EU Court condemns 38 towns for not treating residual waters

TARIFA (Agencies) The European Court of Justice yesterday declared Spain guilty of not adhering to the European regulations on water purification. The ruling affects a total 38 urban conglomerations, including those of Tarifa, Barbate, Chipiona and Vejer. Of the 38 cases, 13 are in Andalucía. Spain, which was sentenced to pay costs, has not properly applied the directives from the EU regarding collection, treatment and discharge of residual urban and industrial waste water, according to legal sources.The regulations established that urban concentrations of over 15,000 inhabitants had to have a collecting system before 2001, including a treatment plant, and to meet maximum contamination levels. The last warning to Spain came in 2008 and having received no satisfactory reply, the matter was taken to the Court in Luxembourg.