Three public pools closed over the weekend due to fecal contamination

This weekend, three public swimming pools in Catalonia were forced to close for several hours due to the presence of feces in the water. These were in Berga, San Juan de Vilatorrada, and Bellver de Cerdanya. Although there is growing concern that these incidents are part of a viral social media challenge, this cannot be confirmed at this time. In the case of Berga, the city council has clarified that it was a "random" accident suffered by a child who was unwell.

The most recent case occurred in Bellver de Cerdanya, in Lleida. The municipal swimming pool had to close for several hours due to the presence of feces in the water. In this case, it was caused by "the uncivil behavior of a person." Although the facility remained open for other activities, swimming was not allowed, and the relevant disinfection protocols had to be applied, allowing the pool to reopen the following day.

In Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, in Bages, three more incidents occurred in different pools in the municipality. According to the town's mayor, Jordi Solernou, the first feces were found in one of the pools on Thursday afternoon, at which time there were 400 people in the facilities. "From what they're telling us, it could be a viral challenge," explains the mayor, who asserts that it was an "uncivil" act but that it is "impossible" to know who is responsible. The following Friday, the incident was repeated twice. First, the large pool had to be closed to the public, and two hours later, access to the medium pool also had to be restricted. "We haven't yet calculated the cost, but the larger the pool, the more product we must spend," explains Solernou, who emphasizes that this is an incident "that hurts a lot of people and can create a pathology."

As for Berga, the City Council was forced to temporarily restrict swimming in one of the municipal swimming pools due to "an accidental incident of fecal contamination caused by a child." This meant that the water in the large pool had to be hyperchlorinated to avoid risks, and therefore no one was allowed to swim in that pool for 12 hours. The council reiterates that the incident is not related to any viral outbreak, but rather a child who felt unwell.

Guillem Canal, Councilor for Sports at Berga City Council, explains that the treatment differs depending on whether the stool is solid or liquid. If it is, it was liquid stool, and therefore a longer treatment was required to clean the pool. Regarding the cost, Canal explains that it is necessary to account for the chemical and the losses that may be caused to reduce the capacity of the facilities: in this case, it was limited to 400 people until Saturday morning, when the pool was already open again.

The risks of fecal matter in the water

According to the Spanish Public Health Agency (ASPCAT), swimming in water with feces exposes us to Cryptosporidium, a protozoan that can cause a gastrointestinal illness called cryptosporidiosis. The transmission mechanism for this disease is fecal-oral, and it is usually transmitted through water contamination or contact with an infected person. A small number of Cryptosporidium oocysts is enough to cause infection, and outbreaks associated with fecal contamination of recreational water have occurred due to the protozoan's resistance to routine water chlorination.

The ASPCAT has a specific protocol for the presence of feces in swimming pools. This protocol depends on whether the feces are solid or liquid, but in both cases, swimmers must be removed and no one must be allowed to use the facilities until the pool has been cleaned and disinfected.

Although there is growing concern about these episodes, in case it's a viral challenge that could spread to other parts of Catalonia, this type of content isn't widely reported online. However, several media outlets report nearly 300 swimming pools across the country affected by this type of activity that threatens public health.