A recommendation has been issued not to swim at Matosinhos Beach

The Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA) has lifted the recommendation not to swim on the beaches of Matosinhos, in force since Tuesday, due to microbiological contamination, the city council announced this Thursday.

“A counter-analysis carried out by APA showed normal parameters of microbiological activity of the water at Matosinhos beach, so it is now considered suitable for swimming,” said a statement from the municipality sent to Lusa.

Swimming at Matosinhos beach in the Porto area has been discouraged since Tuesday due to microbiological values ​​of the water exceeding reference parameters, a situation that has drawn criticism from the PSD and the Antonio Parada Movement, SIM.

The Municipality has ensured that it constantly monitors and controls the water quality in this bathing area and is putting into practice the Action Plan to improve the water quality of the beaches of Matosinhos and Internacional.

The plan, which includes a variety of actions, aims to detect, characterize and correct anomalies that could alter water quality in the bathing area, he said.

Among the measures is a plan for the rehabilitation and improvement of the ecology of the Riguinha and Carcavelos rivers, as well as the creation of a municipal rainwater registry, he listed.

The municipality, led by socialist Luisa Salgueiro, stressed that the municipal rainwater registry is an “exhaustive work” that allows it to know in detail the entire rainwater network.

“This work is fundamental to the stage currently being implemented, which is to identify and inventory critical points of pollution of wastewater systems in urban systems or in natural environments,” he emphasized.

For the Riguinha River, the chamber said it has installed pioneering Australian technology that promotes the purification of water resources through natural bioremediation (biostimulation), using substrate plates that promote the selective growth of endogenous biomass in the aquatic environment, improving productivity. self-purification and quality of water resources.

The result of introducing the new technology should be known within four to six weeks, he emphasized.

At the same time, the municipality’s technicians are working to identify improper connections to the stormwater network and are contacting the appropriate owners of the matrix assets to correct these situations, he emphasized.

“This is a labor-intensive job that requires the cooperation of private parties, but the municipality believes it will be accepted by the community,” he added.

In addition, the chamber plans to develop environmental awareness and education campaigns targeting the public, schools, companies and civil society organizations.