With the drought without respite, with the weather maps announcing a second fortnight of August without rain. With a complicated autumn in sight and strict restrictions already in place among farmers. With the swamps below minimum and the impact of the lack of water very visible on the environment, with forests with almost unprecedented tree mortality. Faced with this worrying scenario, some of the showers and foot washers on Catalan beaches continue to use drinking water so that bathers and tourists can remove the sand from their feet or get rid of the salt before arriving home, where most return to shower
It happens in some of the most touristic towns on the Costa Daurada (Tarragona, Salou, Cambrils or La Pineda), with water guaranteed thanks to the mini transfer of the Ebro River to the beaches of the city of Barcelona, with a shower and a foot wash open for each beach, or in Castelldefels, with half of the operational foot washers.
In all cases, the number of running showers or footwashes has been reduced, but it is considered that a balance can be maintained between the need to save water and maintain minimal services for beach users, a powerful tourist appeal. Contrast this situation with what most councils on the Costa Brava have decided, with closed showers and foot washing machines.
It is also surprising that some of the municipalities have decided to change the policy on the beaches after the political changes of 28-M. They have done it without almost generating controversy, practically on tiptoe.
This is the case of Tarragona, which after the arrival of Rubén Viñuales (PSC) in the mayor's office decided to reopen half of the showers and foot washing facilities in July. At least one shower on each beach is guaranteed to be operational. The previous government (ERC, Junts and the CUP) closed all the showers and foot washers in June due to the drought emergency alert. "We are looking for a balance between the situation of strong heat, savings due to the severe drought and at the same time the well-being of the bathers", highlighted the Councilor for Environment, Guillermo García (PSC), after approving the change.
Castelldefels has distanced itself from the slogan of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and the City Council's beach commission, with the PP in the mayor's office since June, has decided to reopen the footbaths. First there were a few and they ended up being about fifteen. The showers, on the other hand, remain closed.
The local government defends the decision because it is the only coastal municipality in the metropolitan area that is considered a tourist municipality, apart from Barcelona, and because the data show that it does not exceed the maximum water consumption limit established in the scenario of exceptionality. Municipal sources point out that only 5% of the total water expenditure is municipal, and 0.08% corresponds to washing machines.
The beaches in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, with eleven million visitors every summer, started the season without showers or footbaths, but as the weeks passed, the rules became more flexible. Every beach in Barcelona city has a shower and an active footwash, around which those who want to soak gather. In the rest of the metropolitan beaches there is no such possibility. Bathers in Gavà and El Prat do not have any points available.
In Salou, the tourist epicenter of the Costa Daurada, 50% of the showers and foot washers work. The measure began to be applied in June, with the mayor, Pere Granados, appealing "to the responsibility of the citizenry". The municipal government, with Sumem for Salou, PSC and ERC, remembers that it is complying with the measures dictated by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA).
In Cambrils, the showers were not closed until the beginning of this August, a measure adopted by the new government (ERC, PSC, Junts and En Comú Podem). However, the footwashes remain open. "The measure seeks a balance to avoid wasting water and at the same time guarantee the comfort of beach users", says the Councilor for Tourism and Beaches, Camí Mendoza (ERC). The consumption of the showers between July and September last year was 12,361 m³ of water.
In Vila-seca, on the large beach in the tourist center of La Pineda, the showers continue to work, but with two of the three outlets closed in each column of showers. The foot washers are 100% active, as confirmed by municipal sources.
The situation changes noticeably on the Costa Brava. From Portbou to Blanes there is no operational shower. Bathers on the beach of Sa Conca, in Platja d'Aro, pass with total indifference next to the showers and foot washers on the sands. No one, except some foreign tourist, presses the button with the idea of shaking off the sand or removing the salt after the dive. A sign in Catalan, Spanish, English and French indicates that the shower is out of service due to drinking water restrictions.
It is not an exceptional case on the Costa Brava. The restriction does not surprise bathers. In general, there is a lot of awareness of the need to save water. The vast majority, natives or tourists, applaud the measure that should help alleviate the drought, even if it is a little uncomfortable. "I think it's a great idea, the planet is in danger", says the French Hanna Ibba, from Marseille, from Castell d'Aro.
"Humans waste too much water. Look how dry these pines are! The restriction seems good to me and that it lasts as long as it takes", adds Joaquín Lázaro, as he leaves the beach with his grandson. The desired shower will have to wait a few minutes, the time to get home.
Although the June rains gave a minimal respite to the marshes, which are on average at 27% of capacity, the situation remains critical. And although the Special Drought Plan does not require the closing of public showers, the ACA does recommend it. In this sense, the 21 town councils of the Costa Brava have chosen to turn off the tap and save, even if this measure involves discomfort for the millions of tourists they receive every summer. "I understand the measure, but it's heartbreaking, especially for children," says Pablo Díaz, from Barcelona. "I think it's excessive, there are other ways to save", criticizes Marc Tort, from Masnou.
What beach showers spend in a summer is very variable. For example, between the Gran and Griells beaches, the main ones in Estartit, by the end of the season around 1,100 cubic meters of water will have been saved, the equivalent of what around 8,200 people consume a day.
In Lloret de Mar, according to data provided by the City Council, the 40 showers distributed along the beaches consumed a total of 14,000 cubic meters of water in 2019, the equivalent of 14 million liters. It is the equivalent of the water that a city like Girona uses in one day. Municipal sources point out that the savings by removing this beach furniture is 0.6% of the city's water consumption during the summer months. In Palamós, the last year in which the shower water meter was different from the irrigation meter, around 3,500 m³ of water was used in one summer.
Having inoperative showers is not new for some municipalities. Cadaqués and Port de la Selva, in Alt Empordà, already adopted restrictions of this type. Others, such as Blanes and Castelló d'Empúries, have not even installed them this year.
