Putting an end to septic tanks
Denia council vows to place homes on mains drainage
SEPTIC tanks have no place on the Montgó mountain, says Denia council – and it plans to get rid of all of them.
Environment and energy councillor Maite Pérez – who is also parish leader for La Xara – has pledged to ensure all homes on urbanisations on the mountain are hooked up to the mains drainage.
She stated that no planning permission will now be given for any new builds that need septic tanks; all future homes constructed within 100 metres of the mains will automatically have to be connected, and those farther away from the underground service pipes will be linked to a tank that runs into the sewage system.
“Septic tanks are always a problem, because over time, waste matter leaks out into the subsoil and the water tables, which is bad for the environment,” Sra Pérez explained.
The commitment to get rid of existing septic tanks will come at a cost to homeowners.
“Residents on the Montgó urbanisations will have to either connect to the mains, or to a tank that runs into them, but we don’t expect them to do it overnight,” said the councillor.
“We’ve agreed to give them a stay of grace of around five or six years, so that owners of new builds don’t have to suddenly deal with extra costs.”
WINE chiefs have claimed that traditional vineyards in Alicante province are under threat from solar power farms.
The protected designation of origin (PDO) board for Alicante noted that the installation of panels to capture the sun’s ray and convert them to energy is proving more profitable for some struggling farmers. In a press release sent out this week they stated that age-old views of fields of grapes could be transformed if the land is given over to energy production.
They noted that the number of landowners putting in applications to install solar farms has shot up, particularly in the
Vinalopó valley.
The PDO board said they will send a plea to the regional and provincial governments calling on them to protect the vineyards via a decree brought in by Valencia in 2016.
However, they admitted that the situation had become more complicated in recent months with new legislation which facilitates the installation of infrastructure for renewable energy, along with incentives from the EU to do so.
According to a PDO spokesman, some town halls have ‘little room for manoeuvre’ to limit or regulate the schemes which are passed on to the regional government.
He stated that in Monóvar alone an area of 500 hectares could be affected if a solar energy plant is given the goahead. Further requests to install the infrastructure in traditional grape producing zones have been submitted in Villena, Pinoso, Salinas and Algueña, he added.
President of Alicante PDO, Antonio M. Navarro, said: “Our goal is to protect our historic vineyards which already face a lot of difficulties.
“Despite the challenges, they have been surviving and in recent years had a little more hope with the recognition of their unique character.”
Maria Miñano, who runs the official wine routes for tourists in the area, said: “Our clients want to come to the province to admire the landscapes of vines, almonds and the mountains and not to see numerous solar plants.”
They said they are both willing to work with town halls and the regional government to set up exclusion zones.
They claimed that further areas are at risk and wine areas have to be maintained, particularly the zones of the Mañán valley, Pinoso-AlgueñaAbanilla, Sierra de Salinas, Castalla valley, Benexama, the Pop valley, Teulada-Moraira, Benissa, Gata de Gorgos, Lliber, Jávea, Sierra de Bernia, El Comtat and La Mata-Torrevieja natural park, amongst others.
WORK on the Orihuela Costa emergency services centre, which has been delayed for well over a decade, is expected to be completed before the summer.
This was the forecast offered last Thursday during a visit to the site in La Zenia by mayor Emilio Bascuñana with local councillors and representatives of the construction company, Doalco.
Councillor for emergencies Víctor Valverde said ‘it is a complex job without clear guidelines’, explaining that the plans ‘have undergone many modifications recommended by professionals who have been working on it’.
He said that these experts have been correcting deficiencies as they go about constructing this 3,500 square metre building. Sr Valverde also noted that they are in talks with the provincial and forest fire brigades so that they might set up their summer base at the centre, since it is close to the Sierra Escalona and would offer them a quick response time.
“We are also meeting with the regional health department to request a 24-hour emergency ambulance (SAMU) service for the area,” he said.
The mayor reminded that the project was started in 2007 but the original construction company went bankrupt, the contract was rescinded in 2010 and the council revived the project, and the regional government funding for it, in 2015.
The job was put out to tender by the town hall in the same way that councils in the region now contract out school-building projects on behalf of the regional government. The contract was awarded to Orihuela-based company Doalco a year ago for €2,064,000.
The centre will provide a base for the local police, immigration, the Guardia Civil for reporting crimes, Protección Civil, the municipal emergencies department and ambulances. Another bonus for residents of the coast is that it will have a deposit for vehicles which have been towed away, rather than taking them all the way to the pound in Orihuela city.
The idea is to gradually increase the services available
there, for which the first floor has been left open to enable construction of a second floor
for organisations such as the Red Cross.