The municipal pool in Vila-seca has once again been closed this Tuesday due to an act of vandalism consisting of defecating in the water, known as the 'brown challenge'. This action has prevented the use of the facility during a new heatwave.
This incident is not new to the town, as last Saturday the same pool suffered an identical event. The closure required cleaning, disinfection, and hyperchlorination tasks, and the facility reopened on Sunday afternoon. This Tuesday, the situation repeated itself, forcing another preventive closure. The pool is expected to reopen this Wednesday.
These events in Vila-seca are part of a trend that has occurred in various Catalan towns this summer. In Besalú (Girona), the City Council reported the appearance of human excrement in its municipal pool, forcing an evacuation and disinfection. In Sant Joan de Vilatorrada (Barcelona), similar incidents have also been recorded on different days.
These incidents have led some city councils to increase surveillance at their aquatic facilities. The presence of fecal matter in the water requires swimmers to be evacuated, intensive chlorination treatment to be carried out, and analyses to be performed to ensure safety before allowing bathing again.
