The site was located near a small beach called “Playa de los Hornos”, next to the town of Puerto del Rosario. The beach was not very popular due to its small useful area.

FCC Construcción consulted the architectural supervision team before dredging work began and proposed using the sand dredged out of the harbour to build up the beach and improve its use as a recreational facility for the local residents.

The sand was analyzed and the architectural supervision team approved the idea. As a result, the pertinent permits were secured and the operation designed. First, a permanent 300-mm pipe was installed on the beach. When the dredger fi lled its 1,000-m3 sand tanks, it would sail to the end of the pipe and pump the sand to the beach. Afterwards, the sand was spread uniformly using machinery on shore to improve appeal to bathers and the general public. The average yield was 3,500 m³ of sand, working around the clock.

This action to regenerate the landscape, featuring the controlled dumping of a total of 30,000 m³ of sand onto the beach, transformed the small bay into a beach for public use, with 100 linear metres of clean sand.

The controlled dumping and uniform spreading of the clean, dredged sand solved two issues: it obviated transporting the sand to a landfi ll (which would have occurred if it had been regarded as waste) and it regenerated an area, thus increasing its tourist and recreational value.