La Junta and Huete renew pipelines and collectors on the camino del Batán

The Regional Ministry of Sustainable Development of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha and the Huete City Council (Cuenca) have formalized an agreement to renovate the supply pipelines and collectors on the camino del Batán, in the municipality of Huete. The agreement was signed on October 15, 2026, in Toledo and is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha number 208, dated October 29, 2026, by means of the Resolution of 10/20/2026 of the General Secretariat (reference 2026/7717).

An agreement of 48,354.15 euros charged to the Entrepeñas and Buendía fund

The total estimated amount of the action amounts to 48,354.15 euros, VAT included, as an Administration Execution Budget. The financing is entirely borne by the Regional Ministry, charged to the budgetary application 56010000/G/512A/69000, financed by fund 0000001850 corresponding to the state subsidy, and included in the expenditure project OOAA/0000001665 of the General Directorate of Water.

The planned schedule is as follows:

• 2026 Annuality: 48,354.15 euros (total amount).
• Material execution period of the work: 3 months.
• Period for preparation, award, and execution of the works contract: 2 months.
• Delivery of the actions to the City Council: maximum 1 month from completion.
• Validity of the agreement: until December 31, 2026, or until delivery if it occurs sooner.

The valued report was prepared by the company Sima Ingeniería S.L., the awardee of the technical assistance contract for the defunct Water Agency of Castilla-La Mancha, and its author is Ignacio Serrano Sánchez, public works technical engineer.

The framework: the state subsidy for riverside municipalities

The action falls under Royal Decree 1159/2020, of December 22, which regulates the direct granting of a subsidy to the Water Agency of Castilla-La Mancha to execute works to improve the socioeconomic environment of the nuclei adjacent to the Entrepeñas and Buendía reservoirs, for an amount of 40,000,000.00 euros. The renovation of the camino del Batán is included in the typology of drinking water supply actions provided for in Article 3 of the regulation.

The Huete City Council and the Water Agency had already signed a collaboration agreement for the integrated water cycle on September 20, 2022, extended on December 26, 2024. The new work was excluded from that agreement, hence the municipal request that is now being addressed. The competencies of the defunct Agency are assumed by the Regional Ministry of Sustainable Development by virtue of Article 20 of Law 1/2026, of March 26, and its exercise corresponds to the General Directorate of Water according to Decree 112/2023, of July 25, as amended by Decree 17/2026, of April 14.

Allocation of Obligations and Agreement Control

The agreement details the tasks of each signing party:

• Department of Sustainable Development: finance the work, tender the projects, report on their progress to the City Council, and hand over the works once completed.
• Huete City Council: guarantee the availability of the land, assume the taxes derived from the execution, obtain sectoral permits, and accept the work.
• Monitoring Commission: one representative from each entity and a secretary with a voice but no vote; the presidency corresponds to the Water Directorate.
• Penalty: 10% of the actual cost of the action if the City Council does not accept the work within the deadline, with the possibility of a unilateral delivery act and 10 calendar days to sign it.

The agreement is published in accordance with article 7.1 of Decree 315/2007, of December 27, which regulates the General Registry of Agreements of the regional Administration, and is signed by the mayor-president of Huete, Francisco Javier Domenech Martínez, and the counselor of Sustainable Development, Mª Mercedes Gómez Rodríguez.

Impact for Residents

The renovation of supply pipelines and collectors on the camino del Batán directly affects a basic service of municipal competence, such as the supply of drinking water and sanitation, which the City Council is obliged to provide according to Law 7/1985, of April 2. The work, of small amount but rapid execution, is added to the investment package of the Entrepeñas and Buendía fund and must be delivered and in service before the end of 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 208, October 29, 2026, section III, pages 38016-38021 (official reference: 2026/7717).