Town hall assures that the waters of the Arenal beach are perfect safe for bathing
Analytical reports carried out on the beach over recent weeks have concluded that all indicators are within parameters to allow bathing at the beach
Tuesday 7th June 2022 – Mike Smith
Source: press release – Ajuntament de Xàbia
In response to allegations about the toxicity of the discharge from the underwater outfall on the Arenal beach, the town hall in Xàbia has released a statement to assure residents and visitors to the town that bathing is perfectly safe at the popular beach site.
Last week, it was reported that the ecological action group ‘Ecologistas en Acción de la Marina Alta (EAMA)’ had demanded the withdrawal of the prestigious Blue Flag status from the Arenal beach, publishing a ten-page report in which it claimed that the presence of several points of contamination on the beach should mean that, in their opinion, it could not be awarded the prestigious status.
The town hall, specifically the Departments of the Environment and of Beaches, has responded by issuing a statement to assure beachgoers that both EPSAR – the Public Entity for Wastewater Sanitation – and the General Directorate for Water Quality, the agencies responsible for ensuring clean bathing water, have provided the council with various analytical reports carried out on the beach over recent weeks which have concluded that all indicators are within parameters to allow bathing at the beach. At no time has the town hall received any instruction from these agencies for the need to close the beach
The statement added that the break in the outfall is being monitored and its repair has already been authorized and will begin in the next few days. In the meantime, EPSAR has assured that the discharge is completely purified water and that, due to the break in the outfall, that purification process has been strengthened to ensure that the discharge is harmless. EPSAR has also confirmed that it will perform analysis of the discharge twice a week until the break is repaired.
The town hall statement confirms that the council itself commissioned an independent microbiology analysis, which was carried out on Wednesday 1st June, which assessed samples from the location of the break in the outfall pipe and the results concluded that the water being discharged is within bathing water quality regulations.
Finally, the statement emphasises that the town hall in Xàbia sees the guarantee of the safety of bathers as a priority so that if the competent bathing water quality control body advises any preventative or informative measures, it would act accordingly and without delay.
Related Links
