After a fieldwork investigation conducted recently by the technicians of the Sesimbra Municipality, SIMARSUL, and APSS, it was confirmed and acknowledged that the incidents causing disruptions in the ETAR operation resulted from illegal waste discharges originating from the Port of Sesimbra into the wastewater system, stated the Sesimbra Municipality, located in the Setúbal district, in a statement.
This announcement followed an urgent meeting between the Sesimbra Municipality, SIMARSUL, the Administration of the Ports of Setúbal and Sesimbra (APSS), and Docapesca. The meeting was prompted by a routine water analysis at Ouro Beach, which led to its closure on Thursday evening.
The meeting took place at the Town Hall at the request of the Municipal Mayor, Francisco Jesus, to address events from the previous week that compromised the proper functioning of Sesimbra’s ETAR and the effective treatment of the municipality’s wastewater.
The beach was closed to the public on Thursday afternoon after a routine analysis by the Portuguese Environment Agency (conducted on Tuesday with results two days later) showed altered parameters, but it reopened on Friday following an analysis with results deemed suitable for bathing.
Ouro Beach holds the Blue Flag and Gold Quality Flag, with its waters consistently rated as “Excellent” since 2011.
On Thursday, in a statement to the Lusa agency, Mayor Francisco Jesus declared that upon being informed of the situation, he contacted SIMARSUL – the company responsible for managing the wastewater system in the Setúbal Peninsula. It was established that two direct discharges into the sea occurred on August 1 and 8 (both Fridays).
Francisco Jesus expressed indignation over the situation, highlighting that the discharges were reported to the APA only by email on the following Mondays, August 4 and 11.
On Saturday, SIMARSUL – the company managing the wastewater system – deemed it “unlikely” that there was a direct connection between the infrastructure’s operation and the water quality analysis results.
In their statement, SIMARSUL disclosed that it recently identified “unauthorized inflows into the municipal drainage network containing high quantities of fish remnants and scales,” asserting that the situation was not their responsibility and caused two isolated malfunctions at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (ETAR), which were promptly resolved.
The company assured that the incidents were immediately reported to the APA and the Sesimbra City Council.
The statement clarified, “It is important to note that SIMARSUL treats the wastewater directed through municipal networks, returning the treated water to the marine environment via an offshore outfall, fully complying with applicable legal and environmental requirements.”
During today’s meeting with various entities, according to the municipal statement, there was a commitment to improve communication for faster intervention when necessary. It was decided, on the Municipal Council’s proposal, to conduct an urgent inspection and mapping of Sesimbra Port’s internal wastewater and stormwater system, involving entities present at today’s meeting and the APA.
The Municipality added, “The aim is to find technical solutions to prevent a recurrence of the events of recent days.”
