Calle La Niña marks the end of the Quisi and Pou Roig ravines until they flow into Arenal-Bol beach. The riverbed is uncovered and remains dry in the absence of rainfall. However, the prefabricated frames installed after the 2007 floods are at a lower level, causing water to rise from the water table and accumulate at the end of the riverbed.
At the same time, sand accumulates at the mouth of the frames due to the effect of the waves, and this sand concentrates inside the frames, causing rainwater runoff to stagnate and, at high temperatures, generating biofilm and bad odours.
To prevent these bad odours, but also to minimise the possible arrival of pollution in the bathing area, it is necessary to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water in the last section of the frames on Calle La Niña. For this reason, Aguas de Calpe has a manhole at the frames, at the level of the road between the Rio and Costa Blanca buildings, to allow access with the hoses of the self-priming tanker trucks. This morning, company workers carried out this operation to remove stagnant water from the channel.
Aguas de Calpe also has a facility for connecting various portable pumps inside the frames and transferring the accumulated volume to the sewerage network. It should be noted that the low water level inside the frames prevents the installation of high-flow submersible pumps.
Last Friday, a meeting was held at the Town Hall in which municipal technicians and technicians from Aguas de Calpe studied various measures to prevent possible odours or spills. After the meeting, it was decided that in order to maximise pumping capacity, Aguas de Calpe will install a Godwin pump on the surface and install suction pipes from inside the frames to pump the water into the municipal sewerage network. The capacity of the Godwin pump, which exceeds 100 m3/h, and the diameter of the pipes to be installed, 110 mm, will minimise the time that water remains stagnant inside the frames.
The measures indicated, together with continuous monitoring for the accumulation of water in the last section of the frames on Calle La Niña, will minimise both the possible generation of bad odours and the possible arrival of pollution in the bathing area.