Bathers have been warned not to swim at a popular dive spot in Ras il-Ħobż, Gozo, after an online video revealed cloudy underwater sewage flowing close to the shore.
Recorded by avid diver and university lecturer Matthew Montebello, the footage showed gallons of what was described by online commentators as “disgusting waste” spewing from a broken section of pipe.
If we can’t dive there it would have a powerful impact on diving tourism
But the Water Services Corporation dismissed the claims, insisting the discharge was fully in line with the EU Urban Waste Water Directive, which prohibits dumping environmentally harmful waste in the sea.
It insisted that the pipe was not damaged, but a section had purposely been cut to make it shorter due to technical difficulties in pumping the water to the original dumping spot.
The submerged pipe forms part of a system that carries all of Gozo’s treated sewage from a waste facility near Mġarr ix-Xini to a dumping spot out at sea.
Comments on the video describing the discharge as “ruining a diving spot” prompted the Gozo plant’s waste treatment manager to write a response on his personal Facebook wall.
“This is treated waste and definitely not untreated,” he said.
A WSC spokesman later told this newspaper that the discharge looked murky because of the depth and mineral properties of the water.
“This outflow occurred 60 metres below the surface and was essentially fresh water mixing with salt water. Discharges of this nature always look this way,” he said.
While the outflow was not raw sewage,it still contained bacteria and was not safe for bathers.
“This water has not been disinfected. It is not harmful to the environment but it is still not safe for swimmers,” he said, adding that the discharge had not been tested.
The spokesman said his conclusions were based on the fact no faults had been reported at the Gozitan treatment facility.
Even though the Ras il-Ħobż coastal area is outside the swimmers’ zone, it attracts many people who want to avoid the crowds.
Locals reported seeing as many as 200 boats moored in the area last month. Ras il-Ħobż is also a popular dive spot, with throngs visiting the three scuttled wrecks near the area every year. Lifelong diver and instructor Sally Carr described the area as vastly important to the sport.
“It is one of Gozo’s most popular spots. If we can’t dive there it would have a powerful impact on diving tourism. It would be a disaster,” Mrs Carr said.
She questioned why the authorities had chosen to create a diving hub in an area that now appeared unsuitable for divers.