The e-coli bacteria has reappeared in the island's water. In this case, it is the waters of the capital's El Reducto beach, where bathing is prohibited since Wednesday morning. This has been established by Public Health after finding "fecal contamination" in the water.
The red flag has been waving on the beach since mid-morning and will do so "until further notice" from the Health Department. According to the director of the Health area in Lanzarote, José Brito, the sample was taken this Monday, within the periodic sampling of the beach surveillance program that the Health Department develops on the island. When analyzing it, "quite high values" of the bacteria were found, he explained, so it was transferred to the City Council, which had to restrict bathing in this area of the coast.
"We are doing new analyses to see the evolution of these samples and until it recovers the optimal values it will remain closed (to bathing)," Brito indicated. According to him, the Health Department does not know the causes at the moment and it is "the responsibility of the City Council to find them out". For now, Public Health only has that first sample that tested positive and is awaiting the results of the new analyses, which "have already been done."
Brito is also waiting to meet with the mayor of Arrecife, José Montelongo, to discuss this issue. That meeting, however, will have to wait, since the mayor is out of the island this Wednesday, in a meeting on the Supplementary General Plan of Arrecife. From the Consistory they point out that Public Health has informed them that it is "short-term contamination". In any case, in the meantime, bathing in the capital's waters is prohibited.
