Thirteen Costa Rican beaches (including tourist hot spots like Puntarenas‘ province’s Jacó, Quepos, and Tambor, Guanacaste’s Playa del Coco and Limón’s Cieneguita and Portete) were all flagged late last year for high fecal contamination levels.
The poop pollution is coming from sewage runoff from businesses, hotels and homes that don’t have adequate sewage treatment facilities. Warnings have been posted at contaminated beaches and the country’s Ministry of Health recently met with the Costa Rican Water and Sanitation Institute (AyA) to try to combat this nation’s water pollution issues.
In the past 20 years, Costa Rica has seen a boom in eco-tourism. Ironically, as a result of this boom, the once pristine coastline now suffers from increased water quailty issues and sea turtle habitat disruption.
Surfrider Foundation’s Tamarindo Organizing Committee came together in 2006, to specifically combat these issues. They partner with Blue Flag, which conducts Blue Water Task Force testing on a regular basis at several beaches in the region.
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