Presence of fecal coliforms prohibited Praia do Alemão in Portimão

Praia do Barranco das Canas or Alemão, in Portimão, is prohibited for bathing due to the presence of fecal coliforms in a water sample that was analyzed by the Portuguese Environment Agency.

According to Sul Informação found out, the red flag has been flown on this beach since this morning, after the bacteria Escherichia coli, aka E.Coli, was detected in water collected yesterday from this bathing area, as part of the APA's regular monitoring of the Algarve's beaches. Today, new samples were taken for further analysis.

Contacted by our newspaper, the captain of the Port of Portimão Santos Arrabaça confirmed that the beach concessionaire was asked to hoist the red flag in the morning.

The same source assured the Sul Informação that the Municipality of Portimão monitored the area, to try to detect if there were leaks from the sewer system or any discharge, “but found nothing”.

“Our suspicion is that it was human action, or on the beach itself, or, more likely, through the unloading of a boat. There are always boats anchored there in the area, during the day, especially at weekends,” said Santos Arrabaça.

Thus, the captain of the Port of Portimão is confident that this is a temporary situation and that tomorrow the ban will be lifted, bearing in mind that "it is not normal" for this to happen. «Sometimes, when there is heavy rain, with the runoff of streams, it can happen. Hence, the Chamber immediately took the initiative to monitor”, he added.

About two weeks ago, the beach of Faro it was forbidden to bathe, also due to the presence of the E. coli bacteria, at values ​​much higher than those allowed. The cause pointed out, at the time, as being the most probable for what happened was a punctual discharge of sewage from a vessel, off the beach.

In this case, the ban on going to baths it only lasted a day, since the complementary analyzes that were carried out no longer detected values ​​of the bacterium above those prohibited.

(Updated at 15:00 pm, with statements by the commander of the Port of Portimão Santos Arrabaça)