Municipality must address pollution from stormwater drainage and wastewater in a creekMunicipalidad debe resolver contaminación por alcantarillado pluvial y aguas residuales en quebrada

II.- Purpose of the appeal (Objeto del recurso). The appellant alleges that behind his home runs an irrigation ditch (acequia) in which neighbors deposit wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste that is causing contamination problems, and although he has submitted procedures before the respondent Municipality (Municipalidad) for a solution to be provided, nothing has been done to date, and therefore he requests that the appeal be granted.

III.- On the right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial), and the competencies of Public Administrations in this regard.- This Court, in reiterated jurisprudence, has recognized that the right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment is a fundamental right derived from Article 50 of the Constitution, according to which, it not only enshrines the right of every citizen to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, but also obligates the State to guarantee the exercise of said right, through the means established for this purpose by current legislation. Specifically, as this Chamber stated in ruling number 2005-009900 of ten o'clock on July twenty-ninth, two thousand five, the Municipality must build the necessary infrastructure to properly channel the waters, in order to guarantee the right to health and to an environment free from contamination and without harming third parties:

"V.- On municipal obligations regarding stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial).- It is pertinent to take into account that Article 169 of the Constitution establishes that the administration of local interests and services in each canton shall be the responsibility of the Municipal Government. Local interests and services have been defined by the Chamber as indeterminate legal concepts where the law does not resolve with exactitude their content for application to concrete cases, so it is necessary to resort to criteria of judgment and experience, by the person responsible for applying it, to determine their content. The creation of adequate drainage means within a community so as not to cause damage to property, health, or environmental problems to its neighbors is, within the terms indicated by the Constitution, of interest to the canton and is part of the services that the Municipality is obligated to provide. In this same sense, the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud) in its Article 285 establishes that stormwater must be eliminated adequately and sanitarily in order to avoid contamination of the soil and natural water sources for human use and consumption, the formation of breeding grounds for vectors and diseases, and air contamination through conditions that threaten its purity and quality. For this reason, the Municipality of Goicoechea is obligated to assume a specific behavior for the satisfaction of its purposes, taking the required measures to provide the protected community with an efficient stormwater drainage system. Adjusted to criteria of reasonableness (razonabilidad), the Municipality must build the necessary infrastructure to properly channel those waters, in order to guarantee the right to health and to an environment free from contamination and without harming third parties." As can be deduced from the foregoing, the competency regarding stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) is established, expressly and implicitly, by ordinary legislation. Although the current Municipal Code (Código Municipal) does not establish any specific provision on this matter, the Chamber has declared, in ruling number 2002-08696 of ten hours fourteen minutes on September sixth, two thousand two, that this does not exclude the obligation of the entities to develop, among other community works, those relating to adequate aqueduct and sewerage systems. Indeed, Article 4, subsection c) of the current Municipal Code (Código Municipal) establishes, in general terms, as a municipal attribution, the administration and provision of municipal public services, among which, without any doubt, the sewerage system (sistema de alcantarillado) is found.

IV.- On the specific case.- Taking as a basis what has just been stated in the preceding recital (considerando), we proceed to the examination of the central aspect of this appeal, namely, the possible violation of the right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. Thus, from the report rendered by the Mayor of Vásquez de Coronado – which is taken as given under oath with the consequences, including criminal ones, provided for in Article 44 of the Law governing this Jurisdiction – and the evidence provided for the resolution of this matter, it is verified that there indeed exists an old problem with the stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) and wastewater in the area of Urbanización San Juan No.1 caused by the waterway (vía de agua) of the quebrada Jesús which continues to date, with the consequences derived from that situation. As observed, in that waterway (vía de agua) not only are greywater (aguas servidas) deposited there (contaminating in turn the body of water where they are discharged, which is prohibited), but stormwater also flows there, with the aggravating factor that, furthermore, some neighbors have encroached upon the waterway (vía de agua) along its protection zone (zona de protección), generating with all this contamination problems that affect the quality of life of the neighbors of the place. It is also true that the problem has been reported to the respondent Municipality for a long time; however, measures have not been adopted to solve the problem, and despite the fact that in the eastern sector of the quebrada Jesús there is a conduit (entubado), it is insufficient to mitigate the reported problems. From the case file it is clear that although several inspections of the site have been carried out, the problem continues and there is a fear among the neighbors that with the arrival of winter, it will worsen. As indicated under oath, it seems that the Municipality is only now going to begin a cleaning and recovery effort for the protected zone, as well as adopt the procedures aimed at solving the problem; however, it is patently obvious that the problem exists at this moment and there has not only been a delay in the solution to the problem, but it also appears that the matter could worsen due to the need to recover a protected zone that has been encroached upon. In this matter, it cannot be forgotten that the competency and responsibility for the management of stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) corresponds mainly to the Municipalities – although in coordination with the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados and the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud) as the case may be, for which it must carry out the appropriate coordination – and this local entity, despite being knowledgeable of the current problem and the solution that must be given to it, did not immediately proceed to address the problem, letting the years pass full of omissions and unproductive actions. Therefore, given that the reported problem is a potential source of environmental contamination and, consequently, a threat of danger to the health of the inhabitants of the area, the Chamber considers that the omissions attributed to the Municipality of Vásquez de Coronado violate the provisions of Articles 21 and 50 of the Constitution, making clear the violation of fundamental rights of the appellant and other neighbors of the area, due to the indicated omissions and negligent actions. For all these reasons, the appeal must be granted, and it is appropriate to order the Municipal Mayor of Vásquez de Coronado to immediately take the corresponding actions so that within the period stated in the operative part, the necessary measures are adopted to provide a definitive solution to the stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) problem of the quebrada Jesús located near the appellant's domicile." **II.- Object of the appeal.** The appellant alleges that a ditch (acequia) runs behind his home, into which neighbors deposit wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste, causing pollution problems, and although he has filed requests with the respondent Municipality for a solution, nothing has been done to date, so he requests that the appeal be granted.

