Matosinhos Beach
Among around 370 beaches, Matosinhos is the only one that appears, by 2026, at risk of losing its official identification as a bathing area.
The iconic Matosinhos beach, probably the one in the North of the country in summer, risks losing its official identification as a bathing area, after having registered a “bad” rating in the 2025 bathing season.
The situation in which the famous beach is located is unique on the coast of mainland Portugal: Among around 370 beaches, Matosinhos is the only one that emerges, by 2026, conditioned in the Proposal for a List of Bathing Waters put out for public consultation by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).
According to the document, cited by , maintaining the bathing water status depends on the presentation, by the City Council, of a program of measures aimed at the causes of pollution. This plan must be monitored by the APA-Administration of the Hydrographic Region and still requires a favorable opinion from the Regional Health Authority.
The warning comes after another summer of and recommendations to avoid bathing last year, associated with the risk of contamination by E. coli, a typical indicator of pollution of fecal origin.
The municipality guarantees that it is acting. In fact, this was one of the most recurring themes during the various campaigns in the race for leadership of the municipality, in the last elections.
The Matosinhos Chamber claims to have a Program of Measures in place to improve the quality of bathing water, focused on identifying sources of pollution and implementing corrective actions, currently under review and under permanent monitoring.
Among the initiatives highlighted are regular water monitoring, interventions in the streams that flow into the sand, actions to detect and correct inappropriate connections and scientific studies to better understand the factors that affect water quality.
The municipal opposition disagrees with the view that the problem is under control.
Bruno PereiraAD councilor, continues to consider that the mere possibility of losing the status constitutes “a bad image” for the municipality and warns against “catastrophic” economic impacts, especially in restaurants, commerce and activities linked to the sea such as surfing, which is very present on that beach.
The mayor argues that structural solutions such as the construction of a submarine exutor and a ENOUGH in the Riguinha riverside area, also raising the hypothesis that the increase in the wall at the Port of Leixões is worsening the pollution situation.
Also the Chega councilor, Antonio Paradacriticizes the executive’s alleged lack of anticipation and highlights that the submarine exuctor has been included in planning documents for years.
Among the causes identified in previous communications from the municipality, the Riguinha and Carcavelos rivers and the existence of hundreds (around 900) stand out. illegal connections. And a “invasion” of seagullswith a population that can exceed four thousand birds, does not help — last summer, to ward off flocks of seagulls, they were hired two eagleswith regular overflights at defined times.
A project to divert river water remains on the table, based on a study by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, which envisages the construction of a channel to carry discharges approximately 600 meters into the sea.
