Bulgaria scores high in EU bathing water survey
Close to 99 per cent of Bulgaria’s coastal bathing waters met European Union standards, the exception being a spot on the northern Black Sea coast, according to an annual report by the European Environment Agency.
Ninety-four per cent of bathing sites in the European Union meet minimum standards for water quality, according to the European Environment Agency’s annual report on bathing water quality in Europe. Water quality is excellent at 78 per cent of sites and almost two per cent more sites meet the minimum requirements compared to last year’s report.
Cyprus and Luxembourg stand out with all listed bathing sites achieving excellent water quality. Eight other countries have excellent quality values above the EU average: Malta (97 per cent), Croatia (95 per cent), Greece (93 per cent), Germany (88 per cent), Portugal (87 per cent), Italy (85 per cent), Finland (83 per cent) and Spain (83 per cent). This is an improvement on last year’s results, continuing the positive trend since bathing water monitoring began under the Bathing Water Directive in 1990.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: “It’s encouraging to see the quality of European bathing waters continuing to improve. But more remains to be done to ensure all our waters are suitable for bathing and drinking and that our aquatic ecosystems are in good health. Water is a precious resource and we need to put into practice all the necessary measures to protect it in full.”
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director, said: “From northern fjords to subtropical beaches, Europe is rich in places to cool down in the summer. Today’s report demonstrates that bathing water quality is generally very good, but there were still some sites with pollution problems, so we urge people to check the rating of their favourite swimming place.”
Every year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) compiles bathing water data gathered by local authorities at more than 22 000 sites across the 27 European Union member states, Croatia and Switzerland, and measuring levels of bacteria from sewage and livestock. More than two thirds of sites are coastal beaches, with rivers and lakes making up the remainder.
Each annual report is based on data from the previous bathing season, so this year’s report is a compilation of data gathered in summer 2012. In spite of the general improvement, this year’s report reveals that almost two per cent of bathing sites at beaches, lakes and rivers have poor water quality. The highest proportions of non-compliant bathing sites were in Belgium (12 per cent), the Netherlands (7 per cent) and the United Kingdom (6 per cent).
Some of these beaches had to be closed during the 2012 season. In general, coastal bathing sites score highly, with more than 95 per cent of EU sites meeting the minimum requirements and 81 per cent rated as excellent. In comparison, 91 per cent of bathing waters in lakes and rivers score above the minimum threshold and 72 per cent have excellent quality.
Storm water overflows, caused when sewers cannot cope with heavy rains, are still a problem in some areas, although better water treatment and fewer raw sewage discharges into the environment have improved water quality. In the early 1990s, only about 60 per cent of sites had excellent quality water, while 70 per cent met minimum standards.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
