Five times so far this season, someone has defecated in a public swimming pool in Zamora, Spain. Three of those cases occurred in the same pool, the Sindical pool, and everything points to it not being childhood incontinence, but rather a viral challenge circulating on social media.
Each incident forces the pool to close for between 24 and 48 hours. Hyperchlorination must be applied, samples must be taken, and it must be confirmed that E. coli bacteria do not exceed permitted limits before reopening. Meanwhile, dozens of families are left unable to swim in the middle of summer because of one person’s stunt.
Manuel Alesander Alonso, Sports Councilor of Zamora City Council, admitted that more cases have been recorded this year than in previous summers. They have never identified the person responsible: by the time other swimmers notice what is floating in the water, the culprit has already left. All of Spain faces the same problem, and authorities are already talking about fines for those who turn it into a game.