The mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), and the councillor for Infrastructures and Works, Juan José Torres Trella (PP), accompanied by the managing director of Acosol, Matilde Mancha, visited the construction site of the storm tank being built in Las Lagunas on Wednesday 21st. This is a major urban water infrastructure project designed to relieve the sewage system during periods of rainfall. The work is already 70% complete and, according to reports, could be finished by autumn. 

A storm tank, also known as a spillway or rainwater tank, is an underground reservoir that forms part of the sewerage network. Its main function is to store rainwater, especially during heavy rainfall, and regulate its flow to treatment plants. This helps prevent treatment plants from becoming overloaded and discharging untreated water into rivers or watercourses.

 

In the case of Mijas, the tank is located on Avenida de Andalucía, where it will be buried underground and will serve three areas of the town: Las Lagunas North, Las Lagunas South and the area around the Fuengirola river valley. In total, it will benefit around 15,000 homes, although it has the capacity to relieve the sewage network of up to 40,000, according to the project’s technical report. The work has a budget of five million euros. 

 

“Las Lagunas has traditionally experienced flooding problems, and this action aims to put an end to them”. According to the mayoress, “this infrastructure solves problems that often cause so much damage to the citizens. The Town Hall is closely monitoring the development of this major infrastructure because it is linked to the development of this part of the municipality”. Ana Mata also expressed her gratitude to “the technicians for the great work they are doing”. The councillor for Infrastructures and Works shared a similar view. Juan José Torres Trella emphasised that “the tank mainly benefits the entire Las Lagunas area, where, due to its age, there is no separation between rainwater and sewage pipes. During heavy storms, rainwater and sewage mix, creating a funnel effect. It is in the storm tank where the separation takes place, retaining all the waste”.

Acosol will take over the management of the tank once it comes into operation. In this regard, the managing director of the company, Matilde Mancha, explained that “it has taken around four or five years of processing” and described the project as “an example of public-private collaboration”.  Mancha highlighted the ongoing cooperation between the joint entity, the Town Hall, and the compensation board, the body promoting the project, throughout the development of the works.

 

For his part, José Antonio Jaimez, construction manager alongside Rafael Escassi, pointed out that “there are times when the treatment plant cannot absorb all the water it receives, which is why storm tanks are designed for this purpose. Mijas is innovative in this respect, as this is a necessary but very costly infrastructure”. He added that the tank “is cleaned automatically,  thanks to four flushing systems developed to discharge seven cubic metres per second, which will help prevent potential contamination, particularly of the Fuengirola River. It also has sieves to stop wipes, cotton buds and solids from ending up in the watercourse”.

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