This Monday, Olhão flew Gold Quality flags on the beaches of Fuseta Mar, Armona Ria and Armona Mar. The award is given by the environmental association Quercus, based on very demanding criteria of water quality and respect for the environment.
«To receive the classification as a beach with gold quality, a bathing area must have good water quality in the two bathing seasons between 2008 and 2009 (the “good” classification was, until 2009, the best possible quality according to with the previous European legislation), and excellent water quality in the last three bathing seasons from 2010 to 2012, and all analyzes carried out in the last bathing season (of 2012) must be excellent», revealed the City Council of Olhão.
This is a distinction apart from the Blue Flag (which the three beaches now awarded also have) and "more limited" in the criteria. Despite being based only on water quality, Quercus' Gold Quality flag is more demanding in this regard.
«The objective of Quercus is to highlight the beaches that, over several years (five, in this case), systematically present good quality or excellent quality (taking into account the classification of the legislation in force), and which, in this sense, offer a greater reliability with regard to water quality,” added the municipality.
For the councilor of the Municipality of Olhão, António Camacho, who represented the municipality at the raising of the gold quality flag, «the attribution, once again, of three flags with gold quality to the beaches of the municipality of Olhão reflects not only the excellent quality of the bathing water, but also the environmental quality of our beaches». A way of “attracting more visitors to enjoy this quality that, at the same time, boost the local economy”.
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