The beaches of Tavernes de la Valldigna (La Safor) are beginning their recovery after storm Harry in January. The Directorate of Coasts is transferring sand from the seabed of Cullera (La Ribera Baixa), an action that has generated complaints among local fishermen, who claim that the works affect marine flora and fauna and force them to travel further to work.
The first step in Tavernes has been the demolition of "the plane", a concrete structure that served as a gate for the inner lake in the Goleta area. This structure, which was the sculptural emissary of the storm tank, has today become a pile of rubble.
“"We will gain a now non-existent dune nucleus that will prevent water from entering and salinizing, with a sponge effect."
A second project will naturalize the storm tank to give it more life. Four first-line homes affected by storm Harry three months ago still need to be rebuilt. According to the municipal management, "the OK from their architects is pending so they can return to their homes; some surveys are needed to verify they are habitable".
Finally, documentation is still needed for the environmental impact statement regarding the contribution of 770,000 cubic meters of sand to this coast. A definitive regeneration that Tavernes de la Valldigna hopes will not proceed at a snail's pace.
Fishermen from Cullera have expressed their complaints, as the sand for beach regeneration comes from the Cullera deposit. They claim that the movement has caused damage to their boats when they tried to fish in the area where the extraction machinery operates. Furthermore, they report having to travel further to fish, which entails higher costs.
“"We just have more expenses. We have to sail further."
