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• Cetaqua, Water Technology Center, confirms that the episodes of foam on its beaches are natural
The sea of Roquetas is in good health and this is certified by the last studies for the control of its waters, as well as the cleanings performed and that have been able to verify the diversity and quality of its seabed.
Hidralia, concessionaire of drinking water and sewage service of Roquetas, and the City Council of Roquetas want to emphasize the importance of actions to prevent the deterioration of the environment and to promote awareness against marine debris, so that the coast of Roquetas remains a natural resource of high value and maintain its attractiveness for sustainable tourism.
In this way, Hidralia, in collaboration with the University of Almeria and the City Council of Roquetas, periodically collects and analyzes samples to verify that there are no elements that distort the quality of the sea of Roquetas and has demonstrated through a study, executed by Cetaqua Andalucía (Andalusian Water Research Center Foundation), that the origin of the sporadic episodes of foam that appear on the beaches of Roquetas is natural.
These floating aggregates appear on the coast of Roquetas, in general, when there are easterly winds. These foams originate due to the mobilization of fine sediments from the seabed which, when they reach the surface, adhere to each other and facilitate the agglutination of other substances.
Thanks to the sample collection campaign, carried out in six different points of the Roquetas coastline, and to the analysis in laboratories, both of the water it contains and of the elements of the floating aggregate, it has been possible to know the origin and the effect they have on the quality of the water.
The results show that the foams are not related to failures in the sanitation system, since detrital minerals, such as calcite and dolomite, or evaporite, and, to a lesser extent, clayey materials, have been extracted. All of them are related to the reliefs of the area, which are the main source of seabed sediments, since the Sierra de Gádor is made up of this set of materials, among others.