Playa De Ponent Pm1

23.9°C Water temp · Jun 8

Spain Coastal 2 - Good 23.9°C

Satellite image of PLAYA DE PONENT PM1 — Satellite image © Esri

Ponent Beach is a semi-enclosed sandy beach located in the urban municipality of Salou in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The beach stretches 1,200 metres with an average width of 49 metres and covers an area of 49,906 square metres. The beach is bounded to the east by rocks from the Salou sports port breakwater and opens to the southwest towards Cap de Sant Pere de Cambrils beach. The Barenys ravine discharges into the beach at its right (southern) end. The beach experiences high occupancy levels.

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Water

Mediterranean Sea. Semi-sandy beach type. Average width 49 metres, length 1,200 metres, surface area 49,906 square metres. Coarse sand sediment with median grain size 0.54 mm. Moderate water entry slope. Coastline erosion rate −1.08 metres per year. Water mass C29 (Salou-Cambrils): shallow sandy type with low continental influence. Average salinity 37–39.6 psu. Water temperature: June 21.9 °C, July 25.6 °C, August 25.8 °C, September 24.7 °C. Predominant winds southeast, weak intensity. Predominant sea state: rippled. Significant wave height 81 centimetres, mean period 5.24 seconds, most frequent direction east. General circulation follows a cyclonic pattern with a current parallel to the continental coast.

Location

Salou municipality (population 26,649), Tarragona province, Catalonia, Spain. Located in the Mediterranean coastal area between the Salou sports port breakwater to the east and Cap de Sant Pere de Cambrils beach to the southwest.

Season

First week of June to third week of September. Microbiological monitoring occurs weekly (all Saturdays) for 17 consecutive weeks. Environmental inspections minimum 3 per week during the bathing season.

Water Quality

Water quality is monitored under Directive 2006/7/CE. Microbiological indicators monitored are Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci. Monitoring occurs weekly during the bathing season. The Barenys ravine carries water from the Reus wastewater treatment plant. During heavy rainfall events, the treatment plant and submarine outfall cannot handle all flow, causing untreated wastewater mixed with rainwater to discharge directly to the sea through the Barenys ravine at the beach's right end. The Reus system discharges treated wastewater through a submarine outfall located at the southwest end of Ponent Beach (coordinates X:342282; Y:4547379), 1,550 metres long at 18 metres depth. The Vila-seca/Salou wastewater system serves the area with biological treatment and tertiary treatment for partial water reuse, with a principal outfall at Prats Beach in Vila-seca.

Risks

Barenys ravine discharge during heavy rainfall events can introduce untreated wastewater into the beach. The ravine is the most significant hydrological input to the bathing zone. Wastewater discharge from the Reus treatment plant occurs habitually into the ravine and reaches the sea through a submarine outfall; during intense rainfall, untreated wastewater bypasses treatment and enters the sea directly through the ravine.