WRITTEN QUESTION E-0647/04 by María Bergaz Conesa (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Urban waste water treatment in Benidorm, (Alicante province) Spain.
Date: 2004-03-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: application of EU law, bathing water, environmental law, environmental monitoring, waste disposal, wastewater, water analysis, water treatment

C 84 E/830

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

(2004/C 84 E/0924)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0647/04

by María Bergaz Conesa (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 March 2004)

Subject: Urban waste water treatment in Benidorm, (Alicante province) Spain

The way in which the water treatment plant in Benidorm pours inadequately treated waste water into the
sea, polluting the unspoilt and protected Sierra Helada coastal area, with serious consequences, contravenes
in particular Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) concerning
Community legislation on the environment,
urban waste water treatment. Under the directive, towns the size of Benidorm were to have a system for
the collection and stringent treatment of urban waste water by 31 December 2000 at the latest.

information from the Spanish authorities regarding the volume and
Can the Commission request
composition of the waste water being poured into the sea in the environmentally sensitive area of Sierra
Helada?

Can the Commission confirm whether the quality of the maritime waters in this area conforms to the
guideline values under Directive 76/160/EEC (2) concerning the quality of bathing water?

What measures does the Commission intend to take in this instance to ensure that Community law is
correctly applied?

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40.
(2) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2004)

In terms of Community law, Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste
water treatment requires Member States to ensure that all agglomerations with more than 2 000
population equivalents (PE:
the organic pollution measuring unit representing the average pollution
produced per person per day) are provided with urban waste water collection and treatment systems.
Smaller agglomerations shall be subject to appropriate treatment if the waste water is collected. The
deadlines for providing those systems are 31 December 1998 (tertiary treatment), 31 December 2000 and
31 December 2005, depending upon the size of the agglomeration and the sensitivity of the recipient
waters.

The Commission is verifying the implementation of the Directive. In order to receive updated information
for the third report on the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Directive, the Commission sent out
questionnaires to Member States in 2003.

Concerning Benidorm, in 2003 the Spanish Authorities provided the Commission with the information
that the agglomeration is of a size of 347 041 PE and that treatment could be provided beyond the
standard secondary treatment since 2002.

The Commission will verify with the Spanish Authorities the performance of the Benidorm treatment
plant, and will consequently inform the Honourable Member.

With regard to the quality of bathing waters, Benidorm has five monitored beaches. The information sent
to the Commission by the Spanish Authorities showed that all of them comply with the guideline values
under the Bathing Water Directive (2).

In the case of non-compliance, the Commission will, as in similar cases, take the necessary action in its
role as Guardian of the Treaty, including appropriate legal action.

(1) Council Directive 91/271/EEC, OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40, as amended by Commission Directive 98/15/EC of

27 February 1998, OJ L 67, 3.7.1998, p. 29.

(2) Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water, OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.