Porto kicks off the bathing season with nine Blue Flag beaches

The bathing season in Porto begins this Saturday and the coastal edge of the city once again bears the distinctive Blue Flag on nine beaches. Until September 10, bathers can enjoy these places with all the equipment and proper cleaning. Surveillance and assistance are provided by lifeguards.

This Saturday, Summer officially "returns" to the four bathing areas of the city, consisting of ten beaches in Porto – Pastoras, Carneiro, Ourigo, Ingleses, Luz, Gondarém, Molhe, Homem do Leme, Aquário and Castelo do Queijo. The coastline of Invicta (Porto City) once again displays nine blue flags already approved by the European Blue Flag Association (ABAE). The final inspection will take place next Tuesday, June 20, the day marked by the official hoisting of the flags.

It should be noted that the Blue Flag is a distinction awarded to beaches that comply with a set of requirements related to excellence in water quality, public information and environmental education, safety and services provided. In addition to this award, we also highlight the beaches of Carneiro and Homem do Leme, considered "Accessible Beach – Beach for All!", for meeting the conditions of access and use by people with limited mobility. Among the available infrastructures are dedicated parking spaces for people with reduced mobility, adapted sanitary facilities, amphibious wheelchair for access to the bath, adapted emergency room and accessible route network.

Homem do Leme beach is also distinguished with the "Gold Quality" award, awarded annually by the environmental association Quercus, due to the excellent quality of its water. It is recalled that only beaches, which, over five consecutive years, have been rated excellent, regarding water quality - maintaining a good assessment of physical, chemical, biological, and microbiological parameters - can receive the "Gold Quality" classification. The prize shall be awarded based on the official public information available, considering exclusively the analyses carried out in the laboratories of the different regional hydrographic administrations.

At the basis of the award of these distinctions is a strong commitment and investment of the Municipality of Porto, which, through the municipal company Águas e Energia do Porto, ensures the quality of services, equipment, and quality control of bathing waters. Over the years, the municipality has adopted a set of management measures that have contributed to a significant improvement in the quality of bathing water, namely the elimination of illegal discharges of polluted rainwater and surface water, the consolidation of the strategy of connecting all buildings to the public wastewater network, as well as the daily monitoring of bathing water quality. This is an effort that has allowed us to achieve historical results in the quality of the beaches and recognition by the main entities of the sector.

Cleaning the sand twice a day, seven days a week

Since 2021, the cleaning operations of Porto's beaches have been in charge of the municipal company Porto Ambiente. These works, carried out throughout the year, involve mechanical and human means and are, at this time, reinforced with a frequency of twice a day, seven days a week, from June to September.

The cleaning of the sand to remove waste and the collection of ecopoints and paper racks to support the beaches, the oxygenation of the sand and its disinfection using a beach cleaner and regular cleaning (washing and disinfection) in the surrounding area, namely in the accesses and walkways, with the help of mechanical means are the main activities carried out daily by a team that includes about 20 people. Apart from the human resources that clean the sand and accesses twice a day, all work carried out with mechanical means is carried out in the morning, to avoid the clusters of vacationers.

From this Saturday, bathers will be able to enjoy these quintessential summer spaces, which, in addition to the excellent natural conditions, have all the necessary equipment and services, such as three first aid stations. In addition to the various sanitary facilities, there are also ten drinking fountains, 13 showers, 18 information panels, ten sets of selective waste collection equipment, a chewing gum collector, and wireless internet, through the free service of the city Porto Free Wifi, among others. In an effort for continuous improvement, Águas e Energia do Porto also provides an online satisfaction and evaluation questionnaire for all visitors to Porto Beaches.

Porto Beaches Promote Environmental Education

The Blue Flag Program has as its theme this year the geodiversity, not only in the aquatic environment but also in the sand. "Do you know where you spread the towel?" is the slogan on which promoters are challenged to discover and work the geodiversity of their beaches, encouraged to investigate their formation, to disseminate and promote geosites and, above all, to understand how fundamental it is to respect and preserve them.

In turn, within the scope of this annual theme, a diverse set of environmental awareness actions will be promoted by The Water Pavilion team, managed by Águas e Energia do Porto. The initiatives will have as partners entities as diverse as the Municipality of Porto, Lipor, ColorAdd or Civil Protection.

Throughout the various initiatives, participants will be challenged to hold games and workshops on the usefulness of rocks and minerals in daily life, simulate the colour-blind vision to promote safety in accessibility to beaches and distinction of recycling containers. Another of the main objectives of these actions is to understand and adopt good practices to preserve geodiversity and thus contribute to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Opening this set of initiatives, highlighting the historian Joel Cleto, who, on July 19, will conduct an informal conference on the geodiversity of Porto's beaches, explaining why these are a heritage that is essential to preserve and emphasizing the impact they have on the local community. The action "The marks of time on Planet Earth!" is open to everyone to participate, but requires prior registration, by completing this form until July 14.

During the month of July, the calendar of environmental education activities intensifies and promises hours well spent on all beaches of Porto.

See below the full calendar:

• The marks of time on Planet Earth!
  Praia do Molhe: July 19 (5:30 pm to 7:00 pm) and October 6 (5:30 pm to 7:00 pm)
• Rocks and minerals in daily life
  Praia das Pastoras: July 5 (2:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
  Praia do Aquário: July 6 (2:30 pm tp 3:30 pm)
  Praia do Homem Leme: July 11 (2:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
  Praia do Molhe: July 12 (2:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
• Healthy holidays respecting Geodiversity
  Praia do Aquário: June 28 (2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)
  Praia do Molhe: July 4 (2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)
  Praia das Pastoras: July 21 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
  Praia do Homem Leme: July 25 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
• Variety of colours in Geodiversity
  Praia do Aquário: June 28 (10:00 am to 11:30 am)
  Praia do Homem Leme: June 29 (10:00 am to 11:30 am)
  Praia das Pastoras: July 5 (10:00 am to 11:30 am)
  Praia do Molhe: July 12 (10:00 am to 11:30 am)
• “Right or Wrong” - Impact of daily behaviours on Geodiversity
  Praia do Molhe: July 4 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
  Praia das Pastoras: July 14 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
  Praia do Aquário: July 18 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
  Praia do Homem Leme: July 19 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
• H2O Erosion Agent
  Praia do Aquário: July 18 (2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)
  Praia do Homem Leme: July 19 (2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)
  Praia do Molhe: July 20 (2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)
  Praia das Pastoras: July 21 (2:30 pm to 4:00 pm)
• The Speech of the Stones
  Praia do Aquário: July 6 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
  Praia do Homem Leme: July 11 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)
  Praia das Pastoras: July 14 (2:00 pm to 4:00 pm)
  Praia do Molhe: July 20 (10:00 am to 12:00 pm)