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Pollution in the Mar Menor

Posted: Tue Feb 9, 2021 4:30pm
4 replies597 views5 members subscribed
NikkiK

Posts: 2

Location: Los Urrutias

Joined: 9 Feb 2021

Hi Alex, we have been looking at property in Los Urrutias but have come across some news articles which are quite worrying. One of the articles claimed that the beach was so badly polluted that the smell and insects kept property owners away. Would you know if this is true and are there plans to deal with the problem. I could imagine that this past year the beaches wouldn't have been given too much attention due to the restrictions and pressures inflicted by the Covid crisis. Are the beaches normally cleaned? Any advice you could give would be great. Thank you.

Will60

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 10:27am

Will60

Helpful member

Posts: 317

315 helpful points

Joined: 10 Feb 2020

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 10:27am

I have a share in a boat in Los Urrutias marina, so (in normal non-Covid times) I go there frequently.

In general, LU doesn't have the best beach. It can get a bit weedy and smelly.

In September 2019, this area had its worst floods for 100 years. It was a really serious weather event (a gota fria). Houses were flooded, roads were cut off and, sadly, a few people lost their lives. The Mar Menor took a big hit; it received rubbish, furniture, drainage overspill, silt and agricultural fertiliser, you name it. For a while, nobody wanted to swim in it. There were dead fish washing up.

But things are improving. Covid curtailed everything in 2020. Tourism (and normal daily local travel) has been/is still very restricted, but I saw people swimming off the Mar Menor beaches further north, and the beaches themselves were popular. 

I think I read a report on the water quality somewhere, saying that the purity/pollution levels are now OK. If I can find it, I will add it here.

EDIT ... here is the report

https://murciatoday.com/water-quality-in-the-mar-menor-remains-absolutely-safe-for-bathing_1343237-a.html#:~:text=Water%20quality%20is%20considered%20to,considered%20technically%20suitable%20for%20bathing..

smike

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:27am

Posts: 13

2 helpful points

Location: Lo Pagan

Joined: 24 May 2020

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:27am

Will60’s reply is thorough and covers the answer to your question well. Anecdotally, I know Lo Pàgan is at the northern end of the Mar Menor whereas LU is kilometres to the south, but for the first time in a number of years, flamingos are have photographed. feeding off the beaches in LP rather than sticking to their normal habitat in the smaller lagoons of the nature reserve.

NikkiK

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 1:56pm

NikkiK

Original Poster

Posts: 2

Location: Los Urrutias

Joined: 9 Feb 2021

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 1:56pm

Will60 wrote on Wed Feb 10, 2021 10:27am:

I have a share in a boat in Los Urrutias marina, so (in normal non-Covid times) I go there frequently.

In general, LU doesn't have the best beach. It can get a bit weedy and smelly.

In September 2019, this area had its worst floods for 100 years. It was a really serious weather event (a gota fria). Houses were flooded, roads were cut off and, sadly, a few people lost their lives. The Mar Menor took a big hit; it received rubbish, furniture, drainage overspill, silt and agricultural fertiliser, you name it. For a while, nobody wanted to swim in it. There were dead fish washing up.

But things are improving. Covid curtailed everything in 2020. Tourism (and normal daily local travel) has been/is still very restricted, but I saw people swimming off the Mar Menor beaches further north, and the beaches themselves were popular. 

I think I read a report on the water quality somewhere, saying that the purity/pollution levels are now OK. If I can find it, I will add it here.

EDIT ... here is the report

https://murciatoday.com/water-quality-in-the-mar-menor-remains-absolutely-safe-for-bathing_1343237-a.html#:~:text=Water%20quality%20is%20considered%20to,considered%20technically%20suitable%20for%20bathing..

Thank you for your reply. It's good to hear that the water quality is improving. It seems a crime that such a beautiful lagoon should be left suffering. We are looking at a holiday property in Los Urrutias as it appears to be an unspoilt little place with  larger, busier towns on either side. We can't wait to visit. Hopefully we will all return to some sort of normal in the near future. 

Best regards, 

Nikki

Cidergirl

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2021 4:55pm

Cidergirl

Helpful member

Posts: 125

90 helpful points

Location: Torre-Pacheco

Joined: 12 Mar 2016

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2021 4:55pm

The whole of the MM lost its blue flag status some years ago.  There is no sign of it returning.  Since we purchased in 2016 close to Los Alcazares there have been 3 Gota Frias.  It suffers greatly from run off pollution from farms in general.  I would do your research as there is a lot of info online and not all of it is inaccurate. It’s such a shame as it looks beautiful.  I prefer to swim in the Med.  With hindsight I wouldn’t buy in this area again.  This is just my opinion. 

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