The Santa Cruz City Council has announced the closure of a section of Las Teresitas beach for bathing at access point 8, following the detection of unusual contamination levels in the water linked to the presence of Escherichia coli bacteria, typically found in faeces.
This prohibition is due to “health concerns” and, although considered “temporary” by the Health Inspection Service and the Tenerife Health Area Laboratory of the Canarian Health Service, it will remain in effect until further analyses are conducted in the coastal waters.
The decree issued by the Public Services, Environmental Sustainability, and Municipal Health department, which DIARIO DE AVISOS has reviewed, states that the closure of this section of the beach has been mandated after communication was received regarding the water samples collected last Monday. These samples, part of the sanitary surveillance programme for bathing waters in the municipality, revealed contamination levels of 800 cfu/100ml, thus classifying this area as “unsuitable for bathing”.
Members of the lifeguard and rescue team, along with the local police, have raised the red flag at access number eight, cordoning off the affected section and informing beachgoers about the situation.
As per established protocol, upon notification of the water quality concerns, this beach access will remain closed until new tests confirm that the bathing water complies with the mandated standards.
The Councillor for Environmental Sustainability, Carlos Tarife, clarified that “only this section has been closed”, specifically at access number 8, while the remainder of the beach is still open for swimming. This situation is expected to persist at least until today when health technicians will carry out further analyses of the contaminated waters to assess whether they are suitable for reopening.
This is not the first instance this year in which the City Council has had to shut down this section of Las Teresitas due to high pollution levels stemming from the same bacteria, with the last occurrence recorded in July.
Additionally, in September, swimming was prohibited at the beach of El Block and in Los Charcos, both in Valleseco, due to contamination detected in the waters resulting from the presence of E.coli bacteria. Water analyses indicated levels exceeding the permissible parameters, showing an index of 800 cfu/100ml, well above the maximum safe limit of 250.
The municipal council also emphasises that staff routinely collect water samples and conduct inspections to ensure the beach meets the standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and health for safe bathing. Consequently, it urged users to remain calm regarding the situation.
