Aug 10 – ESG Support New Bathing Water Quality Standards
The ESG would like to bring to the public’s attention the fact that bathing water monitoring has now entered a new phase in Europe, and is now also enforced in Gibraltar. Under Directive 2006/7/EC designated bathing waters now need to comply with new standards that are twice as strict as they were prior to 2015.
From the 17th July 2015 the Environmental Agency website displays a new format showing the monitoring regime and levels which are now in place. These are very different to the previous system and some explanation should be provided to the public: to explain how these will work in practice, this summer, and when determining whether a beach is safe to swim in or not.
The ESG regards these improvements as positive and hopes that all measures advocated under the Directive will soon follow. The Directive states that “information of a bathing site’s quality classification, the results of water quality monitoring, the site’s management measures and other relevant information is to be made readily available to the public, both through displays at the site and through the media and internet”. The changes advise that a new management scheme for each beach will be produced at the end of the 2015 bathing season.
There have been concerns that once the tighter legislation was in place, Western Beach could be closed to bathers. The only alternative to this would be for Brussels to ensure that EU Directives are implemented by Spain. The ESG would like to see another big push in Brussels by the Gibraltar authorities to rescue what is a highly popular family beach.
The group is continuing its work on this important social and environmental matter with its legal advisers and in Brussels too. It will report with more updates on this soon.
For more info on new Bathing Water Standards please visit http://www.environmental-agency.gi.
Environmental Agency Information on New Bathing Water Standards:-
A new Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) was adopted on the 15th February 2006 and was transposed into Gibraltar law by the Environment (Quality of Bathing Water) Regulations 2009.
Designated bathing waters now need to comply with new standards that are twice as strict as they were prior to 2015. The new directive only requires the monitoring of just two microbiological indicators of faecal contamination: E Coli and intestinal enterococci. This simplification reflects recognition that faecal material, for instance due to sewage contamination, is the primary health threat to bathers.
At the end of the 2015 bathing season, bathing sites will be classified into four categories: "excellent", "good", "sufficient", or "poor". These classifications will be based on an analysis of the sample results taken over the current bathing season and the preceding three years instead of a single year's result as at present. This means that the classification will be less susceptible to bad weather or one-off incidents. Where the water quality is consistently good over a three year period, the frequency of sampling may be reduced. This new directive also requires member states to draw up management measures for each site to minimise the risks to bathers, based on an assessment of the sources that are likely to affect them.
Information on a bathing site's quality classification, the results of water quality monitoring, the sites management measures and other relevant information to be made readily available to the public, both through displays at the site and through the media and internet.
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