ARCHIVED - Update on status of Mar Menor and La Manga beaches following Gota Fría

Image: the Playa de los Cocederos in Águilas in the south-west of the Costa Cálida

The west of the Costa Cálida is at its best but water quality and flood debris remain serious concerns in the Mar Menor

Three weeks after the destructive gota fría storm which caused severe flooding in much of Murcia in mid-September the situation on land is almost back to normal, with streets cleared of mud and debris in almost all areas, but the effects of the runoff water on the beaches and the water quality in the sea are still the source of a great deal of uncertainty, particularly in the Mar Menor.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion on social media at the moment, especially among those who are not in the Costa Cálida but are planning a visit in the near future, over whether bathing is permitted and/or recommended at the many beaches of Murcia, and what follows below is a summary of the latest recommendations of the Department of Public Health of the regional government based on water quality analyses, some carried out on 23^rd September and some on 30th September. The results of further analyses will be used to update this article for as long as it is appropriate to do so. 

The Costa Cálida has more than 200 beaches and coves, most of which are unaffected by the Gota Fría storms and are in perfect order, details of which can be found in the Murcia beach guide. This shows all of the principal beaches right along the Murcian coastline and Mar Menor, together with photographs and maplinks to all of them. Click to view the Murcia Beach Guide.

Comments and recommendation from reliable sources in the area are added where appropriate.

Firstly, though, a clarification that in the south and south-west of the Costa Cálida, in the municipalities of Águilas, Lorca and Mazarrón, all of the beaches are open, safe and, in the eyes of many people, at their very best at this time of year, with the water warm and generally calm and the crowds of summer having disappeared. There was damage during the gota fría to infrastructures such as wooden walkways and foot showers, but sand which was washed away has been replaced at these parts of the coastline, including the “wild” beaches outside built-up areas, and no-one should have any qualms about visiting the area and taking a dip in the sea.

The same is also true of the beaches in the east of Cartagena, in Cabo de Palos and the regional park of Calblanque, but in and around the Mar Menor the situation is rather different.

La Manga del Mar Menor

All of the beaches in La Manga, on the shores of both the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean, are considered “apt for bathing” by the Department of Public Health. This is the case both at the southern end of the strip, in the municipality of Cartagena, and the northern end, which belongs to San Javier.

The episode of dead tuna washing up on Mediterranean beaches appears to have now come to an end and there is no longer considered to be a problem with the corpses of dead tuna reaching the beach. Over 9,000 tuna were washed out of a san Pedro del Pinatar fish farm during the storm and 1300 corpses were recovered subsequently after washing up on the beach. This has now stopped.

San Pedro del Pinatar (info based on 23rd September test results)

San Pedro del Pinatar is another municipality blessed with beaches on both the Mediterranean and Mar Menor coasts, and the only one at which bathing is strongly advised against is that of Torre Derribada, next to the marina on the Mediterranean coast and within the regional park of the salt flats and dunes of San Pedro. This is due not to concerns over water quality but because of the large quantities of reeds and other debris which effectively obliterated the beach during the flooding.

The northern end of the Mar Menor is currently less affected than the south by the enterococcus bacterium, and the latest measurements fall within the parameters allowing water quality to be described as “excellent” at the beaches of La Puntica in Lo Pagán, Villananitos and La Mota.

However, sources consulted privately express concern over the debris likely to remain in the water following the flooding, and recommend caution when bathing while expressing a lack of willingness to take a dip themselves.

San Javier (info based on 23rd September test results)

On the Mar Menor coast in Santiago de la Ribera bathing is prohibited at the beach of Castillico due to a high reading of esterococcus in the water. However, at the others in the municipality, including Playa Barnuevo and Playa de Colón, the health authorities declare the water to be “apt for bathing”.

Again, though, unofficial recommendations from locals would be not to take to the water. Firstly the proximity of high enterococcus readings appears to indicate the presence of untreated sewage in the water nearby, and secondly there are again concerns over potentially dangerous flood debris in the water and the difficulties in entering the sea.

Work has been underway to remove debris, but there are still significant amounts of branches, street furniture and miscellaneous debris washed down from surrounding areas which could be concealed beneath the waters in close proximity to the beaches, so great care should be exercised.

Los Alcázares (most recent tests 30th September)

Moving towards the southern end of the lagoon, the situation becomes more complicated. In Los Alcázares the latest water quality data lead the health authorities to classify the beaches of Playa del Espejo and Los Narejos as fit for bathing, but at Playa de la Concha, Playa de Carrión, Playa Manzanares and Playa del Espejo the recommendation is to refrain from entering the water.

This is due not to specific medical risks found in the water samples tested but to the damage suffered in the town during the gota fría and the debris in the water.

Cartagena (latest info 30th September)

The part of the Mar Menor which lies within the boundaries of Cartagena is the southern end, and it is here that the concerns over water quality are most serious.

At Punta Brava, on the boundary with Los Alcázares, the latest analysis found the water to be apt for bathing but very turbid, and the results along the stretch of the shore from Los Urrutias to Playa del Vivero, at the southern end of La Manga, are still poorer than usual but mostly acceptable.

As a result bathing is not recommended at the beaches of Los Urrutias, Estrella de Mar, Playa Caravanning and Los Nietos, but the warning has been lifted at Islas Menores, Playa Honda, Playa Paraíso and Playa del Vivero.

Other Cartagena beaches on the Mediterranean coast are unaffected and the beaches in other Cartagena locations such as Galifa, El Portús and la Azohía are also fully open for bathing and beautiful at this time of year.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/