Poor Water Quality - 350m Of Torrevieja Coastline Closed To Swimming

[Carl]

https://www.informacion.es/vega-baja/20 ... 08400.html

Google translate, minus video and images:

Torrevieja closes natural pools and the rocky coastline of the seafront promenade to swimming due to poor water quality

The Beaches Department has closed the coastal stretch after the Generalitat warned of the presence of intestinal enterococci above the recommended level in its weekly analysis, and indicates that it will reopen as soon as the indicators return to normal.

The Torrevieja City Council decided early Wednesday morning to close a large section of its coastline to swimming, approximately 350 linear meters, between the natural pools of the Juan Aparicio Promenade (the popular Paseo de Las Rocas) and the Hombre del Mar (Man of the Sea) sculpture . The decision was made by the Beaches Department after receiving the results of weekly water sample analyses conducted by the Valencian Regional Government's Water Directorate along the Torrevieja coastline during peak season. In the press release announcing the closure, the municipality refers solely to it as a preventative measure . However, the analyses indicate the presence of intestinal enterococci, which, while not alarming, exceed the recommended levels for safe swimming. This parameter is indicative of fecal contamination in the seawater. The weekly sampling and analysis by the Valencian Regional Government began on June 15 and will continue until September 15.

Local police and beach management staff erected barriers early this morning to block access to the rocks, from the Man of the Sea monument to the breakwater of the natural pools located opposite the Ale-Hop bar, in the heart of Torrevieja's seafront. The area of ​​natural pools closest to Playa del Cura remained open to the public.

Preventive

In a press release, the City Council stated that it would be monitoring the water conditions so that the beach could be reopened to the public once they were suitable for swimming. In addition to the General Directorate of Water, Agamed, the municipal concessionaire for the integrated water cycle, has collected samples from the sea, rocks, and sand on the beach to assess their condition.

Lifeguards and rescue personnel, who began their season last Monday, remained vigilant at the natural pools to prevent the few bathers who had ventured into the area from entering the water. The red flag prohibiting swimming was flying in the affected section, and barriers had been erected to block access to this central area of ​​low cliffs where beach services place buoys and ladders each season to facilitate swimming.

It is difficult to determine the source of the contamination in this case. This type of situation is more common after episodes of torrential rain, when the sewage system overflows and the wastewater mixes with the precipitation, eventually reaching the sea through surface runoff from the beaches or via the overflows of pumping stations. The detection of this anomaly was preceded by several days of very stable weather. The easterly swells, which have also occurred in the last two weeks, tend to disperse pollutants rather than cause them to concentrate.

Along the rest of the coastline—including the other breakwater at the natural pools next to Playa del Cura—the day's swimming proceeded as normal. The closed section receives hundreds of bathers daily. It is a popular area due to its accessibility on foot from the town center and because it is sheltered from the waves by the breakwater.

Tranquillity

The City Council issued a statement to "reassure the public, explaining that this is a standard procedure designed to guarantee the highest safety and quality of bathing waters at all times. The incident is limited to the specific control point analyzed, and we are acting with the utmost speed and coordination."

The same municipal source did not clarify which parameters were altered in the samples and indicated that the popular bathing area "will reopen to the public as soon as the results of the new analyses confirm that the parameters have recovered to adequate levels, a circumstance that will be communicated immediately to residents and visitors."

The publicly available data from the water management department's analyses currently only include the latest analyses carried out during the closing of the summer campaign in September 2025. It does not include those carried out during 2026.

Spills when it rains

On the seafront promenade, next to the Man of the Sea monument, is one of the main pumping stations for Torrevieja's sewage network. It receives 40% of the city's wastewater. The Valencian Community's Sanitation Authority (EPSAR) plans to invest over six million euros to increase the infrastructure's capacity and renew the main sewer line that carries wastewater to the treatment plant.

This pumping station has had to use the overflow weir during moderate rainfall, resulting in the discharge of rainwater mixed with wastewater, as documented by INFORMACIÓN. Veolia, the majority shareholder in Agamed, carries out constant maintenance of this part of the infrastructure through inspections conducted by a recently formed joint venture with Prezero.

[Bee]

Well it didn't breed itself so there has to be sewage leaking in somewhere. I thought the system was being upgraded as part of the harbour development.

Bee

[Carl]

Well it didn't breed itself so there has to be sewage leaking in somewhere. I thought the system was being upgraded as part of the harbour development.

Bee

It was a strange one.

First weekly water testing of 2026 only commenced on 15 June, with results leading to closure of stretch early on 17 June. So for how long had the water quality been below the required standard prior to testing on the 15th ?

And then 24 hours later, the stretch of water was reopened without any explanation of the cause.

https://www.informacion.es/vega-baja/20 ... 46799.html

Google translate, minus images:

Torrevieja reopens the natural pools and rocks of the promenade to bathing

The City Council points out that the parameters have been recovered in the analyses without indicating which ones were altered, nor the possible source of the fecal contamination that caused the closure.

The Departments of Beaches and Environment of the City Council of Torrevieja report that the bathing area of the natural pools and the rocks of the Paseo Juan Aparicio has been reopened to the public this morning, once the results of the new analyses carried out have confirmed that the water fully complies with the parameters established for bathing.

The government team - just like when it announced on Wednesday in the morning the closing - does not clarify what parameters were altered in those analyses and the origin of that modification.

General Management

Yesterday the information was able to confirm that the seawater had a content of enterococci above the thresholds allowed by the regulations. Presence that is normally associated with a wastewater discharge, although it is very difficult to determine its origin.

The General Directorate of Quality and Environmental Education of the Generalitat Valenciana has officially communicated to the City Council "the closure of the episode of short-term pollution" detected in a routine control, authorizing again the use of this popular bathing area after verifying that the "values analyzed are within the limits required by current regulations".

From the first moment, the City Council preventively activated the protocol contemplated in the Beach Management System, coordinated by the departments of Beaches and the Environment. After receiving the communication from the Generalitat, the Local Police proceeded to temporarily close the bathing area, the rescue and lifeguard service raised the red flag and Agamed carried out a new sampling - in addition to water, sand and rocks - to verify the evolution of the parameters detected.

Recovery

The analyses carried out just a day later reflect a total recovery of the microbiological values - the press release avoids indicating which ones - confirming that it was a one-off and short-term episode that was managed as quickly as possible by all the administrations and services involved.

The City Council highlights "the effectiveness of the control systems" and surveillance of the quality of bathing water, which allow any incident to be detected early and act immediately to guarantee the safety of users.

It also appreciates the collaboration and coordination maintained between the Generalitat Valenciana, the departments of Beaches and Environment, Agamed, Local Police and the lifeguard service, whose joint action has allowed normality to be restored in less than 24 hours.

Openness

With the reopening of this area of the Natural Pools of Paseo Juan Aparicio, in the opinion of the government team "residents and visitors can once again enjoy with total tranquility one of the most emblematic bathing spaces on the Torrevieja coast, maintaining at all times the usual quality controls that guarantee the excellence of the waters of the municipality".

From the Torrevieja City Council it is grateful "the understanding, collaboration and responsibility shown by bathers during the day of preventive closure, as well as apologize for the inconvenience caused to those who could not enjoy this bathing area yesterday".

This newspaper has tried to collect public information from the analyses carried out by the General Directorate of Water of the Generalitat and the municipal samplings without obtaining a response.