The bathing season, which ended in October in mainland Portugal, resulted in 70 beach closures from north to south, 58 of which in the Center, Tagus and West regions, according to data from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA). .
These two regions had 58 bathing bans.30 of which on the Tagus and West beaches, where the bathing season began in May, and 28 in the Center.
In the Tagus and West, the beaches of the municipality of Cascais, in the district of Lisbon, were the most closed, while in the Center they were those of the municipality of Arganil, in the district of Coimbra.
In addition to the beaches in these regions, those in the Algarve had nine closed to swimming, those in the North had two and those in the Alentejo one.
The 70 bathing bans that occurred between the months of May and October were due to the presence of intestinal enterococci, Escherichia coli (E.coli), cyanobacteria and salmonella in waterAPA said.
August was the month with the highest number of closures (28), followed by July (25), June (7), September (5), May (3) and, finally, October (2).
The beaches in the Center and South of the country were the ones that closed the most during this bathing season, but those in the North were the first to advise against bathing.
During these months there have been 56 disappointments, of which 31 in the North, nine in the Algarve, eight in the Tagus and West, six in the Alentejo and two in the Center.
In the North region, Matosinhos, in the district of Porto, was the municipality that had the most discouragements (7), followed by Espinho, in the district of Aveiro, and Caminha, in the district of Viana do Castelo, with three each.
The highest number of discouragements occurred in July (22), followed by August (17), June (6), October (5), May (3) and September (3).
The 56 ill-advised baths that occurred between the months of May and October were due to the presence of intestinal enterococci, Escherichia coli (E.coli), works, opening of the river to the sea, discharge of contaminated water and wastewater and breakdown of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).
The 2024 bathing season opened on May 1 in the municipality of Cascais, in the district of Lisbon, and in some places in Madeira, and was extended until October 31, with municipalities being able to establish, within that period, the specific season for each area.
Between these dates, the town councils determined when the bathing season began and ended in their territory, some choosing to start earlier and end later.
This year, 516 bathing waters were identified in mainland Portugal: 362 coastal or transitional waters and 154 inland waters.
In addition to these, there are 88 in the Autonomous Region of the Azores and 60 in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Throughout the bathing season, APA conducts analyzes to evaluate whether the quality of bathing water is suitable for bathing.
Source: Observadora
