(25 May 2016) – The annual bathing water report published today shows that bathing water quality has improved continuously over time leading to 96% of monitored bathing sites in the EU meeting the minimum standards for water quality in 2015.
The annual bathing water report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission compiles analyses of water sampled at more than 21 000 coastal and inland bathing sites across the EU, Switzerland and Albania indicating whether or not it has been contaminated by faecal pollution from sewage or livestock.
While 96% of bathing sites met the minimum requirements, more than 84% met the more stringent ‘excellent’ level.
Several large tourist areas and cities like Blackpool, Copenhagen and Munich are also starting to benefit from investments in improved sewage systems.