**III.- On the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, storm drainage (alcantarillado pluvial), and the competencies of the Public Administrations in this regard.-** This Tribunal, in reiterated jurisprudence, has recognized that the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment is a fundamental right deriving from Article 50 of the Constitution, according to which, it not only enshrines the right of every citizen to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, but also obligates the State to guarantee the exercise of that right, through the means established for that purpose by current legislation. Specifically, as this Chamber stated in ruling number 2005-009900 of ten o'clock on July twenty-ninth, two thousand five, the Municipality must build the necessary infrastructure to properly channel the waters, in order to guarantee the right to health and to an environment free of pollution and without harming third parties:

**“V.- On municipal obligations regarding storm drainage.-** It is convenient to take into account that Article 169 of the Political Constitution establishes that the administration of local interests and services in each canton shall be in charge of the Municipal Government. Local interests and services have been defined by the Chamber as indeterminate legal concepts where the law does not resolve with exactness their content for application to specific cases, making it necessary to resort to criteria of value and experience, on the part of whoever is responsible for applying them, to determine their content. The creation of adequate drainage means within a community for the purpose of not causing damage to property, health, or environmental problems to its neighbors is, within the terms indicated by the Political Constitution, in the interest of the canton and is part of the services that the Municipality is obligated to provide. In this same sense, the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud) in its Article 285 establishes that stormwater must be eliminated adequately and sanitarily in order to avoid contamination of the soil and natural sources of water for human use and consumption, the formation of breeding grounds for vectors and diseases, and air contamination through conditions that threaten its purity and quality. For this reason, the Municipality of Goicoechea is obligated to assume a certain behavior for the satisfaction of its purposes, taking the required measures to provide the protected community with an efficient system for the drainage of stormwater. Adjusted to criteria of reasonableness (razonabilidad), the Municipality must build the necessary infrastructure to properly channel those waters, in order to guarantee the right to health and to an environment free of contamination and without harming third parties.” As is clear from the foregoing, the competence in matters of storm drainage is established, expressly and implicitly, by ordinary legislation. Although the current Municipal Code does not establish any specific provision regarding this matter, the Chamber has declared, in ruling number 2002-08696 of ten hours fourteen minutes on September sixth, two thousand two, that this does not exclude the obligation of the entities to develop, among other community works, that related to adequate aqueduct and sewer systems. In effect, Article 4, subsection c) of the current Municipal Code establishes in general terms, as a municipal attribution, the administration and provision of municipal public services, within which, without a doubt, is the sewer system (alcantarillado).

