The environmental association Quercus classified 356 beaches as ‘Golden Quality’ this year, 23 of which correspond to bathing areas in the Leiria district.
This is still a significant decrease in the number of award-winning beaches, if we take into account that last year Quercus had classified a total of 31 in the district as ‘Golden Quality’.
Thus, according to the list released today by the environmental association, the ‘Golden Quality’ flag will fly on the beaches Pedrógão Sul and Pedrógão Centro, in the municipality of Leiria, Água de Madeiros, Légua, Paredes de Vitória and Pedra do Ouro, in the municipality of Alcobaça.
Figueiró dos Vinhos is on the list with the Fragas de S. Simão river beach, and Caldas da Rainha with the bathing areas of Foz do Arelho – Lagoa and Praia do Mar.
In the municipality of Marinha Grande, Quercus awarded the award to Pedras Negras, Praia Velha and S. Pedro de Moel, and in Nazaré they will raise the flag on Nazaré beach and Salgado.
In Óbidos, the beaches Bom Sucesso, Praia D’El Rei and Rei do Cortiço, in Peniche Baleal Norte, Baleal Sul, Consolação, Consolação Norte, Porto da Areia Sul and S. Bernardino, won ‘gold’.
The ‘Beach with Gold Quality’ award annually distinguishes the quality of bathing water on Portuguese beaches, based on available official public information, taking exclusively into consideration the analyzes carried out in the laboratories of the different Regional Hydrographic Administrations, according to the environmental association.
To receive the ‘Gold Quality’ beach classification, bathing water must meet several criteria, such as “excellent” water quality in the annual classification of the five bathing seasons prior to the last and all analyzes carried out in the last bathing season ( 2023) should have presented better results in several bacterial indicators.
