Playa Jardín set to reopen after nearly year-long closure
The Puerto de la Cruz Town Council announced on Tuesday that Playa Jardín can be reopened “next week”, after being closed to bathing since July 2024—almost a full year—due to faecal discharges into the sea. This welcome news comes as a relief to both tourists and locals who have been eagerly awaiting the return of one of Tenerife’s most beloved beaches.
Official announcement and technical improvements
The announcement was made public in a press release from the Tenerife Council, following a visit by the vice-president of the Cabildo, Lope Afonso, to the treatment plant located in Punta Brava. He was joined by the mayor of Puerto de la Cruz, Leopoldo Afonso, the councillors for the Primary Sector and Natural Environment, Valentín González and Blanca Pérez respectively, and the director general for Ecological Transition of the Canary Islands Government, Ángel Montañés.
According to the Town Council, two intensive cycles of cleaning and civil works have been carried out on the sewage and rainwater drainage network in Punta Brava on behalf of the local corporation. These comprehensive actions have led to a “notable improvement” in the results of analyses commissioned by Public Health from mid-December 2024 until now, offering a succession of 20 consecutive analyses with “legally permitted” results. The improvements have successfully eliminated possible uncontrolled discharges into the sea while optimising the treatment of wastewater until it reaches the WWTP.
Political controversy over water quality data
However, the situation has not been without controversy. Already in March, the PSOE publicly denounced that the data offered by the Town Hall was not accurate and published contradictory information. “Since 17 December there have been three episodes of contamination by E. coli: on 5, 10 and 26 February, which in the different sampling points exceeded the limit of 250 required by the Ministry of Health, in addition to an episode of Enterococcus on 5 February which exceeded the value of 100,” stated the PSOE.
According to the socialist party, these analyses demonstrate that waste discharges continue to produce episodes of contamination at the sampling points in the port’s bathing area. Out of a total of eight days in which analyses were carried out in 2025, the PSOE claimed that three exceeded the limits required by the Health Department at the three different sampling points. “If we look at the 40 days of sampling since 1 July 2024, 18 gave results above the permitted levels, which indicates that almost half of the samples in both 2024 and 2025 continue to show levels above those required for the bathing ban to be lifted,” the PSOE emphasised.
Tertiary treatment implementation brings dual benefits
The reopening of Playa Jardín will be made possible thanks to the completion of tertiary treatment implementation for the wastewater managed in this regional treatment plant. This significant infrastructure improvement will also provide an additional benefit to the local community by supplying an extra flow of water for irrigation to the Cruz Santa reservoir in Los Realejos, guaranteeing “quality water” for farmers throughout the northern region.
During his visit to the treatment plant, Lope Afonso described the completion of the tertiary treatment implementation as “very important for Puerto de la Cruz and for Tenerife”. He explained: “On the one hand, this work provides a much-needed additional flow of water for irrigation at the moment, which will be sent from this WWTP to the Cruz Santa reservoir in Los Realejos, guaranteeing quality water for the farmers of the entire northern region.”
The Vice-President also praised the “conscientious work” of the Puerto de la Cruz Town Council, the Island Water Council and the Canary Islands Government, through its Directorates-General for Ecological Transition and Public Health. This collaborative effort represents a significant step forward in maintaining both environmental standards and supporting the tourism industry that is vital to the Canary Islands’ economy.
