Canal de Isabel II treated 536.60 hm³ of wastewater in 2025, up from 506.18 hm³ in 2024. Yet the €1,200 million announced in September 2024 for renovating Madrid's La China, Sur and Butarque treatment plants is a separate item from the company's own Strategic Plan 2025–2030.
Operated by Canal, owned by the city
The Sur plant in Getafe is the largest in the region. It treats up to 500,000 m³ a day, a pollution load of about 3 million population equivalent, and houses Spain's largest struvite phosphorus recovery plant. Madrid City Council owns it, and Canal has operated it since 2006. Across the region Canal runs 155 treatment plants with a nominal capacity of 16.25 million population equivalent, 150 wastewater pumping stations and 67 storm and attenuation tanks holding 1.49 hm³ (2025).
A protocol, not yet a program
On November 3, 2025, the Community of Madrid and Madrid City Council signed a protocol to speed up renovation of the city's treatment plants and to press the national government to bring the La China, Butarque and Sur systems into line with current law. The regional president's September 2024 announcement of €3,200 million to 2035 combined Canal's €2,000 million plan with the €1,200 million for those three plants.
What Canal is funding itself
Within its own plan, Canal has allocated €800 million to sanitation and drainage, including more than €230 million for new treatment technology under stricter discharge permits. Its Plan Sanea had more than €394 million committed in 31 municipalities by March 2026 to renew more than 300 km of sewers.
The report sets out which parts of Madrid's water and wastewater system Canal owns, operates or only plans for, how its investment and tariffs are set through 2030, and what to watch at each major plant. The full report, Water Systems Overview: Canal de Isabel II, is available for USD 499 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/water-systems-overview-canal-de-isabel-ii. For a free overview, read the Canal de Isabel II Utility Snapshot at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/utilities/canal-de-isabel-ii.