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Bathing Waters Directive

Aims to protect public health and the environment from sewage pollution at bathing waters

Bathing Waters – what's our role?

We carry out the monitoring of bathing waters in England and Wales. Bathing waters in England and Wales are 'designated' by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government.

What we do

  • We monitor the 495 bathing waters (414 in England and 81 in Wales) and assess whether they comply with the standards of the current Bathing Water Directive (76/1160/EEC).
  • We identify the significant sources of pollution which cause individual bathing waters to fail and progress plans to improve the water quality.
  • We work with the water industry and The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) through the periodic review process to identify and prioritise sewage treatment works and sewerage infrastructure for improvement.
  • We work with other initiatives such as Catchment Sensitive Farming, sustainable urban drainage systems and water protection zones to find solutions to other pollution sources.
  • We also maintain good quality bathing waters through our regulatory permitting process.

Find out more

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