Red flags had been flying on Sunday at the two beaches after there were spills on Saturday evening. The green flags went up on Monday but given the forecast, it was feared that they would have to be lowered again. This proved to be the case. The town hall said on Sunday that the problem arises when there is heavy rain because the treatment plant at Coll d'en Rabassa can't cope.
Miquel Obradror of the El Molinar residents association was critical of there having been a green-flag all-clear on Monday. The beaches were not in the right condition, he claimed. The water was itself green and there was filth at the mouth of the Gros torrent stream. The municipal services agency Emaya explained that results from samples meant that the beaches could be reopened.
Residents are not convinced. They in fact accuse the town hall of lying. The principal problem, they say, lies with the water-treatment plant's manifold, and it is hardly a new problem. There has been a lack of investment over several years, while the current town hall administration has spent three years doing nothing about addressing the problem. Obrador states that the beaches have been closed more than ever since 2015 and that "the whole of Europe" knows about this. It is a "humiliation".
