A section of Malaga’s coastline has been closed to swimmers once again after a sewage pipe failure triggered a discharge of wastewater into the sea.
The latest incident affects Guadalmar Beach, including the nearby Arraijanal and Campo de Golf areas, just a week after bathing restrictions were lifted following previous contamination problems.
The city’s municipal water company, Emasa, detected the fault on Thursday afternoon after noticing a drop in pressure in a sewage pipeline connected to the Guadalmar pumping station.
Engineers traced the problem to a broken fitting on an air valve attached to a 700mm-diameter sewage pipe.
Repair teams were deployed immediately and are expected to complete the work during the day.
To carry out the repairs, operators were forced to shut down the Guadalmar pumping station, resulting in an emergency discharge of wastewater through an offshore outfall pipe extending around 475 metres into the sea.
Emasa said measures were being taken to minimise the environmental impact of the spill while repairs are completed.
The closure marks the latest setback for Guadalmar, which has suffered repeated sewage-related incidents in recent months.
In December 2025, flooding from the Guadalhorce River damaged a section of pipeline crossing the beach, causing a sewage leak that led to a swimming ban after tests detected E. coli bacteria in the water.
Although restrictions were lifted in March, fresh problems emerged two months ago when a major sewer collector failed near the mouth of the Guadalhorce River.
As a temporary solution, Emasa began using newly installed reclaimed water pipes in reverse to transport wastewater to the treatment plant while repairs were carried out.
The current bathing ban remains in place while authorities repair the damaged infrastructure and assess the impact of the latest spill.
Officials have not yet indicated when swimmers will be allowed back into the water, saying the restriction will only be lifted once repairs are complete and water quality conditions are deemed safe.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
