El Bierzo loses official bathing zone at Toral de los Vados

The regional health authority of Castilla y León has removed the Toral de los Vados stretch of the Burbia River from the official list of natural bathing areas for the 2026 summer season. The decision follows the 2025 evaluation, which gave the water quality an insufficient rating, prompting its exclusion from the autonomous census of approved swimming sites. As a result, El Bierzo’s count of recognized bathing zones drops from six to five.

The remaining sites include the highly rated Lago de Carucedo, as well as the Boeza River in Igüeña, the Cúa River in Vega de Espinareda, the Ancares River in San Martín de Moreda, and the Meruelo River in Molinaseca, all subject to weekly visual inspections and microbiological analyses by public health technicians throughout the summer.