Water Quality - EC Bathing Water Directive

Revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC)

• Revised Bathing Water Directive
• Summary of the main features
• Predicted water quality classifications
• Provision of public information

Revised Bathing Water Directive

The revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) (on Europa website) entered into force on 24 March 2006. The overall objective of the revised Directive remains the protection of public health whilst bathing, but it also offers an opportunity to improve management practices at bathing waters and to standardise the information provided to bathers across Europe.

The UK has a period of two years from 24 March 2006 in which to bring into force any new national laws, regulations or administrative processes needed to comply with the revised Directive. However, it will take longer than this to bring the Directive into full effect as there are a number of deadlines to be met, the latest of which is in 2015. By this time, the revised Directive should be in operation across the whole of the European Union.

For background information about why the Bathing Water Directive has been revised, the revision process and the content of earlier proposals, see the history of the revision.

Summary of the main features

The main features of the revised Bathing Water Directive include:

• a closer focus on the protection of public health
• continues to apply only to bathing waters and does not include recreational waters
• bathing water profiles to be produced
• increased provision of public information, allowing the public to make informed choices about bathing
• requirement to have signage at bathing waters
• emergency plans required for exceptional circumstances
• possibility of discounting poor samples at some bathing waters
• timetable is in line with the Water Framework Directive, as bathing waters are protected areas under the Water Framework Directive

The revised Directive has updated the way in which water quality is measured, focusing on fewer microbiological indicators, and setting different standards for inland and coastal bathing sites:

• tighter microbiological standards - to be met by 2015
• two microbiological parameters - Intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli
• water quality classification based on 3 or 4 years monitoring data, using 95 or 90 percentiles
• four new classification categories:
  • excellent – approximately twice as stringent as the current guideline standard
  • good – similar to the current guideline standard
  • sufficient – tighter than the current mandatory standard
  • poor – normally non-compliant wate

Public participation

The revised Bathing Water Directive requires Member States to encourage the public to participate in the implementation of the Directive by informing them of how to participate and giving them the opportunity to make suggestions, remarks or complaints. One of the ways the Government is proposing to discharge this obligation is by re-launching the bathing water newsletter. It has been a while since Defra last issued a bathing water newsletter, however, with the revised Bathing Water Directive coming into force earlier this year it is an opportune moment to start issuing them again. Defra will aim to issue the newsletters at fairly regular intervals. The purpose of the newsletter is not just to keep everyone that is interested/affected by our work on the transposition and implementation of the Directive up to date with what we are doing, but also to give the public the opportunity to feed into our work as it progresses.

• Bathing water newsletter, October 2006 (78 KB)

As well as viewing the newsletter on the Defra website you can also receive it via email. If you would like to be added to the Defra mailing list and receive future editions of the newsletter via email please contact James.Biott@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Predicted water quality classifications

Defra and the Environment Agency have used the new standards and four years of water quality monitoring data (2002 to 2005) to assess the compliance rate that might be expected in England under the revised Directive. It is important to appreciate that these predictions assume that no further action is taken to improve water quality. The predicted classifications for each identified bathing water in England are available in the spreadsheet below:

• Predicted water quality classifications at identified bathing waters in England under the revised Bathing Water Directive (22 KB)

In England, it is predicted that 92% of bathing waters (372 sites) will meet the minimum, long-term, acceptable bathing water quality classification (ie sufficient) under the revised Directive, compared to 99% that met the minimum mandatory standard in 2005. This means that 32 waters are predicted to be classified as poor with no action taken.

The number of bathing waters predicted in each classification category in England under the revised Bathing Water Directive (based on current water quality results):

Over the coming years Defra will be working closely with stakeholders to determine the most appropriate course of action to be taken at bathing waters, particularly those at risk of failing the new standards.

The improvements will comprise the programme of measures to be introduced in 2009 under the Water Framework Directive, aimed at achieving a sufficient or higher classification by 2015. The measures will include improvements to sewerage infrastructure and action to reduce diffuse pollution.

Provision of public information

The revised Bathing Water Directive contains new requirements for the provision of public information to be "actively disseminated and promptly made available" during the bathing season. Local Authorities will play a greater role in the implementation of the revised Directive than they have with the existing Directive, particularly in relation to the provision of signage at all identified bathing waters. Many Local Authorities are already carrying out some of the requirements, for example, by providing bathing water quality information on signs at bathing sites.

The European Commission will propose a system of clear and simple signs or symbols to be used at bathing waters before 24 March 2010, and the new beach signage system has to be in place by 2012.

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