Showers return to the beaches, but with restrictions

GironaWith the progressive easing of drought restrictions and the arrival of the bathing season, which begins every year de facto Rather, coastal municipalities have had to decide whether to reinstate beach showers or opt for some type of restriction. Except for Sant Pere Pescador and Portbou, where beach showers and footbaths will remain closed this summer, most municipalities along the Girona coast have decided to once again offer these services to bathers, although in almost all cases the number of water points will be reduced and flow reducers will be added. The ultimate goal is to reduce consumption, in some cases by as much as half, and raise awareness among the population about responsible water use in the face of the threat of further extreme droughts due to climate change. Some municipalities, such as L'Escala, Llançà, and Sant Feliu de Guíxols, have not yet made a decision on a debated issue: finding a balance between public service and water conservation.

After two summers of inactivity, both the showers and footbaths in the town are being restored as part of the Fem Platja! program, which begins on May 31 and closes on September 28. "There will be 28 showers and 11 footbaths—the same number as in the summer of 2022—between Gran Beach, Cala Rovira, and Sa Conca," municipal funds assure. Since the 2008 drought, the beach showers and footbaths already incorporated a system to reduce the original flow rate to 10 liters per minute, and this summer the mechanism has been renovated to even lower it, to 6 liters per minute.

In the case of Palamós, since Easter (once drought restrictions were lifted), the City Council has installed footbaths at all beach entrances, "ruling out the installation of showers for the moment, in an exercise of responsibility by the municipalities to seek a balance between service to citizens and savings." The removal of the showers will result in an approximate saving of 3 million liters of water per season.

In Roses, the showers will not be restored, but there will be a footbath service (17 facilities spread across six beaches in the municipality), operating from the beginning of June to the end of September.

In L'Estartit, the footbaths will also be restored only and, furthermore, their operation will be limited to the hours when the lifeguard service is active.

On the beaches of the municipalities of Calonge and Sant Antoni, only half of the showers that were there before the drought alert will be restored, i.e., they will go from 22 to 11. In addition, the number of overhead water jets in each shower will be reduced from three to just one, although the existing footbath will remain. Aerators and sprayers will be installed to reduce water consumption. The showers will be open starting in June, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., to promote responsible management of natural resources.

Lloret de Mar will recover only half of the showers it had on its beaches before the drought: from 46 to 23 units, strategically distributed along the municipality's beaches. All facilities will be equipped with flow reducers and pushbuttons with timers, allowing for significant water savings. Furthermore, on Lloret de Mar's Gran beach, timers will be installed so that the water flow is stopped during certain nighttime hours, thus preventing possible leaks or improper use. The Councilor for Beaches, Cristina Aymerich, explained that the measure responds to "the desire to guarantee responsible use of water resources, maintaining quality services for beach users." The showers will be installed this week, when the beach season begins. The Mayor of Lloret, Adrià Lamelas, says they want to find "the balance between offering quality services to visitors and residents, while being responsible in a situation that affects us all."

Begur will reinstate the 10 showers and 8 footbaths this summer that were usually distributed among the beaches of Rincón, Sa Riera, Aiguafreda, Sa Tuna, and Aiguablava. The City Council, however, will continue the awareness campaign it launched two summers ago with the distribution of posters, stickers, and signs that can be read in English.No water, my friendand an added message in Catalan and other languages: "Drought emergency. Save water, it's urgent." According to Jordi González, Begur's Councilor for the Environment and Beaches, the campaign, which will continue to be disseminated on the beaches themselves and also in hotels and other tourist facilities in the municipality, aims to ensure that "the population's water-saving efforts are multiplied."

Three municipalities that have already decided not to reinstate showers or footbaths this summer are Cadaqués, Sant Pere Pescador, and Portbou. Duran argues that public showers on beaches "are not an essential service" and adds: "Given the drought and the state of water emergency of recent years, we believe we must act responsibly and make conscious use of water." "We must save water" in a context of climate crisis. For his part, the mayor of Sant Pere Pescador, Agustí Badosa, explains that the City Council will maintain the ban on showers this summer on the seven kilometers of natural beaches in the municipality "out of respect" for the highly protected area where they are located, the Aiguamole de les Aiguamolls de l'Aiguamolls Natural Park. "Showers are necessary for domestic and agricultural use," the mayor maintains.

Pending a final decision, the Palafrugell City Council announced that all of the municipality's beaches (Calella de Palafrugell, Llafranc, and Tamariu) will once again have showers this summer. No restrictions, such as flow regulators at the fountains or reduced operating hours, will be introduced, but discussions are still underway to determine whether beaches that usually have more than one shower will eliminate some this summer.

The beaches in the town of Tossa de Mar (Playa Grande, Mar Menuda, and es Codolar) will have showers again this summer. Also returning to the beaches further from the town, such as Cala Llevadó, Llorell Beach, and Cala Giverola, are the beaches further from the town. In this case, the showers are not provided by the Town Council, but rather by the resorts or residential areas where they are located. Jordi Couso, the Tossa de Mar Town Council's Environmental Officer, explains that one of the reasons for restoring showers to the beaches in the town is to prevent bathers from using the public restrooms in the town center to wash.