Swimming Ban At Xlendi Bay Lifted
The swimming ban at Xlendi Bay in Gozo has officially been lifted after tests confirmed that the seawater is safe.
The Environmental Health Directorate announced the update on Monday, a week after runoff water from heavy rainfall on 20th June triggered a public advisory. The rain had flooded valleys from Rabat and several other areas in central and southern Gozo, carrying soil and other deposits into the bay.
“After the rain that hit Gozo on 20th June, run-off water from the Xlendi valley moved from Rabat and a number of other localities,” the Directorate said in its original statement. “The water collected soil and deposits from the valley which went on to be deposited in the sea.”
Out of caution, officials had warned beachgoers not to swim in the area and began taking seawater samples from four key monitoring points around the bay.
Following several tests, the Directorate confirmed that water quality had returned to safe levels and that swimming in Xlendi Bay may now resume as normal.