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Clean water in freshwater ecosystems is not only beneficial for bathing: it also benefits drinking water provision and the wider health of the ecosystem. Efforts to improve bathing water quality therefore need to be closely coordinated with the suite of legislation designed to protect and manage European waters. These include the legislation on urban waste water treatment[1], drinking water[2], management of nitrates[3] in farming that affect water sources, protection of marine environments[4] and ultimately the Water Framework Directive (2000). These so-called ‘water industry directives’ focus on protecting human health, whilst at the same time regulating farming and economic practices as to reduce and prevent water pollution. Various elements of these policies focus on managing specific parts of the water cycle. Between them, there is a European monitoring and reporting network to document the quality of the water abstracted and used by humans², discharged afterwards¹, and the quality of the water available for recreational purposes[5] (EEA, 2016b). Efficient bathing water quality management therefore dovetails with the implementation of other European water policies. The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) regulates the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water, whereas the WFD regulates a holistic approach to maintaining good water status in general.  Box 1 illustrates an example of how the implementation of UWWTD and WFD brought positive results in implementing the BWD at the Lacuisine bathing water on the Semois River in Belgium (Box 1).