The Viñuela Reservoir in the Axarquía was in the news most of the summer because of how low it was. Now, there's a different problem.

Three villages in that area, Iznate, El Borge, and Totalán have declared their domestic supply not fit for human consumption because of high chlorate levels, which is bad news for this combined population of around 3,000.

The maximum amount that is considered drinkable is 0.7 mg/litre but it has been exceeded because of a byproduct of the chlorine, disinfection process itself, which until this year was not even specifically monitored in routine analyses.

It should be pointed out that the water might not be safe for consumption but it is still suitable for other domestic purposes such as for bathroom uses, house cleaning and clothes washing, etc.

Iznate was the first of the three to activate the restrictions but has since lifted it after receiving favorable test results. In El Borge and Totalán, on the other hand, the recommendation not to drink tap water remains in place until further tests give the all clear.

The thing is that previous to 2023 having this high chlorate level was not something that would produce restrictions because that year the Royal Decree 3/2023 came into effect across the country, introducing, for the first time, a specific limit for chlorate, set at 0.7 milligrammes per litre.

Before then, this compound (generated by the degradation of chlorinated products used for disinfection) was not included in the control parameters. In other words, we’re not dealing with a accidentally introduced contamination, but rather a byproduct of the usual disinfection process.

“The problem arises when, due to insufficient maintenance or prolonged use of hypochlorite, degradation occurs, increasing the presence of chlorates,” according to the Public Health Department.

(News: Iznate, El Borge, Totalán, Axarquia, Malaga, Andalucia)

Keywords: Drinking Waterm, Unfit for Human Consumption, Chlorate Levels, Disinfection Byproduct, Viñuela Reservoir

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