The Castellón Provincial Council's commitment to ensuring wastewater treatment in all municipalities of the province through the construction of 98 treatment plants and collection systems has materialized this week with the inauguration of the new Villamalefa Castle wastewater treatment plant. With this new facility, built by FACSA and representing a provincial investment of €151,426, the Provincial Government now provides wastewater treatment services to a total of 94 of the 116 municipalities in the province with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants.
The president of the Provincial Council stated that “these actions are those works that are not seen, they are not in the urban center, they do not attract attention, but they equalize the opportunities of people who live in a town with respect to those who live in a capital, and above all they minimize the impact of human life on the environment in which we live.”.
It is precisely this environmental value that is added to the Provincial Council's Repopulation program, which Moliner emphasized when explaining that "in a natural environment like this, in the Alto Mijares, in a place with great scenic value, it is essential that we become more aware every day that our presence cannot affect the environment, and with the implementation of this wastewater treatment plant we achieve that effect and that the citizens who decide to live here do so knowing that their presence will not affect the entire natural environment that surrounds them.".
It should be noted that this service, which is provided at the provincial level, employs more than 90 people on a continuous basis, distributed throughout the province of Castellón, who together with the staff of the Technical Area of the Provincial Council, are responsible for carrying out the operation and maintenance of the facilities.
2017 review in 93 municipalities
The activity report for the wastewater treatment plants during 2017 clearly demonstrates their effective operation and the benefits they provide to municipalities. Ninety-three population centers with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants benefited from the complete treatment of their wastewater, which was returned to receiving waterways in suitable condition, resulting in a significant environmental benefit for the province. This provided service to more than 72,500 residents and treated a total flow of 6,080,000 liters.
As a result of this purification, 4,700 tons of sludge with exceptional agronomic qualities were produced and applied to the 100% in agriculture as fertilizer on more than 1248 hectares.
