Bathing water quality
Overview
This summer was the wettest on record but despite this nearly 98 per cent of bathing waters in England and Wales met the water quality standards required by law. In 2006 bathing water quality was the best ever.
How clean are bathing waters? » What is being down to improve bathing water quality? » Blue Flag Awards »Find out more
How clean are bathing waters?
In 2007 we measured the water quality at 494 bathing waters in England and Wales. Almost all bathing waters (98 per cent) met the minimum standards and 394 (80 per cent) were clean enough to meet the much stricter European guideline standards (Indicator: Bathing water compliance).
Bathing water quality has improved significantly over recent years, Between 1997 and 2007 the number of bathing waters meeting the European guideline standards increased by more than a third. This is largely due to water companies investing to improve the quality of their sewage discharges.
Find out how clean the water is at your local bathing water by typing your postcode or town name in the link to our ‘What’s in your Back Yard’ website. During the bathing season (May to September) you can also see our weekly bathing water sampling results.
What is being done to improve bathing water quality?
We play a significant role in deciding what environmental improvements the water industry should make. Further sewerage improvements are planned in the water companies’ environment programmes to 2010.
But there is also a challenge to tackle sources of diffuse pollution. Examples of this sort of pollution include water runoff from farmland contaminated by livestock manure, road water runoff in urban areas and discharges from storm water drainage systems where sewers have been illegally connected into them. We are already starting to tackle these problems using initiatives such as Catchment Sensitive Farming and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).
A new Bathing Water Directive will become law in the UK in March 2008 and will take effect from 2015. This will set even stricter water quality standards. We are doing some investigation to identify and tackle the sources of pollution to meet the new standards.
Blue Flag awards
Blue Flag is an international campaign that aims to improve coastal areas. In 2007, 140 bathing waters in England and Wales were awarded a Blue Flag. They met the award scheme’s strict criteria for a Blue Flag, as well as meeting the bathing water quality standards. The water quality criteria are similar to the European guidelines but include an additional bacteria standard.
- Coastal waters
- Bathing Waters Directive
Aims to protect public health and the environment from sewage pollution at bathing waters - Water industry environmental improvement programmes (AMP)
Current, previous and next programmes, and background information about AMP and the periodic review process. - How we measure bathing water quality
- Diffuse pollution
- Blue Flag Awards
Information from ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns) about the beaches that won Seaside Awards this year. - Bathing water quality across Europe
Bathing water quality across Europe - Defra - Bathing Water Directive
Revised bathing water directive - Blue Flag Wales
Blue flag awards in Wales
