Santa Cruz wants to bring back the Blue Flag in 2027, 24 years after losing the award following a sewage discharge in the Cabo Llanos area.
The council has asked the Association of Environmental and Consumer Education (Adeac) to visit the capital and assess the improvements made to the city’s sanitation network over the past four years.
The idea is fairly straightforward. Santa Cruz wants Adeac to see what has actually been done rather than simply looking at the one remaining problem.
Four areas being considered
The council is proposing Anaga, Las Teresitas, Los Charcos and Añaza as potential candidates for the Blue Flag in 2027.
According to the council, around €15.7 million has been invested in coastal sanitation between February 2022 and September 2026.
That includes improvements at the wastewater treatment plant in Igueste de San Andrés, the plant at Tachero in Taganana, the removal of a sewage collector in San Andrés and new pumping stations in Añaza, Acorán and Los Alisios.
Not exactly glamorous infrastructure, but rather important if you’re trying to convince someone your beaches deserve a quality award.
Cabo Llanos remains the problem
There is still one major sticking point.
The Cabo Llanos discharge remains the only untreated issue preventing Santa Cruz from achieving its goal of zero wastewater discharges into the sea, according to the council.
The expansion of the Buenos Aires wastewater treatment plant was originally expected to resolve the problem by 2022. However, delays to the project have pushed the expected completion date back to 2028.
The council says the volume of treated water reaching the sea from Cabo Llanos has already fallen, but admits the reduction is not yet enough.
Santa Cruz wants Adeac to take a closer look
The council’s argument is that the ongoing Cabo Llanos issue shouldn’t overshadow the work carried out elsewhere.
It has therefore asked Adeac to send a commission to Santa Cruz to assess the improvements, look at how treated wastewater is being reused and examine the progress made across the municipality.
Whether that will be enough to bring the Blue Flag back in 2027 remains to be seen.
But after 24 years without one, Santa Cruz is clearly keen to get the little blue flag flying again.