The water situation is at breaking point and we’re paying more for it than ever before

© The Xàbia desalination plant.

• The spokesperson for the EME group claims that the consortium has increased the price it pays to the Xàbia desalination plant from 0.93 to 4.14 euros per cubic metre in just five years
• Héctor Morales warns that the concessionaire’s own data show that the supply has very little margin left before it is declared unsuitable, given the rise in summer demand 
• They promised 4.29 million in investment, and today we’re back to having a poor-quality water supply 

A summer that looks set to be anything but easy. The EME Teulada-Moraira municipal group, through its councillor, Héctor Morales, has denounced the “extremely serious situation” regarding the water supply in both towns after it emerged that the Xàbia desalination plant has already begun supplying them with emergency water. Morales has also revealed the price: 4.14 euros per cubic metre. 

In recent years, there has been a ‘disproportionate increase’ in the cost of water supplied from Xàbia. 

TIMELINE OF WATER PRICES

• 2017–2018: Amajsa (the municipal water company in Xàbia) purchased water from irrigators in Pedreguer at a rate of around €0.18/m³
• 2018–2021: Amjasa charged the Teulada–Benitatxell Consortium €0.93/m³
• 2023–2025: It charged €2.57/m³
• 2026: This financial year, Xàbia is supplying water to the two affected municipalities at €4.14/m³. According to Morales, this price – “in accordance with local regulations and given that this is a basic commodity managed by a public company – does not seem appropriate for an emergency sale between local authorities”.

In December 2021, the Teulada-Benitatxell Consortium approved a five-year extension of the concession agreement with the concessionaire, which included committed investments totalling over 4.29 million. There are some worrying figures: firstly, the extremely low level of investment expenditure, as according to Grant Thornton’s 2023 audit, the concessionaire reported just 44,392 euros in investments, a far cry from the 4.29 million announced.

Where are the investments in the basic, urgent and necessary infrastructure projects that were announced, such as the new desalination plant in Castellóns, which would have increased desalination capacity and resolved the water quality issue?

THE LACK OF INFORMATION AT THE GOVERNING BOARD

‘At the last governing board meeting, there was an alarming lack of information.’ Morales emphasises that ‘when I asked about the water situation, I was told that “there was no problem, that these were uncertainties, not certainties”. Weeks later, it has been confirmed that water is already being purchased on an emergency basis.’

As if that weren’t enough, this councillor warns of very high network losses in Teulada and Benitatxell: “According to industry data, figures from the concessionaire itself and the audit, network losses are estimated at around 40 per cent.” Added to this is an increase of approximately 30 per cent in the desalination process at the current level of salinisation, due to the water stress affecting the wells, the inflow of seawater and, conversely, the limited inflow of freshwater from the mainland into the wells. Meanwhile, ‘thousands of litres of treated water are discharged into the sea every day without being reused’.

CONSTANT COMPLAINTS FROM LOCAL RESIDENTS

There are constant complaints from local residents about the poor quality of the water supplied to their homes, as confirmed by data from the concessionaire itself relating to the four networks, which show that the concentrations of chlorides, sodium and conductivity exceed the maximum parametric values established by Royal Decree 3/2023.

The report itself therefore warns that ‘although the “Unsuitable” threshold set out in the Royal Decree has not been reached, the narrow margin available creates a “high risk of exceeding the limit in the short term”, particularly given the increase in demand during the summer’.

BENITATXELL	CURRENT CONCENTRATION	LEGAL MAXIMUM LIMIT	SITUATION
CHLORIDES	783,7 mg/L.	250 mg/L	Above the legal limit
SODIUM	331,8 mg/L	200 mg/L	Above the legal limit
CONDUCTIVITY	2720 μS/cm	2500 μS/cm.	Above the legal limit

These figures “explain the residents’ constant complaints about the ‘poor quality’ of the water. It is not just a perception. These are the company’s own figures, which make it impossible not to think of ‘mismanagement’ and a ‘possible breach of contract’. We were promised investments worth millions, and today we are dependent on water from elsewhere, which is more expensive,” adds Morales.

THE FIVE MEASURES DEMANDED BY EME

1. An investigation has been launched into the concessionaire to determine who is responsible for the ‘alleged failure’ to make investments.
2. A comprehensive and public audit of the extent to which the 4.29 million committed in 2021 has been spent.
3. The company, its chair and vice-chair are to appear urgently before the Governing Board to explain the quality data and the ‘alleged breach’ of Royal Decree 3/2023. And to make this public.
4. Complete transparency regarding the price and terms of purchase for water in Xàbia. Ask for the cost price, not the tariff.
5. An urgent action plan to reduce water losses, explore the reuse of treated water and improve water quality.
6. To begin preparations for the reversion to and direct public management of the drinking water service, before the contract expires.

“Water is a basic necessity. Fires are put out in winter, and infrastructure is planned throughout the year. We demand that the People’s Party-led councils in Teulada Moraira and Benitatxell take action now,” concludes Morales.

Related posts and news:

• Sodium levels in Benitatxell’s drinking water
• Last week, Xàbia began sending emergency water supplies to Teulada and Benitatxell without the price having been finalised

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