48 Spanish Beaches Received Black Flags

Tourists planning trips to popular Spanish resorts such as Ibiza, Malaga, and Tenerife this summer might want to reconsider their plans. The Spanish environmental NGO, Ecologists in Action, has issued “black flags” for 48 beaches, warning of pollution, sewage discharges, plastic waste, or other environmental damages, reports Which.

Ecologists in Action examined over 8,000 kilometers of Spain’s coastline and prepared their annual “Black Flag” report. The group claims that some resort areas’ sanitation systems cannot cope with the increased number of tourists, leading to sewage spills.

Among the notably dangerous beaches are those in the popular resort regions of Costa del Sol and the entire coastline of Malaga. Sewage pollution was detected at El Amerador Beach in El Campello, near Alicante. The Andalusian coastline received a staggering 10 black flags. The “Black Flag” rating does not necessarily indicate a dirty beach, as the flags are also issued due to light and noise pollution and overdevelopment of the beach and surrounding areas.

Environmentalists also criticized beaches in Barcelona, Valencia, Cádiz, and Granada. Damage to underwater plants due to illegal anchoring and spills from treatment facilities was recorded near Talamanca Beach in Ibiza. The “Black Flag” rating does not necessarily indicate a dirty beach, as the flags are also issued due to light and noise pollution and overdevelopment of the beach and surrounding areas.

48 Beaches with “Black Flags” from Ecologists in Action:

1. La Farella, Girona, Catalonia
2. Various beaches on the Costa Brava coast, Girona, Catalonia
3. Comarca del Maresme, Barcelona, Catalonia
4. Sant Adrià del Besò, Barcelona, Catalonia
5. Camino de Ronda, Tarragona, Catalonia
6. Playa de la Pineda, Costa Dorada, Tarragona, Catalonia
7. Playa de L’Estany-Capicorb, Castellón, Valencia region
8. Playa de Burriana, Castellón, Valencia region
9. Beaches in the Albufera Natural Park, Valencia, Valencia region
10. Puerto de Valencia, Valencia, Valencia region
11. Barranco and Playa del Amerador, Alicante, Valencia region
12. Playas de Cap l’Horta, Albufera, Postiguet, and San Gabriel, Alicante, Valencia region
13. Mar Menor, Murcia region
14. Portman-Bay and Sierra Minera, Murcia region
15. Playa Quitapellejos-Palomares, Almería, Andalusia
16. Playa de ‘El Lancón’ in Carboneras, Almería, Andalusia
17. Playa de Castell de Ferro, Granada, Andalusia
18. Playa Granada y Poniente, Granada, Andalusia
19. Playas de Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia
20. Málaga coastline, Málaga, Andalusia
21. Tarifa, Cádiz, Andalusia
22. Costa de Trafalgar, Cádiz, Andalusia
23. Río Huelva, Huelva, Andalusia
24. El Portil, Huelva, Andalusia
25. Río Aldán, Concello de Cangas, Pontevedra, Galicia
26. Río Arousa and Río Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Galicia
27. Minera de Galicia, Coruña, Galicia
28. Río Pereiro and Río Ramisqueira, La Coruña, Galicia
29. Alcaoa Pond, Lugo, Galicia
30. Galician coastline, Lugo, Galicia
31. Port Figueras, Asturias
32. Villaviciosa, Asturias
33. Playa de Usgo, Cantabria
34. San Román de la Llanilla, Cantabria
35. Marshy area of Lamiako, Biscay, Basque Country
36. Guernica and Murueta, Biscay, Basque Country
37. Santa Clara Island, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
38. La Concha Island, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
39. Cala Xaracca, Ibiza, Balearic Islands
40. Playa de Talamanca, Ibiza, Balearic Islands
41. Port of Melilla, Melilla
42. Melilla Bay, Melilla
43. Monte Hacho, Ceuta
44. Playa de Desnarigado, Ceuta
45. Playa Blanca, Las Palmas, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
46. Corralejo Dunes, Las Palmas, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
47. Playa La Tejita (Granadilla), Puertito de Armeñime (Adeje), Tenerife, Canary Islands
48. Northwest coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands

Other news:

• The most expensive and cheapest cities in the world for expats.
• Extreme heat driving up the cost of summer vacations in Europe, according to research.