Bathing water quality

Ensuring adequate bathing water quality is an important public health issue within the countries of the European Union. The principles for monitoring and assessing bathing water quality are set out in Directive 2006/7/EC, the purpose of which is to reduce health risks for people using bathing waters. Member States were required to transpose the Directive into their national legislation. More detailed information on the legal requirements applicable in the countries participating in the project can be found in the Transnational Bathing Water Strategy, Panel 2.

Before the start of each bathing season, water quality testing must be carried out to confirm that the bathing site can be used safely. The Directive requires at least four water samples to be collected during the bathing season, including one sample taken before the beginning of the season, although the total number of samples depends on the length of the bathing season. Monitoring focuses primarily on microbiological parameters such as Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci, which are indicators of faecal contamination.

Bathing site operators are legally required to provide the public with information on bathing water quality. Users of bathing sites should have easy access to up-to-date information regarding water quality, temporary bathing bans, cyanobacterial blooms, and other potential health risks. This information should be communicated in a clear, understandable, and regularly updated manner, both at the bathing site itself and through publicly accessible information sources. Some Member States maintain dedicated bathing water websites where current information is published. The addresses of these websites maintained in the countries participating in the project are provided below.