The City Council ensures that the increase in water service costs only represents an average increase of 1 euro per month for households.

The Consistory will minimize the increase in the water bill due to the new infrastructure improvement works to be carried out by Acosol and the update of the CPI of the service concessionaire (Hidralia), which had not been applied since 2022.

The City Council will approve a new rebate on the water rate for families in vulnerable situations. This is in addition to other bonuses that already exist for other groups such as retirees, large families, associations or victims of gender violence.

The City Council of Estepona reports that in the ordinary plenary next Friday will be approved a review of the rates of drinking water supply service to the increase that will occur in the costs of it. To avoid that this situation has a negative impact on users, the Consistory has developed an economic proposal in order that the increase in service costs only involve an average increase of 1 euro per month in the receipt of households.

The deputy mayor of the area of Services and External Control, Blas Ruzafa, explained that the costs of water service will be increased by the new works of improvement in water infrastructure to be executed by the public company Acosol and the update of the CPI proposed by the concessionaire of the service (Hidralia), which was not applied since 2022.

The municipal responsible has explained that the City Council will minimize the effects of the rise raised for these reasons thanks to the fact that in recent years has done a continuous work to reduce service costs.

In this sense, he stressed that the Consistory and Hidralia have promoted various actions aimed at improving service efficiency, increased resource efficiency and reduced losses. The massive implementation of the remote reading system in the homes of Estepona, a more efficient management of the meters, numerous works in the network to prevent water leaks or the installation of photovoltaic panels in municipal deposits, among other measures, have brought about a reduction in service costs.

This work of years has allowed that the increase in the costs of the service does not affect completely now in the receipt of the users, since the revision of the new tariffs will be made even in a percentage lower than the accumulated CPI.

On the other hand, the City Council is going to approve an extension of bonuses for those households that have difficulties in paying the water bill. Thus, it incorporates a zero price bonus for the first 7 cubic meters per month for families in vulnerable situations with incomes less than twice the IPREM (Public Indicator of Multiple Effect Income). This bonus is in addition to the others that exist and that will be maintained for retired or disabled pensioners, large families, victims of gender violence or social associations declared of public utility.

Also, the Consistory maintains the Social Fund for all those people that social services determine an exceptional aid to cover the non-payment of water bill of families in a situation of additional vulnerability.

It will also be proposed in plenary the modification of the ordinance regulating the sewerage service for the update of the CPI.

Finally, note that the City Council has incorporated in this review of water rates, which is stipulated by contract, a new one for all those users to whom Acosol supplied high water until October, among which are the irrigation communities. This rate has a lower cost for users than the rates for domestic and industrial use.