The Nazaré City Council announced today that, following analyses conducted by INSA, “the results obtained from water samples collected on the 13th at three different points on Nazaré Beach fall within the quality parameters defined by current legislation for bathing waters.”
Based on these results and on the advice of the authorities responsible for monitoring the quality of bathing areas, “the certification flags returned today to Nazaré Beach,” the council noted in a statement.
On Tuesday, the northern area of Nazaré Beach, located in Leiria district, was closed for swimming due to a blockage in the sewage system near Praça Manuel Arriaga, which caused an effluent overflow for about an hour and a half.
On Thursday at 11 p.m., the ban on swimming was lifted “with immediate effect” following water quality analysis results performed by INSA from samples taken on August 13 by public health service technicians from the Leiria Local Health Unit (ULS).
According to the council, samples were collected near domestic sewage effluent in the north area and in a zone further away from the banned area.
“At all points, concentrations of ‘Escherichia coli’ and ‘Enterococci’ recorded values significantly below legal limits, confirming the good quality of the water,” stated the announcement.
This was the second swimming ban at the beach since the beginning of the month, following a prohibition on August 1 due to a stormwater sewage discharge.
Following the first incident, 116 individuals were treated at the Leiria Region ULS with symptoms related to water contamination.
On Wednesday, the Leiria Region ULS reported that during this second swimming ban “there was no increase in visits to the Emergency Services with gastrointestinal symptoms, attributed to the immediate preventive action advising against water contact.”
On the same day, the Nazaré City Council mentioned the possibility of “sabotage” concerning the sewage piping and acknowledged the urgent need for investment in replacing the nearly 60-year-old system.
