News

Every year, to celebrate the beginning of the bathing season, flags are raised on the beaches of Quinta do Lago and Ancão. The solemnity took place on June 25th and as in previous years, was attended by representatives of the Portuguese Environment Agency, the Port Authority of Faro, the Regional Health Administration, the Municipality of Loulé, Quinta do Lago, Almancil Parish Council and, of course, Infraquinta.

The flags are a prize awarded to the beaches for the conservation and maintenance work developed by the concessions, municipalities and private companies. But what do all these 9 flags, that we see as soon as we get to the beach, mean?

There are three flags that have a very simple explanation, it is a geographical and local reference and represent the autarchic power, for that reason Portugal’s, Loule’s Municipality and Almancil’s Parish flags are raised.

The flags that rate the beach are divided into Blue Flag, Gold Flag, Accessible Beach Flag and Inclusive Beach for Color Blind People Flag. Blue Flag beaches have high quality and safety standards. The awarding of this flag to the beaches commends the efforts of various entities in promoting the coexistence of local development with respect for the environment. The Blue Flag is awarded to the beaches that meet the criteria of the following assessment groups: Information and Environmental Education, Water Quality, Environmental Management and Equipment, Safety and Services.

The Gold flag, on the other hand, evaluates only the water quality of the beach. The beaches with Gold flag attest that, at least, the water quality of the beach has remained spotless in the last 5 bathing seasons.

The Accessible Beach Flag and the Inclusive Beach Flag for Color Blind People have self-explanatory names. The first one certifies that the beach has reserved parking, pedestrian access, walkways in the sand and adapted toilets for people with mobility limitations. The second comes under the ColorADD program and indicates that the beach has implemented a code, allowing people unable to distinguish colors to perceive bathing information, namely Beach Flags (Green, Yellow and Red), Beach Recycling Ecopoints (Green, Blue, Yellow and Black) and the Beach Service Information Panels.

In addition to these flags, we can still see on the beaches of Quinta do Lago and Ancão the flags of Infraquinta and Quinta do Lago. These two companies, the first a municipal company, the second a private company, also have conservation and maintenance responsibilities and duties in the space.

Finally, there is a green flag and another yellow and orange, these two flags represent APCER certifications in Quality and Environment, respectively, attributed to Infraquinta.

For Infraquinta it is a pride to see the beaches of its intervention area distinguished year after year for the excellent work, it is a sign that the rigor and quality that characterizes us applies to the whole area of Quinta do Lago.