Sant Antoni's s’Arenal beach remains closed to swimming with a red flag after water tests continued to detect contamination indicators, despite an improvement in the latest results.

The Ayuntamiento de Sant Antoni has taken further water samples and says the beach will remain closed until laboratory tests confirm that the water meets the required standards for safe bathing.

The continuing closure follows a wastewater incident on 20 September, although the council says it has not established the source of the contamination currently being detected.

Beach remains closed despite improving results

The latest analyses have shown an improvement in the contamination levels detected at s’Arenal, but the results have not yet allowed the council to lift the bathing prohibition.

New samples have now been collected, with further laboratory results expected during the weekend.

Until those results confirm that the water meets the required parameters, the red flag will remain in place and swimming will continue to be prohibited.

The council says the measure is being maintained as a precaution to protect bathers.

Current source of contamination has not been identified

Municipal technicians have been carrying out inspections in an attempt to determine why contamination indicators continue to appear in the water.

According to the Ayuntamiento, those checks have so far failed to identify a specific source.

The municipal sewer network and wastewater pumping stations have also been inspected and are currently operating normally.

For that reason, the council says the continuing episode does not appear to be linked to a current failure in the municipal sewer system.

Investigations are continuing to determine what could be responsible for the contamination indicators still being detected.

s’Arenal was originally closed on 20 September

The current closure began on Sunday, 20 September following a confirmed wastewater spill.

On that occasion, the cause was identified.

A piece of iron blocked a pump in the wastewater pumping network, causing a failure that allowed wastewater to flow into the torrents des Regueró and Buscastell before eventually reaching the bathing area at s’Arenal.

Sant Antoni activated its safety protocol, prohibited swimming and raised the red flag while urgent water samples were requested.

The original fault was repaired

The damaged pumping system was subsequently repaired.

At the same time, cleaning and disinfection work was carried out in the affected area, including hyperchlorination.

The council initially said s’Arenal would remain closed until the spill had been eliminated and laboratory results confirmed that the water was once again suitable for swimming.

However, subsequent testing continued to detect contamination indicators, extending the closure beyond the immediate aftermath of the original incident.

Two issues should not be confused

There is an important distinction between the original wastewater spill and the contamination now keeping the beach closed.

The cause of the 20 September incident was identified as a blockage affecting a wastewater pump.

The source of the contamination indicators subsequently detected in the water has not, however, been established.

Municipal inspections have not found a current problem with either the sewer network or the pumping stations, which the council says are operating normally.

It would therefore be premature to conclude that the continuing contamination is being caused by the same infrastructure failure.

Previous problems at s’Arenal

This is not the first time s’Arenal has been temporarily closed because of wastewater problems in 2026.

On 28 May, Sant Antoni also closed the beach after a wastewater pipe broke in carrer dels Amaradors.

That incident affected a pipeline connected to the La Antigua pumping system, which carries wastewater from the urban centre towards the treatment plant.

The spill reached the stormwater network and subsequently the torrent des Regueró before reaching the bathing area.

That fault was repaired, with the beach kept closed while water quality was assessed.

The May incident was separate from the pump failure recorded on 20 September.

Water quality will determine when the beach reopens

There is currently no confirmed reopening date for s’Arenal.

The Ayuntamiento says the prohibition will remain in force for as long as laboratory analyses detect parameters that prevent officials from guaranteeing that the water is safe for swimming.

Further results are expected during the weekend.

If those samples meet the required water-quality standards, the council will then be able to assess lifting the bathing prohibition.

Until that happens, the red flag remains in place and swimming at s’Arenal continues to be prohibited.

Investigation into the cause continues

Alongside the repeated water testing, Sant Antoni is continuing its efforts to determine the origin of the contamination.

The fact that the municipal sewer network and pumping stations are currently operating normally means officials have yet to find an evident infrastructure failure that explains the continuing readings.

For now, the established facts are that contamination indicators remain present, their levels have improved, the source has not been identified and s’Arenal remains closed as a precaution.

Further laboratory results will determine when the beach can safely reopen.