Warning Issued: Swimming Banned at Popular Algarve Beaches Due to Water Contamination

Swimming Advisory in Vilamoura and Quarteira

Swimming has been discouraged this Wednesday at the beaches of Vilamoura and Quarteira, located in the Loulé municipality. This announcement was made by the Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente (APA).

A red flag has been raised at these beaches due to a potential contamination from sewage water, as reported by the Port Captaincy of Faro. According to Commander Mário Figueiredo, this decision followed a notification from the APA regarding a discharge of wastewater from the Quarteira Elevation Station into the Vilamoura Marina.

"We are facing a potential contamination of the water [for bathing], which is why we have raised the red flags," said Figueiredo, referring to the beaches both east and west of the Vilamoura Marina. The commander is currently awaiting water analysis results from the APA before allowing swimming for the thousands of people vacationing in the region.

"I hope that the APA will be swift in confirming this situation," he added.

In a related note, the maritime authority clarified that this ban is unrelated to a previous decision made on Tuesday to prohibit swimming at Fuseta-Ria beach in Olhão and Armação de Pêra beach in Silves due to microbiological contamination. On the same Tuesday, the APA had announced the ban on the beaches of Armação de Pêra and Fuseta-Ria due to similar contamination issues, although the restrictions were lifted on Wednesday after new water quality analyses.

Since the start of the bathing season, about fifty beaches have been closed due to pollution incidents. In July, the Zero association raised concerns about the declining water quality at Portuguese beaches, noting that there are currently 664 monitored bathing waters, with a limited number of beaches showing problems, but more significantly than in the previous bathing season.

[News updated at 16:53 - Restrictions lifted at Fuseta-Ria and Armação de Pêra beaches]