“In order to ensure the safety of all bathers, a ban on swimming has been declared at various urban beaches in Albufeira,” states a communiqué from Albufeira City Council.
The decision followed analyses detecting contamination, aiming to safeguard all beachgoers, according to the note. “The situation has already led to red flags being raised at Pescadores, Peneco, Inatel, and Alemães beaches,” the municipality reports.
The city council adds that it is monitoring the situation’s development in coordination with Águas do Algarve and other relevant authorities to ensure that normalcy is restored promptly and safely.
The ban was imposed after Águas do Algarve reported a “rupture in a DN300 ductile cast iron bend, part of the rising main of the Vale Faro Wastewater Pumping Station (EEAR).” The issue was detected on Sunday, and repair work began immediately thereafter, as stated by the Albufeira City Council, which further added that “the complete stabilization of the flow” was confirmed by Monday afternoon.
According to Águas do Algarve, “the incident was caused by the progressive internal wear of the material, leading to a total perforation of the bend’s wall and consequent structural integrity loss of the conduit.”
