Albufeira will close its municipal pools temporarily starting on Tuesday (December 2) after routine tests detected the presence of Legionella bacteria in the hot water system.
The decision, announced by the municipal council on its social media pages, is being taken strictly as a health precaution.
The positive results came from laboratory reports delivered on Sunday (November 30), prompting the council to act immediately. The technical maintenance team carried out urgent safety procedures the same day, including deep cleaning and shock disinfection of the hot-water circuits.
“Over the next 48 to 72 hours, new samples will be collected for a preliminary assessment,” the council says, adding that a second round of tests, scheduled for 10 to 15 days after the intervention, will help determine whether the corrective measures were fully effective.
Mayor Rui Cristina and deputy mayor Jorge Carmo, who oversees sports, have been following the situation closely from the start, the council says, adding that the municipality is working hand-in-hand with public-health authorities to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
While just a temporary closure, this marks the latest case of municipal pools shutting down in the Algarve. In Aljezur, the local council has closed the pools to address long-standing issues which have come to jeopardise the safety of users and staff, while in Faro, the local pools are closing for “at least 18 months” due to technical issues affecting air and water quality, made even worse by the building’s severe deterioration.
