Latest news and stories about water quality in environment in Portugal for expats and residents.
The Inatel and Pescadores beaches in Albufeira were closed to swimming on Tuesday following a wastewater discharge caused by a burst pipe. The Portuguese Environment Agency (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente or APA) ordered the closure to ensure public safety.
The number of beaches classified as pristine or immaculate in Portugal has decreased compared to previous years.
Matosinhos Beach faces possible removal from the official list of bathing waters after persistent water pollution and associated public‑health risks. The beach was closed 18 times during the last bathing season; the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is awaiting the adoption of remedial measures and a final decision is expected in April. Local authorities warn that failure to address contamination could cost Matosinhos its bathing‑area designation and further restrict public access.
Less than 24 hours after advising against swimming due to microbiological contamination, the APA gave the green light to the Matosinhos beach based on new water quality analyses.
The Portuguese Environment Agency states that the restrictive measure is due to the presence of microbiological contamination.
Swimming is currently discouraged at Angeiras Sul beach due to water quality concerns.
A single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 1,000 litres of water “in concentrations that exceed safety limits for aquatic life”, rapidly releasing nicotine and more than 7,000 toxic chemical substances into urban drinking water. The warning was issued by the pharmaceutical company Aflofarm, which estimates that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts...
Containment, cleaning, and water quality monitoring operations are underway on the Mondego River.
For years, populations near the Lima River in Galicia have suffered from fecal pollution caused by intensive poultry and pig farming. The problem is now reaching Portugal.
The number of beaches in Portugal classified as having poor water quality has risen from nine to twelve.
The European Environment Agency released data for the 2025 bathing season: 82% of the 682 monitored Portuguese beaches have excellent quality, three more than in 2024.
A total of 559 Portuguese beaches have been classified as having excellent water quality for the upcoming summer season.
The agency classified 634 Portuguese bathing waters as “good” or “excellent”. The number of unclassified beaches was the only one to decrease. Almost 90% of coastal waters in the European Union were classified as excellent.
A total of 559 beaches in Portugal have been classified as having excellent water quality.
In 82% of Portuguese beaches, the water is of excellent quality. This classification was awarded to 359, three more than last year, while the number of poor-quality beaches rose from nine to 12.
Portugal has 559 beaches with excellent water quality, three more than the previous year, while 12 are classified as poor, according to monitoring data released this Tuesday (June 16) by the European Environment Agency. Out of 682 monitored beaches, 82% were rated as excellent. The report also highlights that 75 beaches are classified as good, 19 as sufficient, and 17 remain unclassified. Overall, bathing water quality across Europe remains stable, with 84.8% of sites meeting the highest standards.
The number of beaches with an excellent rating has increased, but the number of bathing areas considered to be of poor quality has also risen.
Portugal has 559 beaches with excellent water quality, three more than last year, as well as 12 considered poor, according to monitoring data released today by the European Environment Agency.
In the 2025 bathing season, the quality of bathing waters in Portugal remained very high overall.
Home News Portugal has 559 beaches with excellent water quality Portugal has 559 beaches with excellent water quality Portugal has 559 beaches with excellent water quality, three more than last year, and 12 with poor water quality, according to monitoring data released today by the European Envir
A study conducted by scientists from Brazil and the United Kingdom concluded that moringa seed extracts can remove 98.5% of PVC microplastics from tap water.
A total of 73 Portuguese beaches have been awarded the “Zero Pollution” status this year, with Grândola topping the list of municipalities.
The environmental association Zero has identified 73 beaches with zero pollution in Portugal. These are beaches where no water contamination was detected over the last three bathing seasons.
The research results “confirm that plastic pollution is widely disseminated, even in freshwater ecosystems in the interior of the territory.”
The majority of the detected particles were less than one millimetre in size, with fibres being the most common type.
The president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), José Pimenta Machado, assured the water quality at Inatel and Pescadores beaches in Albufeira when the bathing season begins.
The company guarantees there is no risk to public health from the discharge detected in early April, which affected watercourses in the Matosinhos municipality.
Two years later, the Alentejo beach in the Odemira municipality is having a Blue Summer again: the flag has been recovered for the site that was once elected one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal - Beaches.
The assessment of river health in Portugal is incomplete, according to a study coordinated by the University of Coimbra. The researchers concluded that, as a result, a complementary method based on the decomposition of plant matter is necessary.
