Benidorm approves the works to reduce the arrival of water from the Xixo and Foietes ravines into the sea

The Local Government Board (JGL) of the Benidorm City Council has approved in its session today a proposal from the Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate, to request the company Hidraqua to tender and execute the works of 'Improvement and Adaptation of Urban Rainwater Drainage to reduce the arrival of water from the Xixo and Foietes ravines into the marine environment.

Both works will go out to tender for an amount of 139,758.96 euros and 161,526.46 euros respectively (VAT not included) and are intended to "solve existing problems in the Poniente area, at the mouth of the Xixo and Foietes ravines". •These problems arise as a result of the arrival of the first surface runoff waters generated by the urban basin of both ravines during a rainy episode due to the dragging of accumulated waste on the surface of the roads.

Drains into the rainwater network produced in dry weather from property cleaning, street washdowns or uncontrolled discharges, whether accidental or not, are also a source of problems. "What we intend with these actions is to provide a definitive solution to these situations that occur from time to time" explained the Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate.

The councillor's proposal has its origin in the request made by Benidorm City Council in January 2020 to the Drinking Water and Sewerage concessionaire, Hidraqua, to draw up a document containing the actions to be carried out in the necessary urban basins to minimize the effects on the beaches due to runoff and natural channels that could carry a different type of contaminant load.

The company presented, for this reason, the project for 'Implementation of improvement and adaptation of urban rainwater drainage to reduce polluting discharges into the marine environment, which had a budget of 785,113 euros, without VAT.

The aforementioned project was intended to solve the problems in Poniente area, specifically at the Xixo and Foietes ravines, as well as in the urban basin of Elche Park. The project, about Levante area, also intended to eliminate the risk of keeping the unloading points of the ravine channelling works open and accessible to beach users, as well as eliminating the same risk in situations temporary to prevent the entry of seawater and algae that cause problems in wastewater pumping facilities.

With the project in hand and to start the procedures for its execution, the City Council requested in August 2021 authorization from the Provincial Coastal Service, which in turn transferred the request to the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition. However, as González de Zárate has indicated, "we have not had a response to the authorization request" despite "the time pressure we have to start the works and be able to simultaneously carry them out with the implementation of the Low Emissions Pedestrian Zone in the Spanish Armada Avenue.

For this reason, the councillor insisted, "the Municipal Engineering area has delimited in two reports the actions included in the project that has direct interference with the implementation project of the Low Emissions Zone and that is not affected by the demarcation of the maritime-terrestrial public domain assets”, which are the ones approved today by the Local Government Board.