Bathing water tests
Official measurements of E. coli and intestinal enterococci.
Gobierno de Canarias / Servicio Canario de la Salud
How it works
Understanding the water around Tenerife’s beaches
MiCharco brings together official water quality data, bathing restrictions, discharge records and documented incidents so you can understand the wider situation around Tenerife’s beaches in one place.
MiCharco does not analyse the water or provide real time data
MiCharco organises and interprets published information from official sources. The data reflects the most recent information available from each source, but does not constitute real time water monitoring.
Built from published data
We use several official sources rather than relying on a single dataset.
Current bathing status
Closures, bathing prohibitions, warnings and reopenings.
Gobierno de Canarias / local authorities
Annual classification
Official long-term classification: Excellent · Good · Sufficient · Poor.
NÁYADE / Spanish bathing water authorities
Discharge records
Location, type and administrative status of registered coastal discharge points.
Official Canarias land-to-sea discharge census
Documented incidents
Pollution events, restrictions, closures and reopenings.
Official authorities and trusted local reporting where necessary
We link back to the original record wherever possible.
What the tests measure
Public-health authorities primarily monitor two microbiological indicators in bathing water:
E. coli
A bacterium used as an indicator of possible faecal contamination. Elevated concentrations can indicate that sewage or other sources of faecal pollution may have reached the bathing area.
Intestinal enterococci
Another group of bacteria used as indicators of faecal contamination. They are especially useful in marine waters because they can persist in the environment for longer.
These measurements do not mean that every possible pollutant is being tested. They are standardised public-health indicators used by authorities to assess the microbiological quality of bathing water.
Lower values are generally better. Results are normally expressed as CFU per 100 ml.
A single result does not define the overall situation at a beach. That is why MiCharco combines recent test results with the available historical record.
More than a single water test
A single laboratory result does not tell the whole story. Official microbiological measurements are the strongest signal, the annual classification provides longer-term context, and qualifying official restrictions or confirmed contamination at that beach can temporarily reduce the score. Media reports, complaints, expert statements, island-wide entries and discharge records are shown as context and never change the score.
How the MiCharco profile is calculated
This is a simplified explanation of the methodology. The 0–100 historical profile combines several inputs with different weights, recency rules and time decay.
- 01
Official water tests
Strongest signal. Recent microbiological measurements matter more than older results.
Strongest signal - 02
Qualifying incidents
Only official bathing restrictions and officially confirmed contamination linked to that specific beach affect the historical score. Qualifying incidents can reduce the score by up to 22 points. Their influence decreases rapidly with age and disappears completely after 24 months. Media reports, complaints, expert statements and island-wide incidents remain visible as context but do not affect the score.
Up to −22 points, fading - 03
Annual classification
The official Excellent / Good / Sufficient / Poor classification, which authorities themselves calculate from samples, provides longer-term context.
Long-term context - 04
Nearby registered discharge points
Nearby registered discharge points are shown as background context based on their distance, type and administrative status, and do not affect the score.
Context only · not scored
Two things that should not be confused
Each beach shows a MiCharco profile and the current official status. They answer different questions and are never merged.
MiCharco profile
0–100
Summarises the broader available record around the beach.
- 99Excellent
- 97Very good
- 92Good
- 80Moderate
Current official status
Published by the authority
Shows whether authorities currently allow, restrict or prohibit bathing.
OpenRestrictedClosed
Current official status always takes priority.
If authorities prohibit bathing or issue a warning, MiCharco shows it prominently regardless of the historical score or previous laboratory results.
How far the history goes
The individual official bathing-water samples used by MiCharco are available from 2023 to today. MiCharco does not fill earlier years with estimates or mix unrelated data sources simply to close historical gaps. Where no official record is available, we do not invent one. Documented incidents are also reviewed from 1 January 2023, including closures, reopenings, officially confirmed contamination and other relevant events.
A historical incident appearing on MiCharco does not mean that it still affects the current score. Incidents that influence the score lose weight over time and stop affecting it completely after 24 months.
Two different dates
In MiCharco it is worth separating the date of the data from the date MiCharco looked at it. They do not mean the same thing.
Official date
When it happened
The date of the sample, warning, closure, reopening or incident according to the original source.
Checked date
When MiCharco verified it
The date MiCharco imported, reviewed or updated that record.
The checked date tells you how recently MiCharco verified the information. It does not describe the condition of the water on that date.
The MiCharco score is an independent historical profile based on transparent rules. It is not an official water quality classification and should not be interpreted as a statement of current bathing safety.
What a registered discharge point means
A registered discharge point does not mean that a beach is polluted.
MiCharco shows nearby discharge points from the official Canary Islands land-to-sea discharge census as background context only. Their presence or administrative status does not demonstrate the water quality at a nearby beach and does not affect the MiCharco score.
Authorised means the discharge has the corresponding administrative authorisation. Not authorised can cover different administrative situations, including applications in progress, expired or denied authorisations, or cases where no valid authorisation is recorded. It should not be interpreted as a measurement of pollution level.
Source: Government of the Canary Islands · Land-to-sea discharge census (opens in a new tab)The MiCharco profile
The score summarises the available evidence around each beach. It is not a live laboratory reading.
99–100
95–98
90–94
80–89
55–79
0–54
- Excellent99–100
- Very good95–98
- Good90–94
- Moderate80–89
- Poor55–79
- Very poor0–54
- Excellent99–100
- Very good95–98
- Good90–94
- Moderate80–89
- Poor55–79
- Very poor0–54
What the symbols mean
You’ll see these throughout MiCharco.
Recent incident
A recent water-quality incident has been recorded.
Historical incident
An older water-quality incident remains part of the beach history.
- Closed
Official restriction
Authorities currently restrict or prohibit bathing.
- Excellent
Excellent / Good / Sufficient / Poor
Official annual bathing-water classification. It is an official classification, not the MiCharco score.
- HighMediumLow
High / Medium / Low confidence
How complete and recent the underlying information is. Confidence describes the data, not the water quality.
Authorised discharge
The official record lists the discharge as authorised.
Pending
Authorisation is pending or being processed.
Not authorised
The official record lists the discharge as not authorised.
- OFFICIAL
Official
Information comes directly from an authority or public register.
- MEDIA
Media
Information comes from an established news source when an accessible official publication was not available.
A transparent view of published data
MiCharco is built from published records. Public data can be delayed, incomplete or change between laboratory samples.
We show sources wherever possible and keep official information separate from MiCharco’s own assessment.
MiCharco helps you understand the available evidence. It does not replace official signs, restrictions or public-health advice.