“Following the discharge of contaminated wastewater by Lactogal, the beaches of Labruge [in Vila do Conde] and Angeiras Norte [Matosinhos] were closed to bathing due to the temporary deterioration of water quality,” reads the statement sent to Lusa.
It continues: “We inform that, after the most recent analyses, the water quality was deemed adequate, thus allowing the lifting of the ban in these bathing areas.”
Despite the recorded improvement, the ministry’s statement adds, “tight and continuous monitoring will be maintained to ensure user safety and guarantee that the situation remains within legal and public health parameters.”
On Friday, the day the bathing ban was imposed, the “significant change” in the water quality of the Onda River was, according to preliminary analysis results from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), “presumably associated” with discharges from the Lactogal company in Vila do Conde, Porto district.
In a statement, the environmental agency noted that the “preliminary results [of the analysis] revealed a significant change in the water quality of the Onda River, presumably associated with wastewater discharge from the Modivas Industrial Unit,” in Vila do Conde, by Lactogal.
The following day, Lactogal expressed regret over the Onda River situation, after an analysis concluded that the poor water quality was linked to the company’s discharges, noting that there is a technical and regulatory barrier in waste management.
The agri-food company emphasized, at that time, that the Modivas Industrial Unit, like other food processing units, “generates organic waste” and “this waste, although biodegradable and resulting solely from its industrial process, requires appropriate treatment to be returned to the environment.”
On Sunday, the APA contradicted Lactogal regarding the classification of the waste involved in the discharges into the Onda River and advocated for rigorous oversight and strict legal procedures.
However, the APA stated in a communiqué that, “contrary to what has been claimed by Lactogal, these residues are not covered by the Green List” provided for in the European regulation, which would allow their circulation among Member States without notification procedures.
