When over 2 million tourists visit Ibiza every summer and most of them take a dip in the sea, the authorities have to be very careful that the cleanliness of the waters around the coast is maintained. All throughout the summer season from May to October a team of inspectors from the public health department visits Ibiza's main beaches – 41 of them – to test the waters.
The boffins make a weekly check on the cleanliness of the beach itself, the clarity of the water, any bits of rubbish floating about and most importantly, a chemical analysis of the the seawater for any bacteria which could cause infections.
Over the season 423 inspections were carried out and the good, or should I say excellent, news is that throughout the period 38 of the beaches scored an excellent for the quality of their seas. Furthermore, 3 were good, and none were found in the sufficient or insufficient categories!
If, in the rare event of a beach scoring an insufficient, the water is given a more rigorous analysis to find the cause of the problem and the local authority duly informed so it can take action immediately, so we can rest assured that the water quality is back up to scratch very quickly.
Whilst there have been a couple of unavoidable incidents which have closed beaches for a short while – a boat's anchor rupturing an undersea waste pipe for example - in general the good results this year are in line with those of previous years and demonstrate the overall quality and cleanliness of the White Isle's seas throughout the season.
Anyone for a swim?
