In April 2017, the Las Palmas Council attributed the temporary closure of El Confital Beach in Gran Canaria to a specific episode of bacterial contamination in the waters. The Council's Maritime Department made this decision after an analysis by the Public Health Department of the Canary Islands Government revealed that the waters in the bay exceeded the established limit for intestinal enterococci bacteria.
Despite efforts spanning over five years, the municipality has struggled to identify the source of this faecal contamination, leading to recurrent episodes of high concentrations of this microbe. Consequently, a red flag has been permanently flying at this beach for 7 years to warn beachgoers of the danger.
Various measures have been taken to address the issue. Among the initial interventions was the cleaning of the ditch at Casa Roja, a former pumping station located on the promenade towards El Confital, and the inspection of the sanitation station connecting this building to Los Nidillos.
This was supplemented by a review of the Red Cross booth on the beach to ensure no leakage was occurring, along with checks by the Water Board to confirm no discharges were originating from the municipal network.
Furthermore, extensive studies of the subsoil were conducted, and the collection of water samples was expanded towards the open sea to determine if tides were responsible for these bacteria levels.
All these investigations have led to the conclusion that the contamination originates from upstream sources, yet the origin has been classified as "diffuse" due to the lack of a specific focus.
The City Council has also considered the possibility that faecal contamination may originate from the sewage system of the Las Coloradas neighbourhood in the city, or from the infrastructures in the military zone of La Isleta. However, the latter has informed the Council that it has channelled its wastewater appropriately, as reported by the Maritime Department of the municipality.
Meanwhile, in Las Coloradas, the first phase of sewage network renovation has been underway since last November. Canaragua has been tasked with this renovation project valued at €272,000. This renovation is the first of its kind in over 20 years, aiming to strengthen actions in the upper area of El Confital and thereby eliminate any issues causing bacterial problems along the coastline.
Last June, Public Health removed El Confital Beach from the list of safe bathing areas, explaining that it had lost this designation due to ongoing contamination problems in its waters.
According to data published by the National Bathing Water Information System (NAYADE), between 2021 and 2022, the optimal levels of this bacteria were exceeded by more than fourteen times in this coastal area.
Legislation stipulates that for water to have optimal quality, levels of intestinal enterococci should be around 200 CFU/100ml. However, in recent years, the bay of El Confital has surpassed this parameter, reaching levels as high as 1700 CFU/100ml.