**IV.- On the specific case.-** Taking as a basis what has just been stated in the preceding recital (considerando), we proceed to the examination of the central aspect of this appeal, namely, the possible violation of the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. Thus, from the report rendered by the Mayor of Vásquez de Coronado—which is taken as given under oath with the consequences, including criminal ones, foreseen in Article 44 of the Law that governs this Jurisdiction—and the evidence provided for the resolution of this matter, it is verified that there effectively exists a long-standing problem with storm drainage and wastewater in the area of the San Juan No. 1 Urbanization caused by the waterway of the Jesús ravine (quebrada Jesús), which persists to date, with the consequences deriving from that situation. As observed, not only are residential wastewaters deposited in that waterway (in turn contaminating the body of water into which they are discharged, which is prohibited), but stormwaters also flow there, aggravated by the fact that some neighbors have encroached upon the waterway along its protection zone, generating, with all this, pollution problems that affect the quality of life of the neighbors in the area. It is also a fact that the problem has been reported to the respondent Municipality for a long time; however, measures have not been adopted to solve the problem, and despite the fact that there is a pipe (entubado) in the eastern sector of the Jesús ravine, it is insufficient to mitigate the reported problems. It is clear from the record that although several inspections have been carried out at the site, the problem continues and there is fear among the neighbors that with the arrival of winter, it will worsen. As stated under oath, it seems that the Municipality is only now going to begin cleanup and recovery work in the protected zone (zona protegida), as well as adopt the procedures aimed at solving the problem; however, it is abundantly clear that the problem exists at this moment, and there has not only been a delay in solving the problem, but it also seems that the matter could be aggravated by the need to recover the protected zone that has been encroached upon. In this matter, it cannot be forgotten that the competence and responsibility for the management of storm drainage corresponds mainly to the Municipalities—although in coordination with the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados) and the Ministry of Health as the case may be, for which it must carry out the corresponding coordination—and this local entity, despite being aware of the current problem and the solution that must be given to it, did not proceed immediately to address the problem, allowing years to pass plagued with omissions and unproductive actions. Therefore, given that the reported problem is a potential source of pollution to the environment and, consequently, a threat of danger to the health of the inhabitants of the area, the Chamber considers that the omissions attributed to the Municipality of Vásquez de Coronado violate the provisions of Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution, making clear the violation of fundamental rights of the appellant and other neighbors of the area, due to the omissions and negligent actions indicated. For all these reasons, the appeal must be granted, and it is appropriate to order the Municipal Mayor of Vásquez de Coronado to immediately take the corresponding actions so that, within the period stated in the operative part (parte dispositiva), the necessary measures are adopted to give a definitive solution to the problem of the storm drainage of the Jesús ravine, which is located near the appellant's domicile.”

“…II.- Objeto del recurso. Alega el recurrente que detrás de su vivienda pasa una acequia en la cual los vecinos depositan aguas residuales, pluviales y desechos sólidos que está ocasionando problemas de contaminación y a pesar de que ha presentado gestiones en la Municipalidad recurrida para que se de una solución, no se ha hecho nada a la fecha por lo que pide que se declare con lugar el recurso.

III.- Sobre el derecho a gozar de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, el alcantarillado pluvial y las competencias de las Administraciones Públicas al respecto.- Este Tribunal en jurisprudencia reiterada ha reconocido que el derecho a gozar de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado es un derecho fundamental que deriva del artículo 50 Constitucional, según el cual, no sólo consagra el derecho de todo ciudadano a gozar de un medio ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, sino que además obliga al Estado a garantizar el ejercicio de dicho derecho, mediante los medios establecidos al efecto por la legislación vigente. Concretamente, tal como lo ha dicho esta Sala en la sentencia número 2005-009900 de las diez horas del veintinueve de julio del dos mil cinco debe la Municipalidad construir la infraestructura necesaria para hacer discurrir adecuadamente las aguas, para así garantizar el derecho a la salud y a un ambiente libre de contaminación y sin perjudicar a terceros:

“V.- Sobre las obligaciones municipales en materia de alcantarillado pluvial.- Es conveniente tomar en cuenta que el artículo 169 de la Constitución Política establece que la administración de los intereses y servicios locales en cada cantón, estará a cargo del Gobierno Municipal. Los intereses y servicios locales han sido definidos por la Sala como conceptos jurídicos indeterminados donde la ley no resuelve con exactitud su contenido para su aplicación a casos concretos, por lo que resulta necesario acudir a criterios de valor y de experiencia, por parte de quien le corresponde aplicarlo, para determinar su contenido. La creación de medios de drenaje adecuados dentro de una comunidad a efectos de no causar daños a la propiedad, a la salud ni problemas de ambientales a sus vecinos es, dentro de los términos indicados por la Constitución Política, de interés del cantón y es parte de los servicios que la Municipalidad está en la obligación de brindar. En este mismo sentido la Ley General de Salud en su artículo 285 establece que las aguas pluviales deberán ser eliminadas adecuada y sanitariamente a fin de evitar la contaminación del suelo y de las fuentes naturales de agua para el uso y consumo humano, la formación de criaderos de vectores y enfermedades y la contaminación del aire mediante condiciones que atenten contra su pureza y calidad. Por tal motivo, la Municipalidad de Goicoechea, está obligada a asumir un determinado comportamiento para la satisfacción de sus fines, tomando las medidas requeridas para proveer a la comunidad amparada, de un sistema eficiente de drenaje de las aguas pluviales. Ajustado a criterios de razonabilidad debe la Municipalidad construir la infraestructura necesaria para hacer discurrir adecuadamente esas aguas, para así garantizar el derecho a la salud y a un ambiente libre de contaminación y sin perjudicar a terceros.” Como se desprende de lo expuesto anteriormente, la competencia en materia de alcantarillado pluvial, se encuentra establecida, Municipal no establece ninguna disposición específica en cuanto este tema, la Sala ha declarado, en sentencia número 2002- 08696 de las diez horas catorce minutos del seis de septiembre del dos mil dos, que esto no excluye la obligación de los entes de desarrollar, entre otras obras de carácter comunal, lo relativo a adecuados sistemas de acueductos y alcantarillados. En efecto, el artículo 4 inciso c) del Código Municipal vigente establece en términos generales, como una atribución municipal, el administrar y prestar los servicios públicos municipales, dentro de los cuales, sin duda alguna, se encuentra el sistema de alcantarillado.

