Poor Water Quality - 350m Of Torrevieja Coastline Closed To Swimming
Posted: 17 Jun 2026 18:19
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.
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.