Not trying to be argumentative, Katherine, but if the counterclockwise current idea is correct, any pollution from Las Salinas should be entering the Bay after Playa Principal, not before it. The worst beaches in the Bay, then, would be those little ones past the entrance/exit of Las Salinas. Fortunately, (as it turns out), there's no longer any easy public access to those beaches, if at all.

The currents aren't as simple in the bay as you describe them. Waves and tides and the contours of the coast all have their effects. The worst beach in the bay is indeed Playa El Almacén, thanks to the jetty at Puerto Mío, which may be why Puerto Mío denies that beach even exists. Several years ago the government used to test the water there. No testing is done at Contramar either. Those are the "little ones" you refer to.

What you are forgetting is the proximity of Playa Principal to the lagoon and the malfunctioning sewage treatment plant. Also, the jetty that was built as the start of a cruise ship pier -- which thankfully was abandoned -- tends to hold water in that area, instead of allowing the natural "flushing" action. It is my understanding that these are the reasons why Playa Principal is the most contaminated beach. Again, I have never had any issues with swimming at La Ropa. Obviously, the situation is far from perfect. But hopefully with all of the attention now being focused on the problem, things will change for the better. As far as Las Gatas, Rob has explained the reason for high contamination levels there -- overbuilding and overloaded septic systems are the culprit.

Not trying to be argumentative, Katherine, but if the counterclockwise current idea is correct, any pollution from Las Salinas should be entering the Bay after Playa Principal, not before it. The worst beaches in the Bay, then, would be those little ones past the entrance/exit of Las Salinas. Fortunately, (as it turns out), there's no longer any easy public access to those beaches, if at all.

I completely agree. However -- things are bad enough without making them sound worse than they really are. Playa la Ropa is perfectly safe for swimming. Playa Principal is not. Frightening away potential visitors will not do a thing to help the situation. That is why I feel the need to speak up when people say they haven't swum in the bay for years. There is really no reason to be so alarming.

At the risk of being called an alarmist, I've always wondered how one beach on a relatively small bay could be so polluted that the authorities finally banned swimming, while other beaches within sight of that same beach could be considered safe.
If memory serves, I recall reading somewhere that the ocean currents in Zihua Bay run counterclockwise.....that the Bay is "flushed", (perhaps an unfortunate word in this context) in a counterclockwise direction.
If so, one would expect Playa Las Gatas to be the cleanest, followed by La Ropa, La Madera and, finally, Playa Principal.
(I realize there are other, lesser-used beaches in the Bay).
This "order of cleanliness" jibes with the common wisdom we've encountered in Zihua over the past decade. While I still regularly swim at La Ropa, and have also done so at Las Gatas and La Madera, the latter has been off my list now for several years. We've met some visitors who will not swim at La Madera, and a few who won't swim in the Bay at all.
The shocker, a couple of years back, were pollution figures showing that Las Gatas, which the counterclockwise-flushing-current story says should be the cleanest beach, was not only less clean than La Ropa, but had relatively high bacteria counts, on par with Playa La Madera.
So much, apparently, for the flushing theory.
Given the small size of Zihua Bay, demonizing Playa Principal as "the polluted beach", while extolling the relative safety of the other Bay beaches is whistling past the graveyard.

By the way, thanks for the video. Put Helen in charge of the clean-up crew: that'll get results.

I do hate the feeling of powerlessness when this issue soooooo obviously needs to be addressed.

In fairness, I have noticed this year that there has been being some work done at the sewer plant in La Salinas. The smell from the lagoon/sewer plant changes from week to week. While there have been times this year that the smell has been overpowering....over all the smell is less than in previous years.

YES.....it needs to be fixed but it needs to start at the sewer plant. To try and change the water in the bay we MUST start there. Dredging the lagoon would be a great idea if all the sewer plants worked.

As far as the statement "glad some of this information is finally getting out". Where have you been? If you are talking about the video I understand, but none of this information has been hidden from the public. One only needs to walk down the Paseo del Pescador or over the little foot bridge into La Noria and it is obvious.

I am not trying to be mean to anyone, just letting my thoughts on the subject be know.

Glad some of this information is finally getting out . I love Z but it is vital that serious pollution issues in the waters here as elsewhere in our world ,be addressed . I have had serious eye problems arise in Mexico and my eyes are always irritated when in Z. In the last few years when I've spoken with locals who have lived their entire lives there they all tell me not to go in anywhere in the bay. Such a beautiful bay, it's so sad , such a loss.....i only hope that we can do something to affect positive change.

My wife has lived here her entire life, and she and I only recommend avoiding swimming at Playa Principal.

As far as eye problems go, I've never had any. The diver in the video is a relative newcomer to town, and like many newcomers he apparently has different hygiene habits. The dust in the road that goes to La Noria where his office is located surely contains fecal matter washed down from the hillsides above as well as from the dysfunctional water treatment plant and the dust around the lagoon. While I drive through that area regularly myself, if I see it is dusty I roll up my windows and I certainly keep my hands away from my eyes until I can wash the dust off. I've never had conjunctivitis in 25 years of living here.

Often folks who use sunscreen/sunblock/suntan lotion get it in their eyes, others rub their eyes with dirty hands. There are a number of ways to experience "eye problems", but frankly, living by the sea I believe we have some of the cleanest air possible in the world. And again, in 25 years living here the only eye problems I've had are due to aging and probably spending too much time in front of a computer screen.

While I wholeheartedly acknowledge we have a pollution problem, I don't believe that it helps anything to paint un unrealistic picture of the reality here on the ground.

However, our worst nightmares can certainly come true if the local government officials, in their afan for capturing blocs of eager desperate and uneducated voters, "regularize" the remaining 23 "colonias irregulares" on our hillsides, lands that weren't for sale but that squatters are apparently being allowed to remain on. Like the majority of older residents, my concern is because they are people who have already shown their disdain for property rights and the law, they have limited education and skills, to install the proper water and sewage services in their colonias means our very limited tax money will not be used for maintenance and improvements where the actual taxpayers live and work because the cost is so high to provide water and sewage services above the 70 meter mark aka Cota 70 that was our building limit until 10 years ago when the "Plan Director" of Zihuatanejo was changed under dubious circumstances. Unfortunately for the past 12 years or so we haven't had any local authorities with the will to simply APPLY THE LAW and remove the land invaders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CNgA40UJa4&feature=youtu.be

Thanks Allen for posting this! Nothing I did not know, but I think the time has come to make it more public.
I have been trying to get family and friends to come down but now, until things change, I sure don't want my grandchildren here.