The Vale de Juncal river beach in the municipality of Mirandela is closed to swimming, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) reported on its website.
On the 31st, the APA added the beach to the list of places not recommended for swimming. On Monday, the situation returned to normal.
According to APA, it has been banned since Wednesday due to the risk of microbiological contamination, the same thing that led to the previous restriction.
On Friday, a source from the municipality of Mirandela explained to Lusa that a short-term power failure at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located upstream had caused waste to be released into the water. The discrepancies were discovered during regular tests.
When contacted today, a source at the parish council added that after daily tests showed values within parameters earlier in the week, they had again reported the presence of E.coli and the cause was now being investigated.
The reason, the same source indicated, could also be related to the failure of the aeration system of the treatment plant, while the increase in population due to the holiday period results in more waste.
Recreational areas around the beach continue to operate.
APA lists beaches by area of the country that are not recommended and are closed during the swimming season.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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