This time last year, prior to the Holy Week and Easter holiday period, due to high levels of pollutants on the beaches of Los Muertos and Rio Cuale, in Puerto Vallarta, the Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks of Jalisco (Coprisjal) indicated that they were not suitable for recreational or vacation use.
But there is Good news for vacationers this year who are already preparing their bags for Holy Week and Easter. The Jalisco Ministry of Health declared this year, the beaches in the area are suitable for recreational use, explains the head of Coprisjal, Denis Santiago Hernández.
At a press conference, Hernández announced that from March 15 to 24, 6 samples were carried out on 10 beaches in this tourist destination.
Sampling yielded results below 200 enterococci per 100 milliliters of water, which is why it was determined that these natural spaces are suitable for recreational use.
“We started with the Yelapa beach, which had a geometric mean of enterococci per 100 milliliters of water of 23.1. Then we have the Quimixto with 23.58; Las Animas 24.21; Mismayola Beach 23.89; The Twins with 12.65; Los Muertos beach 11.22; Cuale Beach 11.22; Oasis Beach with 10: Las Palmas Beach with 2.65 and Camarones with 10”.
The ten monitored beaches registered parameters lower than 200 enterococci per 100 milliliters.
However, prior to the release of today’s latest test results, the research professor of the Coastal Research Center of the University Center of the Coast, of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), Amilcar Cupul Magaña, warns that the beaches located in the Marina area and in the Cuale River may register high levels of coliforms.
He describes what happens in the Marina area in the tourist port of Jalisco: “There may be one or another point in particular, where we have high levels of some pollution problem, mainly the port due to the conditions it has, there are some boats in the Marina that may leak hydrocarbons, garbage and, as it is an area with restrictions on movement in the water, the oxygen level may drop in some parts.”
On Cuale beach, he pointed out that it can present high levels of coliforms, exceeding the limits of the Official Mexican Standard of 200 enterococci per 100 milliliters: “The Cuale River can present some problems of contamination by coliforms, there are many places above in the mountains that do not have drainage and sewage and some dump their waste in the river.”
The amount of pollution can change drastically in a short period of time depending on weather and other environmental conditions, with beaches around Cuale River and the Marina always being areas of concern.
(This story has been updated after the release of new data from the Jalisco Ministry of Health.)
