Andalucía pays €10m in fines for dumping wastewater into Guadalhorce river

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The legal battle over the Edar Norte treatment plant is now before the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the regional government must continue to pay €634,000 every six months in EU penalties

Chus Heredia

Tuesday, 14 April 2026, 10:25

Since the ruling of the High Court of Justice of Andalucía (TSJA) and the regional government's subsequent appeal, the future of the Edar Norte wastewater treatment plant in Malaga province has been in the hands of the Supreme Court.

The TSJA sided with the residents of the Vega de Mestanza and Lomas de Cantarrana areas, who opposed the construction of the plant - the largest hydraulic engineering project currently awarded in Andalucía (104 million euros).

104

million euros is the cost of the project for the construction of the Edar Norte wastewater treatment plant

The project's temporary suspension implies high fees for the regional government (Junta), as the discharging of untreated water into the Guadalhorce river violates EU regulations. The fines, including the first half of 2026, have already reached ten million euros. These fines come from public funds.

The regional government suspended the work - not out of legal obligation, but simply as a matter of common sense, given the volume of the investment. The first plans for the plant date back 20 years.

The Cártama paradox

The fines levied against the regional government since 2018 total 630,000 euros every six months. They involve the case concerning Alhaurín El Grande. No cases have yet been opened against Cártama, but a significant paradox exists: the regional government has six open cases against Cártama, also for illegal water dumping, even though this falls under its jurisdiction. This is the basis for the local government's belief that they will win any appeals they file.

630,000

euros is what the Andalusian regional government has to pay every six months for dumping wastewater into the Guadalhorce river

Finance councillor of Cártama Miguel Espinosa told SUR that each of these cases amounts to 6,000 euros. He cited rulings from the TSJA and the Supreme Court that establish a legal precedent. "If we don't win our appeals, we will take legal action," he stated, adding that the regional government is charging a waste disposal fee of 200,000 euros per year.

Fortunately, the gradual implementation of infrastructure has eliminated other record fines in the province. The first batch of infractions identified four discharge zones (Coín, Nerja, Estepona and Alhaurín el Grande). Those cases totalled more than 12.3 million euros. In other words, the total amount of these record fines, many of which have already been resolved, exceeds 23 million. This amount will keep increasing, as mentioned, until the wastewater treatment plant in Alhaurín el Grande is fully operational.

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