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Date Published: 04/11/2021
ARCHIVED - Latest measurements show excellent quality of water off Orihuela coast
Recent Institute of Coastal Ecology report praises the "excellent quality of the waters" off the Vega Baja coastal town in Alicante province
Orihuela holds the most Blue Flags for its beaches in Alicante province, and the Institute of Coastal Ecology has now deemed the quality of its waters as 'excellent' following a series of sample collection dives along the 11km stretch of coastline.
As part of the POSIMED project, financed by the Alicante Provincial Council, the conservation index of the Posidonia meadow is regularly evaluated at various points along the seabed.
Dives were recently carried out at the 11 Orihuela beaches awarded with Blue Flags: Punta Prima, Cala Bosque, La Caleta, Cala Capitán, Aguamarina, Campoamor, Barranco Rubio, Cala Estaca, Cala Mosca, Cala Cerrada and Mil Palmeras.
And in all cases, it was concluded that the "values in the conservation index of this seabed meadow have improved on previous years" and the quality of water is "excellent", partly due to the fact that in the areas sampled, a lower percentage of dead marine plants was recorded compared to 2020.
The location of sample collection during dives alters each year, and although the Posidonia ocean meadows off Orihuela coast are "in good condition", some small patches of dead flowering plants were discovered, a hazardous consequence of fishing and leisure boat anchoring.
In a bid to strengthen the protection of the Posidonia meadows, the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition of the Community has announced the creation of a new Martime Monitoring Service .
But whilst Orihuela's Councillor for the Environment, Dámaso Aparicio, has welcomed the move to do more to safeguard the marine meadows, he believes the plans are vague.
"The council has objected to this proposed decree on the basis that it is not very well developed and does not specify the exact actions to be taken. It needs to be more specific", commented the councillor.
The original POSIMED project began in 2001, titled 'Monitoring Network of the Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Valencian Community', with the aim of monitoring the state of conservation of meadows, and at the same time, involving the public to raise awareness of the need to preserve the natural environment.
Orihuela coastline's clean bill of health is in stark contrast to the polluted Mar Menor less than 50km away in the Region of Murcia, where the Spanish government has pledged to invest 300 million euros to help with the recovery of the lagoon.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela
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