Granadilla closes El Médano beaches after E.Coli contamination found during routine checks

[Janet]

Granadilla Ayuntamiento has closed beaches today as a precautionary measure after detecting E.Coli contamination at El Médano beach. The area affected is between Playa Chica and the Los Balos beach. The council says that it has commissioned specific analysis, and the results are expected within the next 48 hours. The discovery was made during routine water quality checking, and the council says that the beaches willremain closed at least until the results of the specific analysis are received even though the health risk is small.

[Janet]

Granadilla Ayuntamiento has reopened the beaches this lunchtime. In a statement the council said that the specific stretch at issue is between Playa Chica and Los Balos, after analysis from the Servicio de Inspección Sanitario Canario showed that the water was completely safe for bathing. Yesterday's closure was precautionary, but in the event the sample tested from yesterday showed Eschericha Coli of 1 ufc/100 ml when the normal parameter is <250 ufc/100 ml.

[Marion]

Are your numbers right there @Janet ? Or was it that they just detected the bacteria but at that stage they didn't know it was so way under the safe level?

[Janet]

They're the council's numbers, and as they say, the closure was precautionary while analysis was being done. That analysis has shown the content was negligible and so the water's safe.

[Marion]

Thanks @Janet

[Janet]

Granadilla Ayuntamiento has again closed El Médano beach after water analysis indicated E.Coli contamination of 640 ufc/100 ml, above the permitted level of 500 ufc/100 ml. In a statement the council said that it had instructed Entemanser to carry out an investigation into the specific cause of the contamination, and that this would include whether there was a common cause with the same problem in Candelaria, where the beach has also been closed as of yesterday.

[Janet]

Granadilla Ayuntamiento has reopened El Médano beach after the latest analyses of water quality indicate that the water is safe for bathing with an E.Coli index of 10 ufc/100ml, well below the permitted level of 500 ufc/100 ml. It is unclear why yesterday's analysis showed 640 ufc/100 ml and the council says that it has initiated an investigation by independent analysts into the precise causes of this situation. The council has also asked water company Entemanser to carry out the necessary checks in the whole supply network. Not the most thoroughly comforting situation, perhaps, but the latest results do show that the sea at El Médano is safe for bathing, and the council would not be able to reopen the beach otherwise.

[Janet]

El Médano yesterday raised the blue flag it was granted in this year's awards, with Mayor José Domingo Regalada confirming that the latest analysis discounts the presence of any E.Coli bacteria. The council has assured the public that the independent investigation continues into the recent episodes which have closed the beach.

The Health Authorities also say that there is no issue any longer with any potential problem from algae around Tenerife's coasts since it has dissipated with the passing of the heatwave. Salud Publica confirms that in any case it was only a health risk where there was a "massive floration" which in addition approached the coast, in which case councils were advised to close beaches.