The sewer network on Madrid Avenue was made up of a PVC collector with a diameter of 315 millimetres, whose operation, “due to that poor slope, generated frequent clogs that worsened in episodes of rain,” indicated González de Zárate. The work has consisted of the renovation of said collector and has been used to improve the slope by increasing its depth until it connects with the Ametlla de Mar sewer network.

González de Zárate has pointed out that the work "has been simple and quite quick to execute, we have met the deadlines we said" because it did not offer many complications for road traffic and "because it was carried out in the low season on the beaches." In that sense, he has once again regretted that “what has cost the most” has been Costas' authorization, which “took a long time to arrive.” “Every time we go to do some beneficial work for the city, they put obstacles in our way and don't give us permits. Furthermore, they do not give us any help even though these are actions that fall within their competence,” the councillor stated.

In any case, the Councilor for the Water Cycle has insisted that the replacement of the collector means “solving an important problem for the city that has never been solved by whoever was responsible for it and that is why we decided to do it from the City Council.”

This work will be complemented by another action “highly demanded for years” and that will be carried out by the Public Entity for Wastewater Sanitation (EPSAR) in the first quarter of this year. "It will be carried out when the wastewater flow is the lowest possible and will consist of changing all the old pumping stations on Mediterráneo Avenue to Ametlla de Mar, thereby improving not only energy savings but also economic savings and preventing these waters "end up on the beach."