Sewage and windsurfing

I sure missed windsurf practice last weekend. A huge sewer spilled from the beaches apartment buildings sewage plant and covered part of the sand and a large area of the sailing school waters all week. It was while sailing my Catalina 22, D'Artagnan, around the bay, during the week that I became aware of it

Boy did it smell. It took forever it seemed to get across the lite greenish spillwater. The local neighborhood association had a big protest march on Sunday that held up traffic on the beach road. The sewer pipe has broken twice this season, swilling unprocessed sewage into the sea, not to mention past years...

COSTA BLANCA NEWS, Friday, August 12, 2004: ALBUFERETA BEACH SEALED OFF
Police close beach after sewage pipe fractures
BY TOM CAIN

ALICANTE LOCAL POLICE SEALED OF ALBUFERETA BEACH ON TUESDAY EVENING AFTER DOZENS OF BATHERS ALERTED THEM TO A FRACTURE IN A SEWAGE PIPE. Police had to clear the area as raw sewage, spilling from the pipe, flooded the beach area. People in the area said the sewage began leaking out of the pipe that morning, but at around 22.00 there was a major fracture in the pipe and gallons of liquid and faecal material flooded out onto the beach.This is the second time in as many months that the pipe has broken.Residents say that each year there is a problem with the sewage system. Sometimes the pumping station breaks down and other times the pipe that takes the effluent out to sea fractures.Police said that until council technicians had inspected the problem they could not say how long the beach would be off limits or whether or not fishing would be allowed. Other areas affected by the spill were the sea in front of edifice Helios (Finca Adoc) and some of the smaller bays.

The city council agreed today to build a new treatment plant in the winter. Until then, they'll be trying to keep the old one in repairs. I'll be going down to the beach to windsurf tomorrow, that is if my nose gives me the go ahead. Keep your fingers crossed.