IV.- Sobre el caso concreto.- Tomando como base lo que se acaba de decir en el considerando anterior, se procede al examen del aspecto central de este recurso, a saber, la posible violación al derecho a gozar de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado. Así entonces, del informe rendido por el Alcalde de Vásquez de Coronado -que se tiene por dado bajo fe de juramento con las consecuencias, incluso penales, previstas en el artículo 44 de la Ley que rige esta Jurisdicción-, y la prueba aportada para la resolución del presente asunto, se comprueba que efectivamente existe un antiguo problema con el alcantarillado pluvial y de aguas residuales en la zona de la Urbanización San Juan No.1 ocasionadas por la vía de agua de la quebrada Jesús que se mantiene a la fecha, con las consecuencias derivadas de esa situación. Según se observa, en esa vía de agua no sólo se depositan en ahí aguas servidas (contaminando a su vez el cuerpo de agua donde se vierten lo cual es prohibido) sino que, también discurren ahí las aguas pluviales con el agravante de que, además, algunos vecinos han invadido la vía de agua a lo largo de su zona de protección, generándose con todo esto problemas de contaminación que inciden en la calidad de vida de los vecinos del lugar. También es lo cierto que se ha denunciado el problema ante la Municipalidad recurrida desde hace mucho tiempo; sin embargo, no se han adoptado medidas para solucionar el problema, y a pesar de que en el sector este de la quebrada Jesús sí existe un entubado, éste es insuficiente para mitigar los problemas denunciados. De autos se desprende que aunque se han realizado varias inspecciones al sitio, el problema continúa y existe el temor de los vecinos que con la llegada del invierno, se agrave. Según se indicó bajo juramento, parece que la Municipalidad va a iniciar hasta ahora con una labor de limpieza y recuperación de la zona protegida, así como también va a adoptar los procedimientos tendientes a solucionar el problema, sin embargo, a todas luces, el problema existe en este momento y no sólo ha habido tardanza en la solución al problema, sino que también pareciera que el asunto se puede agravar por la necesidad de recuperar zona protegida que ha sido invadida. En esta materia no puede olvidarse que la competencia y responsabilidad por el manejo del alcantarillado pluvial corresponde principalmente a las Municipalidades –aunque en coordinación con el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados y el Ministerio de Salud según sea el caso para lo cual debe efectuar la coordinación del caso- y este ente local, a pesar de ser conocedor del problema actual y de la solución que debe dársele, no procedió inmediatamente a atender el problema, dejando pasar los años plagados de omisiones y acciones improductivas. Por lo tanto, dado que el problema denunciado es un potencial foco de contaminación al medio ambiente y, en consecuencia, una amenaza de peligro para la salud de los habitantes de la zona, estima la Sala que las omisiones atribuidas a la Municipalidad de Vásquez de Coronado, atentan contra lo dispuesto en los artículos 21 y 50 de la Constitución Política, resultando clara la violación de derechos fundamentales al recurrente y demás vecinos de la zona, por las omisiones y las actuaciones negligentes apuntadas. Por todas estas razones el recurso debe declararse con lugar y procede ordenar al Alcalde Municipal de Vásquez de Coronado, tomar inmediatamente las acciones correspondientes a efecto de que en el plazo que se dice en la parte dispositiva, se adopten las medidas que sean necesarias para darle solución definitiva al problema de alcantarillado pluvial de la quebrada Jesús que se ubica cerca del domicilio del recurrente.”