The Council of Ministers has authorized at its meeting today the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Ministry of the Environment, through the Northern Hydrographic Confederation, and the Ministry of the Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León for the financing, execution and operation of the works of the second phase of the sanitation of Bierzo Bajo (León).

These actions involve an investment of 11,300,000 euros that will be financed as follows: the Northern Hydrographic Confederation will contribute 85 percent of the total through the Regional Development Fund (ERDF) from the European Union and the Ministry of the Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León will contribute the remaining 15 percent.

The works subject to the agreement are as follows: – Completion of the general interceptor collector of the Burbia River, which will collect the towns of Villafranca, Corullón, Horta and Parandones. The estimated budget for this work amounts to 7,910,000 euros.

– Completion of the general interceptor collector of the Barredos stream, which will collect the towns of Fuentes Nuevas, Columbrianos and San Andrés de Montejos. The estimated budget for the action is 3,390,000 euros.

The execution period of the works is four years and, in any case, the work will be completed and paid for before December 31, 2008. The Northern Hydrographic Confederation will process, on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, the expropriation files that are necessary to obtain the land, goods and rights necessary for the works. Likewise, it will be in charge of tendering, awarding and managing the contracts for the works and other actions of this collaboration agreement until its definitive completion.