Vieira Beach reopens after three days of swimming ban

Vieira beach, in the municipality of Marinha Grande, which had been closed to swimming since Wednesday, has been reopened, the City Council announced this Saturday.

In a note published on its Facebook page, the municipality of Marinha Grande, in the district of Leiria, informs that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) communicated that “the results of the analyses of the bathing waters at Vieira beach confirm its quality, presenting values within the parameters of public health”.

“Therefore, the ban on bathing has been lifted, making it possible to enjoy the beach safely again,” the note reads.

On Wednesday, Vieira Beach was closed to swimming due to a malfunction at the Monte Real pumping station in Leiria, which forced water to be discharged into the Lis River. In a statement, Águas do Centro Litoral (AdCL) reported that the Monte Real station, located in Várzeas, which pumps effluent to the Coimbrão wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), was temporarily "inoperative due to a malfunction in the pumps that make up the pumping system."

Given the pumping station's inoperability, "the station's emergency discharge system was activated, as well as that of the upstream pumping station (Serra de Porto do Urso)," he explained.

“These discharges occur, respectively, in the Lis River and in an adjacent irrigation ditch,” he added, assuring that the situation was reported to the APA and the Lis Valley Irrigators Association.

The Marinha Grande City Council clarified that it has been monitoring the situation, “in conjunction with the various competent entities and the Ministry of the Environment”.

As a precaution, the Nazaré Harbor Master's Office has temporarily banned swimming at Vieira Beach. All activities on the Lis River are also prohibited.

Águas do Centro Litoral has the concession, for a period of 30 years, until 2045, for the operation and management of the Multi-municipal Water Supply and Sanitation System of the Coastal Center of Portugal.

This is a company established in 2015 and owned by Águas de Portugal, SGPS, SA and 29 municipalities spread across the districts of Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Porto and Santarém.