Güímar beach swimming banned due to fecal contamination

The Güímar City Council has issued a temporary ban on swimming at El Cabezo Beach (Access B) and Playa de Perros in Tenerife following reports of fecal contamination. The measure was ordered by the Canary Islands Health Service after sanitary inspections revealed high levels of intestinal enterococci.

Testing conducted on September 9 detected 410 colony-forming units (cfu) per 100 milliliters of water, which is more than double the reference limit of 200 ufc/100 ml established for sanitary surveillance in the Canary Islands. The health service has classified this as a short-term contamination episode.

The restriction remains in effect until health authorities confirm the water quality is safe for reopening. Local residents' associations have called for greater transparency and improved sanitation measures, citing previous requests for more frequent water quality data and better maintenance of the beach areas.