The Santo André Lagoon, in the municipality of Santiago do Cacém (Setúbal), opened to the sea today, in a process coordinated by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) aimed at renewing the water and the species.
The operation to open the lagoon to the sea, which this year was carried out using two backhoe loaders, began at around 3pm and was only completed “around 6pm”, the mayor of Santiago do Cacém, Álvaro Beijinha, told Lusa.
“The main objective of this operation, which is to open the lagoon, has been achieved and we now hope that it will be open for as many days as possible, although ideally it would be open for a few weeks,” said the mayor.
This year, the Lagoa de Santo André has “a high quota” and it is therefore expected that the connection to the sea will remain for a few days.
“This year, the lagoon has a lot of water. It hasn’t had this much water for many years and that’s also helping. As we now have a group of surfers getting ready to ride the static wave, that means it’s gaining flow and strength, which is an important sign,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of repeating the operation if the lagoon is not open to the sea for a period considered sufficient for the renewal of the species and the waters, the mayor said it was “still premature” to consider this possibility.
“From what we’re seeing, there’s clearly going to be some rejuvenation of the waters. When the tide changes, the salt water will come in and then we’ll see if it’s justified, but right now I think it’s premature to be making that demand,” he said.
However, the mayor said that there are “some issues”, such as the silting up of the Santo André Lagoon, which continue to worry the local community.
The lagoon “has a lot of sand in it and this has also affected the way it is opened up to the sea, since the fishing community continues to believe that there should also be a track machine to push the sand along the banks of the canal,” he said.
As in previous years, the operation to open the channel, which is wide and deep enough to connect to the sea, was accompanied by hundreds of people who remained on the beach until the process was completed.
The operation had the support of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and the collaboration of the Captaincy of the Port of Sines.
This operation takes place every year at the time of the spring equinox and, in addition to the spectacle that nature provides, aims to renew species and clean the water.
