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Dénia intends to secure its drinking water supply in the long term by tapping into additional water sources. In Benidorm, plans for a desalination plant have taken another step forward. Both projects are intended to reduce dependence on limited water resources – but are at different stages of planning.
On the Costa Blanca, water planning is no longer limited to preparing for the next drought. Population growth, high peaks in consumption during the summer months and the effects of climate change are forcing towns to make long-term decisions. In early October, Dénia and Benidorm published new details of their water strategies.
Both local authorities are guided by a similar underlying principle: additional supply sources are intended to safeguard supply in critical situations.
On 2 October, Rafa Carrió, the mayor of Dénia, explained at the Spain Smart Water Summit in Madrid how the town intends to secure its water supply in the long term.
A key element is the diversification of water sources. According to the mayor, this also includes the future use of desalinated seawater as a supplementary resource.
This is due to the significant seasonal variations. According to the town council, Dénia has a population of more than 50,000, whilst the number of people can rise to over 200,000 in the summer.
Consequently, demand for drinking water fluctuates.
The town has around 500 kilometres of drinking water pipes and approximately 150 kilometres of sewerage network. At the same time, all water meters are now equipped for remote reading. This enables consumption data to be recorded more quickly and any anomalies in the network to be detected.
However, the announcement regarding the use of desalinated seawater does not yet constitute a firm decision to build a new plant. No location, binding timetable or investment costs were mentioned in connection with the presentation.
Plans in Benidorm are at a more advanced stage.
The city has applied to the relevant Conselleria of the Generalitat Valenciana for a change of land use in the El Murtal area.
Around 5,000 square metres of land previously earmarked for car parking is to be made available for the planned desalination plant.
The plot is situated near the El Murtal water reservoir and an existing salt water pipeline running beneath Avenida Juan Pablo II.
According to the city, the site is to be made available to the Consorcio de Aguas de la Marina Baixa. This regional water authority is also to be responsible for constructing the facility.
The city estimates the planned investment at around 25 million euros. Funding is to be provided by the Generalitat Valenciana, the Diputación de Alicante and the regional water authority.
Benidorm states that the future plant will have a desalination capacity of more than 3,000 cubic metres per day and a target supply capacity of six hectocubic metres.
The exact technical parameters underlying these figures still need to be clarified. An annual output of six million cubic metres, for example, would not be achievable with a capacity of just 3,000 cubic metres per day.
The town regards the facility as an additional safeguard in the event of drought. At the same time, Mayor Toni Pérez is calling for the project to be included in the next management plan for the Júcar river basin for 2028–2033.
The two projects have different timeframes. In Dénia, the strategic direction of future supply is currently under discussion. In Benidorm, the project is already at a more advanced stage, but still requires planning permission and the implementation of the necessary infrastructure.
For private households, the plans that have now been published do not, for the time being, give rise to any new obligations. Nor can any changes to water charges or local consumption regulations be inferred from them at present.
In the long term, however, this development is still significant: a broader supply base could help to mitigate shortages during prolonged dry spells or particularly water-intensive summer months.
Whether and when the planned additional water resources will be available depends on further decisions and their actual implementation.
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