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Green Dreams

January 10, 2017

The popular tourist attraction of the green lagoon at El Golfo is finally being restored to its former glory, with work beginning next week to drain and clear the disappearing stretch of water. Despite wide agreement amongst the political parties on Lanzarote that the work needed to be undertaken, it has taken almost fifteen years for the project to get underway.

This peculiar natural phenomenon is thought to be the result of a particular type of algae that lives in the lagoon, located some metres from the shoreline at El Golfo. Over the years the size of the lagoon has shrunk as more and more of the space was filled with silt and the tidal waters were no longer able to filter through to replenish its original state.

In recent years, access to the attraction has been restricted at various times, due to debris on the coastal path that leads down to the lagoon, making it something of a no-go area for visitors to Los Hervideros and the volcanic region that lies between Playa Blanca and the beginning of the Timanfaya National Park. The situation had become so dire, that the once green colour of the water had turned a muddy brown, no doubt partially the result of debris washed down from the cliff behind in the recent heavy rain of October.

Some 593,000 Euros has been set aside by the Department of the Environment to finance this public work and it is anticipated it will be concluded within the next five months. An environmental impact study concluded that starting the work at this point in the year would cause the least disruption to nesting birds in the area.

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