Paris, Thursday, May 25, 2000 Capri Waters Off-Limits to Bathers International Traveler / Update

ROME (AFP) - Environment officials have declared Capri's Blue Grotto, celebrated for its sparkling blue waters, off-limits to bathers after finding feces levels almost 10,000 times above the acceptable limit. Tourists were warned Tuesday not to take a dive in the normally pristine waters off Capri, southern Italy, after samples taken on May 10 were found to contain 920,000 coliform bacilli: only 100 is allowed under Italian law.

The Naples province environmental official, Luca Stamati, said the pollution was due to a ruptured underwater sewage pipe, which he expected to be repaired by June. The spot is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year.

http://www.iht.com/IHT/TODAY/THU/IN/travel.2.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 24, 2000