85% of bathing water deemed to be excellent

The quality of water at most of the bathing sites around the country is of very high quality, but nowhere as good as those found in tourist hotspots Greece, Malta, Cyprus, and Croatia.

Almost 85% of Ireland’s bathing water has been deemed “excellent”, according to the annual bathing water quality report from the European Environment Agency.

Some 3% of Ireland’s bathing water was deemed as poor quality, similar to France and Spain, but better than Belgium (4%), Netherlands (5%), and Estonia (6%).

All the bathing sites in Cyprus and Luxembourg were deemed excellent, followed by Malta (99% excellent), Croatia (95%), and Greece (93%).

The water at Europe’s beaches, rivers, and lakes was generally of high quality last year, with more than 95% of these sites meeting minimum requirements. Coastal areas performed slightly better than inland bathing waters, the data shows.

Inland, bathing water quality was shown to be slightly lower than the average. Luxembourg was the only country to receive ‘excellent’ for all its inland bathing sites, with Denmark close behind with 94% excellent. Some 92% of Germany’s 2,000 inland bathing sites were of excellent quality.

The highest rates of poor or non-compliant bathing waters were found in Estonia (5.7%), Netherlands (5.1%), Belgium (3.5%), France (3.5%), Spain (3.3%), and Ireland (3%).

The annual report tracks the water quality at some 22,000 bathing sites across the EU, Switzerland, and, for the first time, Albania.

Local authorities monitor the samples at local beaches, collecting samples in the spring and throughout the bathing season. The ratings are based on levels of two types of bacteria which indicate pollution from sewage or livestock. These bacteria can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if swallowed.

Alongside the report, the European Environment Agency published an interactive map showing how each bathing site performed in 2013.

Environment commissioner Janez Potocnik said: “It’s good that the quality of European bathing waters continues to be of a high standard. But we cannot afford to be complacent with such a precious resource as water. We must continue to ensure that our bathing and drinking water as well as our aquatic ecosystems are fully protected.”

Hans Bruyninckx, the agency’s executive director, said: “Europe’s bathing water has improved over the last two decades. We are no longer discharging such high quantities of sewage directly into water bodies. Today’s challenge comes from short-term pollution loads during heavy rain and flooding. This can overflow sewage systems and wash faecal bacteria from farmland into the rivers and seas.”