Algeciras water treatment moves to bimonthly billing starting in 2026

The bill for the joint wastewater treatment and purification service of Algeciras will stop being issued quarterly and will become bimonthly. The Regional Board of the Association of Municipalities of the Campo de Gibraltar Region has finalized the modification of the ordinance regulating this patrimonial provision, the full text of which is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Cádiz no. 207, dated October 27, 2026, under reference No. 352,423. The announcement, signed in Algeciras on October 9, 2026, by president Susana Rosa Pérez Custodio, also sets the applicable rates for 2026 and 2027.

The modification was initially approved in the Regional Board session on July 28, 2026, within file 471/2026, with the objective of adapting the settlement and billing frequency from quarterly to bimonthly and harmonizing the block structure of the variable fee with the current municipal sewerage ordinance. The agreement was submitted for public consultation via an announcement in the Official Gazette of the Province of Cádiz no. 155, dated August 13, 2026, and on the electronic headquarters notice board, with a period of 30 business days extending from August 13 to September 25, 2026.

As no claims or suggestions were presented during that period, the agreement is considered definitively adopted with effect from September 26, 2026, in application of article 49, section c), second paragraph, of Law 7/1985, regulating the Bases of the Local Regime. The published text incorporates the consolidated text of the ordinance and repeals and replaces the previous Fiscal Ordinance regulating the fee for the same service.

From quarterly to bimonthly: what changes in the bill

The new wording affects articles 5, 8, and 9, the third transitional provision, and the final provision; the rest of the articles remain unchanged. Article 9 establishes that the settlement and collection of the fee will be carried out in fractions of natural bimonthly periods, which will become the billing and collection periods, with collective notification of the register in accordance with article 102.3 of the General Tax Law.

Collection in Algeciras may be carried out by EMALGESA in a single act along with the water supply and sewerage or sanitation concepts, on a bimonthly basis, under the terms jointly determined by the Association or its managing entity and the municipal mixed company. The fixed fee will be billed per natural bimonth regardless of consumption, based on the availability of the service.

The 2026 and 2027 rates

The fixed or service fee is set according to the caliber of the installed meter, in euros per bimonth:

• Up to 13, 15, and 20 mm: €4.1300 in 2026 and €4.3902 in 2027.
• 25, 30, and 40 mm: €8.1278 in 2026 and €8.6399 in 2027.
• 50, 65, 80, and over 80 mm: €12.9125 in 2026 and €13.7260 in 2027.

The variable discharge fee with water supply, in euros per cubic meter and bimonthly period, is as follows:

• Domestic use: €0.4703/m³ (0 to 10 m³), €0.7835 (over 10 up to 18), €0.7984 (over 18 up to 40), and €0.8134 (over 40) in 2026; in 2027, €0.4999, 0.8328, 0.8486, and 0.8646/m³.
• Commercial, industrial, and other uses: €0.5946, 0.7402, and 1.2604/m³ in 2026, and €0.6321, 0.7868, and 1.3398/m³ in 2027.
• Official bodies: €0.5189, 0.7545, 1.0308, and 1.0986/m³ in 2026; €0.5516, 0.8020, 1.0957, and 1.1678/m³ in 2027.

If the meter supplies more than one dwelling or premises, the fixed fee results from multiplying the number of supplies by the fee for the 13 or 20 mm meter. Current VAT is applied to these fees.

Entry into force and calendar by zones

The modification will enter into force during the 2026 financial year, once its full text has been published in the provincial bulletin and the period set forth in article 65.2 of Law 7/1985 has elapsed. If the entry into force occurs after December 31, 2026, it will take effect from January 1, 2027, with the direct application of the rates for that year.

The new periodicity will govern from the first billing period starting after the entry into force and, in any case, once the bimonthly billing of the municipal water supply and sanitation services becomes effective; the change may be applied gradually by billing zones according to the calendar determined with EMALGESA. The annual accrual, which occurs on January 1, and the annual amount of the service remain unchanged; periods already settled with quarterly periodicity maintain their validity, with a pro-rata adjustment for the current period. The 2027 rates will continue to be applied from January 1, 2028, until their revision is approved.

Claims and challenge regime

As the ordinance is an administrative provision of a general nature, no administrative appeal is possible; a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the competent Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Andalusia within two months from the day following its publication.

Regarding the material management of collection, interested parties may file a claim with the managing entity, which must respond expressly within a maximum period of three months; once this period has elapsed without a resolution, the claim is understood to be dismissed, and an administrative appeal may be filed before the Presidency of the Mancomunidad, in accordance with article 108 of Law 7/1985.

The change arrives while the collection of the third-quarter 2026 register for this same benefit in zone 3 of Algeciras remains in effect, also published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Cádiz no. 207, of October 27, 2026 (No. 352.336), which confirms the temporary coexistence of both calendars during the transition. For Algeciras subscribers, the practical effect is a lower-amount bill but six times a year instead of four, integrated into the joint water and sewage bill managed by EMALGESA, and with the legal reference that the annual amount of the service does not vary due to the change in periodicity.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Cádiz, no. 207, of October 27, 2026, page 7 (official reference: No. 352.423).