Orihuela City Council’s Local Government Board has approved a special development plan that will allow the Valencian government to undertake a €17 million expansion and modernisation of the Orihuela-Casco wastewater treatment plant.
The plan, proposed by Urban Planning councillor Matías Ruiz, reserves and reclassifies the land required for the project. It will now be submitted to the full council for final approval during its July meeting.
The scheme will be delivered by the Valencian government through the public wastewater authority EPSAR.
Ruiz described the approval as a decisive step towards unlocking a long-awaited strategic infrastructure project.
“The council is fulfilling its planning responsibilities by making the necessary land available so the Generalitat can carry out a project that will improve the service, increase treatment capacity and resolve problems residents have suffered for years,” he said.
The plan will reclassify a 24,337-square-metre plot currently designated as rural or non-developable land, allowing it to be used for public infrastructure. The existing treatment plant occupies approximately 11,000 square metres.
The planning process included environmental, landscape and flood-risk assessments, as well as consultations with the relevant public authorities. A favourable simplified environmental assessment was published by the Valencian government in September 2023.
The final documentation was placed on public display again in January 2026 after technical observations from the Territorial Urban Planning Service had been addressed.
Once the land is available, EPSAR will be able to proceed with the comprehensive modernisation and expansion of the plant.
The project is intended to increase wastewater treatment capacity to meet Orihuela’s current and future needs while improving efficiency and bringing the facility into line with modern environmental requirements.
Plans include raising the platform on which the plant stands to reduce the risk of flooding and introducing tertiary treatment technology so treated water can be reused.
The development will also include new systems designed to eliminate the odours, noise and vibrations that have caused complaints from nearby residents.
Major elements of the scheme include a new preliminary treatment facility, two carousel-type biological reactors with space for a third, two expandable secondary settling tanks and a new sludge thickener.
New buildings will be constructed for sludge dewatering and air production, while the control building will be enlarged. The plant will also receive a centralised deodorisation system and new water, electricity, air and telecommunications networks.
Other improvements include the complete automation of the facility, a weighbridge for lorries, new access arrangements and the landscaping, fencing and urbanisation of the entire site.
Parts of the existing plant, including the current biological reactor and sludge digester, will be adapted for new purposes to make better use of existing infrastructure and resources.
The upgraded plant is expected to improve wastewater treatment, meet stricter discharge standards and allow greater reuse of treated water.
The council said the approval concluded a complex planning and environmental process and paved the way for one of the most significant water infrastructure investments planned for the municipality.
