Tamarindo Costa Rica Loses Blue Flag
The Ecological Blue Flag, a distinction granted to beaches with excellent or very high sanitation and cleanliness, has been taken away from the coastal town of Tamarindo after a series of tests have shown high levels of fecal contamination along the beachfront.
Costa Rica News — Tamarindo is one of the most visited beaches in Costa Rica
This is the first time in the history of the Ecological Blue Flag Program that the Blue Flag distinction has been taken away from a beach the same year that a problem was detected.
Tamarindo has been the center of negative publicity ever since late August when La Nacion published the original study by the National Institute of Water and Sewers (AyA), which found 11 sites along the beach with a high level of fecal contamination, as well as two contaminated sites in the ocean.
The government’s slow reaction was criticized by many, but defended by the fact that more tests had to be done to show the true severity of the situation. Two hotels and one hostel were declared sources of contamination and were shut down by the Ministry of Health until they improve their water treatment processes. The Tamarindo Diria also was issued a sanitary order from the Ministry, but was not closed down, citing the need for more tests.
A representative of the program said that the decision was made to maintain the integrity of the Blue Flag Program, and noted that while some people complain that the problem is fixable, tomorrow it may not be. It is better to push the region to take action now to fix the problem while they still can.
Santa Cruz mayor, Jorge Chavarria, told La Nacion that regrets the decision and the affect it may have on tourism and said that the government will continue working on the problem, Blue Flag or not. They have already contracted a company to remove waste waters from the coastline and take them to a water treatment plant in Playa Conchal.
Tamarindo is a good example of unplanned rapid growth, a common problem in coastal tourist destinations. There is no public sewer system, so companies are required to treat their own gray waters, which cannot be disposed of directly into the ocean or rivers, however most companies ignore this.
The rainy season also intensifies sewage problems with the increase in standing water and ground water levels. It also makes it more difficult to accurately detect the sources of the pollution, which could have caused the government’s delayed action.
| Written by Claire Saylor |  |
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Filed under: Costa Rica News on November 20th, 2007
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I bet we’re going to see more of this here and at other Pacific beaches if the onslaught of building continues. Too much easy money to be made from people who don’t ask questions and just assume the environmental impact will be dealt with in an appropriate manner. Time to take a breather and make sure the right standards are in place.
Costa Rica definitely needs a better waste management policy in the coastal areas. It is ridiculous that a country that protects nature so fiercely in some ways, completely neglects major issues like this. When I first visited Tamarindo in the 80’s it was no way near what it is today. The government should place heavy fines on big business who dump their waste into the sea. Every time I’ve gone surfing in Tamarindo this year, I’ve retuned to San Jose with an ear infection… not like “endless summer” at all.
My wife, daughter, and I were just in Tamarindo Jan. 31st & Feb. 1st. My daughter and I waded across the northern tidal estuary to Playa Grande both days. My wife choice not to. We have now returned to Colorado. My wife is OK. My daughter & I both are still exhibiting some form of contact dermititis - splotchy rash, widely scattered in small spots about th size of a dime, that we attribute to wading across that tidal estuary: the rash is only on the lower parts of our bodies, up to about where the water was as we waded across. It would appear there is still something in the water. Nogui’s still has the best coconut cream pie on the planet though!
[...] part of an event organized by the community to initiate the process of regaining their Ecological Blue Flag status that was lost in November of last [...]
[...] the beach, the negative publicity has slowed the flow of tourists to the region. The beach’s blue flag was revoked and further investigations by the government lead to the closure of businesses in the [...]
In Tamarindo, they also have problem with Grabage Collections like in Napoli!
The Tamarindo news reports in its March 2008 edition :
[...] The garbage cans with a tower of stinky bags and the dustcarts leaving the trash juice on the way are just evidencing that this paid service is not on the right track. This is just the tip of the iceberg… the problem is even bigger. [...]
http://www.tamarindonews.com/Community-News/568.html