Water quality in Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz Council stated that its external tests found no breaches, unlike the official Public Health tests. According to the Council, it requested a technical explanation because the samples had been collected barely an hour apart; the external tests have no official validity for determining bathing-water quality.

Puerto de la Cruz Town Council and Aqualia are carrying out the emergency replacement of a deteriorated section of the Punta Brava sewer collector to prevent failures and possible coastal discharges. According to municipal and Aqualia representatives, the new pipe is already installed and complementary works continue with the sewer system operational.

A technical report by the Tenerife Island Water Council, dated 18 August 2026, concludes that repairing the existing Punta Brava submarine outfall is not sufficient. According to Canarias Ahora / elDiario.es, published on 21 September 2026, the alternatives studied for repairing the existing infrastructure do not provide an adequate structural solution. Technicians propose constructing a new submarine outfall along a different route, while temporary measures remain in place and wastewater treatment is improved. The proposal does not mean the new infrastructure has been approved, funded or started. On 23 September 2026, El Día reported that the awarded repair of about 240 metres of the outfall (awarded to Ferrovial for €2.7 million) must be reconsidered, as the water council's report rejects the studied alternatives as viable solutions. The same day, Cabildo president Rosa Dávila said the island council would follow whatever solution the water council's technicians determine, including a new outfall if they recommend it (Diario de Avisos). No replacement outfall has been approved, funded or started.

Asamblea Ciudadana Portuense has proposed creating a joint sanitation coordination group involving Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Los Realejos and Santa Úrsula to coordinate assessments, needs and actions related to the regional wastewater system.

The proposal calls for stronger coordination between municipalities and closer monitoring of sanitation infrastructure and water quality. It is a civil society initiative and has not been approved as an official government programme.

The Punta Brava residents' platform Stop Vertidos al Mar described as "very worrying" that Puerto de la Cruz Town Council did not report a microbiological contamination episode detected at Playa Jardín between 22 and 24 June 2026, nor take preventive measures while water quality was being assessed. Its president, Tania Hernández, argued for transparency when public health is at stake. The platform maintains that the structural sanitation problems at Playa Jardín remain not fully resolved and that some of the committed works are still incomplete or delayed. Recorded as civic action; it is not a scored incident.

In February 2026 it was reported that court number 2 of the Puerto de la Cruz Court of Instance was investigating five public officials over an alleged environmental offence linked to the sewage discharges at Playa Jardín, in preliminary proceedings opened following a complaint by the Environmental Prosecutor's Office of Santa Cruz de Tenerife after almost a year in which bathing was advised against. A subsequent order of 12 March 2026 provisionally dismissed and closed the case for two of those investigated, councillors David Hernández and Alberto Cabo, finding no indications against them as they held no sanitation responsibilities. Proceedings continued against the other three: Blanca Pérez (Cabildo councillor and CIATF vice-president), Marco Antonio González (former mayor of Puerto de la Cruz) and Javier Davara (CIATF manager). The case is ongoing; there is no conviction.

The Government of the Canary Islands processed the amendment to the discharge authorisation for the Valle de La Orotava WWTP via the Punta Brava outfall. Rehabilitation works on the outfall were awarded for €2.7 million; in June 2026, the Directorate-General for Environmental Quality stated in response to objections that, following permits and preparatory filtration well works, completion is now estimated for approximately December 2027.

Investment: Adjudicación de la rehabilitación / Rehabilitation award

The Cabildo is advancing six major hydraulic projects across Tenerife as part of a sanitation and wastewater treatment programme aimed at improving wastewater treatment, reducing discharges into the sea and increasing the reuse of treated water.

The Ayuntamiento reported continued sanitation and stormwater cleaning works in Punta Brava. Measures included new pumps, overflow monitoring and work on the coastal collector as part of efforts to improve the wastewater system affecting the Playa Jardín area.

The organisation added the Playa Jardín case to its water-conflict register, documenting wastewater pollution and Tenerife sanitation context.

The Stop Sea Discharges Platform organised a demonstration in Puerto de la Cruz calling for solutions to coastal pollution and the recovery of Playa Jardín.

The mobilisation addressed the authorities with relevant responsibilities, including Puerto de la Cruz Town Council, the Cabildo de Tenerife and the Government of the Canary Islands. This record documents public pressure; it is not a bathing-water incident.

The platform filed a formal complaint concerning discharges on the Puerto de la Cruz coast and requested a review of pumping and treatment facilities.

The council started procurement for a set of corrective measures worth around €8 million. The first measure disconnects surplus surface water in La Vera–Las Adelfas, estimated at about €150,000.

Investment: Alrededor de 8 millones de euros; primera medida de unos 150.000 euros

A municipal compatibility report allows the tender for the expansion of the Punta Brava district treatment plant, valued at €20.8 million with a 24-month construction period.

Investment: 20,8 millones de euros y 24 meses de ejecución

Platform and town council representatives reviewed reports and measures proposed by the responsible public bodies following the bathing-area closure.

The planned Valle de La Orotava wastewater system was designed to significantly increase regional treatment capacity. Main collectors in La Orotava and Los Realejos were already under construction and the first treatment-plant phase was designed for around 10,000 cubic metres per day.

This infrastructure action does not in itself imply any change in current bathing-water quality.