The charge on your water bill that is failing to keep Andalucía’s beaches safe

Residents have paid a regional charge meant to modernise Andalucía’s sewage network, yet ageing treatment plants buckled again this summer. Bacteria forced bathing bans across four coastal provinces, and one of Málaga’s best-known beaches is still closed as the region heads into autumn.

Bil Bil Beach still closed after latest E. coli alert

Regional health inspectors closed Bil Bil beach in Benalmádena on Wednesday September 9Tests found high levels of E. coli bacteria, which is linked to sewage pollution. The shoreline was marked with warning signs and flags.

It was the second closure at the popular Costa del Sol beach in less than a month, after several Benalmádena beaches were shut in August over suspected biological contamination that left some swimmers with skin irritation. Vox’s local spokesperson Joaquín Amann has since called for the resignation of Félix Romero Moreno, president of Acosol, the public company responsible for sewage infrastructure along this stretch of coast, accusing it of years of poor maintenance.

A pattern repeated in Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva and Granada 

Bil Bil is just the latest in a long line of sewage contaminations. This summer, around a dozen beaches in four Andalusian Provinces were closed temporarily to swimmers after tests revealed E. coli bacteria and other signs of sewage contamination. 

You can also find out more about the following: Cádiz province, five beaches, including Rota’s Punta Candor and Chipiona’s Micaela, were closed on the same day in late August. Huelva saw warnings at Punta Umbría and MatalascañasWhile Granada’s Costa Tropical recorded closures at Salobreña, Almuñécar, Albuñol and Sorvilán. Bil Bil is still closed. 

Built for fractions of the summer crowds today 

Many of the sewage systems in the region are over 20 years old, and were not built to accommodate the population growth that comes with the tourist season. In some resort towns, the number of residents increases so dramatically in July and August that treatment plants are overwhelmed. 

The situation is that when plants reach their capacity, they can discharge untreated or partly treated wastewater closer to the coast. This is the exact scenario the health authorities are trying catch through routine testing, before it reaches the swimmers.

Málaga’s plants have the worst compliance record of any Andalusian province, with Cádiz and Almería not far ahead of it. Only Córdoba, well inland and away from the tourist coast, clears the required standard comfortably.

Where Andalucía’s €678m water charge for sewage actually went

Every Andalucian water bill includes a regional charge, the canon de mejora de infraestructuras hidráulicas (a fee added to water bills to fund sewage and water infrastructure upgrades), which has raised more than €1.4 billion since it was introduced. Yet Andalucía’s regional auditor, the Cámara de Cuentas, revealed in April that around €678 million collected through the charge had not been invested in the sanitation works it was meant to pay for.

The regional rules have been altered to allow money raised by the same charge to be used for other repairs including storm damageInstead of being reserved exclusively for sewage upgrade. Spain has separately been fined more than €84 million since 2018 over towns, including Barbate in Cádiz and Matalascañas in Huelva, whose sewage treatment falls short of EU standards, with the bill expected to approach €100 million by the end of the decade.

How to check your swimsuit before going for a dip

You can also find out more about the following: Publications of the regional health department Reports on the quality of bathing waters for all five coastal provinces roughly every two weeks throughout the summer, available through the Junta de Andalucía’s beach information catalogue. Before planning a trip, anyone who is interested in the coast should check to see if a particular beach is open.

Bil Bil is one of the few beaches that are still waiting to be given the green light. This is the only way, along with the visual clues on the beach, to determine if the water there is safe. It is worth looking out for warning signs and red flags when you arrive.

The frustration of many coastal residents is not so much about a single closure, but rather the pattern which keeps repeating. The same charges appear on each water bill and the same signs are placed on the same stretches on sand every summer. So, where exactly has the €678 million gone? That’s the big question hanging over Andalucía’s coastline.