24/07/2013 00:00
TW
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by Irene Taylor
THE Palma city council has reopened the Can Pere Antoni beach (just in front of the GESA building), except for the 50 metre strip of the bay closest to the city.
The beach had been closed late on Sunday afternoon, when a sewage spill was detected.
This was eventually traced to a fault in the Es Baluard sewage pumping station at the end of the Avenidas, caused by Sunday's storm, which also caused minor power cuts in some parts of the island.
The pump was knocked out of action for just ten minutes, but that was enough to allow some sewage into the sea, something which happens “on very few occasions,” an Emaya (water board) spokesman said.
Yesterday, a council spokesman said both Emaya and the Palma city council had analysed the water at the narrow beach and both declared it safe for bathing.

An Emaya spokesman said that the results of the tests showed that the state of both the water and the sand was “excellent.” On Sunday, the red flag warning bathers of the danger was erected, but, despite the smell in the water, many people either did not see the flag or chose to ignore it and police and lifeguards had to draw their attention to the danger, using whistles and megaphones.
Yesterday, however, the vigilance had been removed and the red flag changed for a yellow one. Many people could be seen sunbathing on the sand or swimming in the sea.
A council spokesman said that tests would be made daily throughout the week to confirm that the water is safe, while clean-up operations will continue in the stretch which is still closed, which is where the sewage spill had its origin.
Having to close the beach came as a blow to the city council which has gone to considerable trouble to improve the standards at the city beaches such as Cala Mayor, Can Pere Antoni and Can Pastilla.
Its efforts were rewarded when Cala Mayor beach was awarded a coveted Blue Flag earlier this year.