Officials this week stripped Tamarindo, a northern Pacific coast community once revered by surfers and ocean lovers, of its Blue Flag ecological designation.
In August, water-quality tests conducted by the National Water and Sewer Institute (AyA) determined that some areas of the beach were more than 7,000 times over limits of fecal matter considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Darner Mora, director of AyA's water-testing lab, told the daily La Nación the community has done too little to correct the situation since the test results were first reported.
“If we don't tell the truth, they won't make the corrective measures,” he said.
According to the Blue Flag Web site, beaches must meet 29 criteria to be considered for this honor, including water quality, environmental management, education and services.
During the past month, officials from both the Public Health Ministry and AyA have made small steps toward correcting the situation, but a commitment to install a necessary sewage treatment plant, officials say, is still lacking.
To date, neither the Health Ministry nor the Municipality of Santa Cruz have placed signs on the beach warning swimmers and surfers of the contaminated water (TT, Nov. 16) |
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