The Generalitat has ordered the closure of the beach of Las Villas de Pilar de la Horadada for bathing due to fecal contamination. The sample taken on 31 July is double the maximum admissible for the parameters of intestinal enterococci
The General Directorate of Water has advised that it is a “short-term” closure due to contamination of a residual origin, exclusively affecting Playa de las Villas.
Therefore, in compliance with “current legislation on the quality of bathing water, the area must be closed to bathing until the analytical results of the samplings are consistent with a quality of water” suitable for bathing, according to the Pilar council.
In the case of the presence of intestinal Enterococci, the sample indicates the presence of a value much higher than the maximum threshold allowed by the legislation. The threshold is 200 and the sample reflects 2,500, in similar units of measure.
Such episodes of closure for short-term bathing of beaches in the province of Alicante due to fecal contamination are occurring relatively frequently this summer. There was a case last week along sections of the Guardamar del Segura coastline, also in Alicante in San Gabriel, Agua Amarga and Urbanova , Santa Pola and in the Marina Alta.
In all cases, the municipalities have separated these episodes of discharges from land-sea outfalls and have blamed them on contamination by boats from the sea. However, the most probable cause of these contamination episodes is the lack of capacity of the sanitation network and the pumping stations to adequately treat the additional flow generated by the presence of residential tourist.
Las Villas del Mojón Beach in Torre de la Horadada is about 430 meters in length and for the last 30 years has always had a significant occupation in summer. It is located at the southern end of the Pilar de la Horadada coastline, and adjoins the border with the Region of Murcia. It also has a large influx of bathers from Murcian residential tourism.
