REPORT TO THE NEIGHBORS OF THE URBANIZATION SANTA MARIA DE L’AVALL (CORBERA DE LLOBREGAT – BARCELONA)
Sewerage situation, European regulations, costs, risks, and legal alternatives
Dear neighbors:
Through this letter, I would like to provide a clear, complete, and understandable explanation regarding the current situation of the sewerage system in the Santa Maria de l’Avall urbanization, as well as the regulatory obligations, risks, the costs involved in a project of this magnitude, and the existing legal alternatives, including individual options such as bio-purification systems.
1. European Union Regulations on Wastewater
The regulations currently in force throughout the European Union —especially Directive 91/271/EEC and its recent update through Directive 2024/3019— establish that:
- Urban agglomerations must collect and treat their wastewater to prevent environmental damage and public health risks.
- For rural, dispersed, or low-density areas, the regulations allow for individual or decentralized systems as long as they meet environmental quality standards.
- These standards imply that the system used (whether general sewerage or an individual alternative) must be capable of correctly purifying wastewater, preventing leaks and contamination of the soil or aquifers.
This means that the EU does not necessarily mandate the installation of a sewerage system if there are certified individual systems that meet the requirements. Old septic tanks, in general, do not meet current standards, so they must be replaced by more advanced systems (bio-purifiers or other approved equipment) or by a sewerage network if the urbanization decides so.
2. Terrain: Risks and Technical Difficulties
The terrain of Santa Maria de l’Avall presents characteristics that seriously complicate the installation of a sewerage system:
- Extremely rocky soil, which increases the cost and time of the work.
- Significant slopes, steep climbs and descents, necessitating the installation of pumps, pumping stations, and complex engineering works.
- Homes located in lower areas could suffer added risks, such as wastewater backflow, overloads, or the need for forced pumping.
These factors significantly increase the danger, complexity, and final cost of the project.
3. Cost of the Work and Economic Burden for Neighbors
According to current estimates:
- 💸 Total estimated cost of the work: 13.5 million euros.
- 💸 Economic repercussions per plot:
- Approximate cost per plot: between 28,000 and 33,000 euros, depending on the surface area.
- The approximate calculation indicates about 28,000 € for each 846 m² plot.
- Added to this is the mandatory individual cost of connecting each home to the general network, which must be paid by each owner. This amount varies depending on the terrain and distance.
For many families, especially in an environment with elderly or vulnerable people, this expense is practically unaffordable.
4. Legal and Economic Risks if a Company Goes Bankrupt
A project of this magnitude implies hiring a specialized company. However, there is a risk —documented in other municipalities— that:
- The company goes bankrupt during the work.
- The urbanization is left with half-finished work, open streets, and no possibility of demanding completion.
- Neighbors are left without the work, without service, and without a responsible party to claim against, forcing them into long and costly legal processes.
This risk must be taken very seriously due to the size and price of the project.
5. Consequences if a Neighbor Cannot Pay for the Work
In the event that the City Council approves the work and charges it as a special contribution, the consequences for those who cannot pay may be:
- Seizure of the home or plot for non-payment.
- Surcharges, interest, and legal proceedings by the administration.
- In extreme cases, and if the debt persists, it could lead to expropriation, as the administration has the legal capacity to do so in the face of non-payment of mandatory contributions.
This risk is especially serious for the elderly, pensioners, low-income families, or owners who already have active mortgages.
6. Aid from the City Council and the European Union
There are European and state programs supporting sustainable sanitation, but:
- Most European grants do not cover 100%, but between 20% and 40% in the best of cases.
- Aid usually opens in annual or biannual calls (normally between April and October, depending on the fund and year).
- City councils can apply for FEDER or NextGenerationEU funds, but they are not always granted, nor do they guarantee covering a 13.5 million project.
- For individual aid (for example, installation of bio-purifiers), there may be regional or municipal subsidies, depending on the call for each year.
It is important to highlight that aid does not ensure that the cost for each neighbor ceases to be very high.
7. Cheaper Legal Alternatives: Bio-purifiers and Other Systems
European regulations allow alternatives as long as they meet purification standards. Among them:
- ✔ Individual or shared bio-purifiers: They meet European regulations if they are approved. They are much cheaper, quicker to install, and ideal for areas with rock and slopes.
- ✔ Compact purification systems: For 2–5 homes, reducing shared costs.
- ✔ Decentralized community systems: A single purification point for a zone of the urbanization.
All these options are legal, effective, do not require massive public works, and allow compliance with the European Union without ruining the owners.
CONCLUSION
European regulations require that wastewater be treated adequately, but they do not necessarily mandate the installation of a sewerage system, provided there are certified alternatives that guarantee purification.
The proposed sewerage work in Santa Maria de l’Avall presents very high technical, economic, and legal risks, with a cost that many neighbors could not assume and with serious consequences in case of non-payment.
Neighbor of Santa Maria de l’Avall
November 23, 2025