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It is clear that bathing water legislation has helped improve the microbiological quality of Europe’s bathing waters. However, the task is not accomplished yet. Achieving the vision of ‘excellent’ bathing water quality across Europe is closely linked with how we address emerging future challenges such as climate change and plastic pollution.
Besides emerging challenges, there will be unexpected risks that may require management, such as the COVID-19 virus and pandemic. There are currently no viral indicators as parameters in the BWD. The EEA has published the ‘European bathing water quality in 2019 Briefing’, in which it provided information on risks in Europe for the 2020 bathing season with regard to COVID-19 and links to key guidance documents. Members of the public are advised to always follow the guidance and instructions at the bathing sites, from their local and national authorities in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
This report summarises how 40 years of European environmental policy and management has significantly improved bathing water quality across Europe. We outline the key challenges for bathing water management in Europe, and describe how these are addressed by governments implementing the BWD through the specific management measures, strategies and practices. In addition, we point out that the improvement of bathing water quality can serve as inspiration and best practices in environmental management. Further, we discuss how bathing water protection and restoration does not necessarily take place only at popular coastal resorts. On the contrary, improving bathing water quality is feasible and desirable for the rivers and lakes within the towns and cities that many of us live in. Through the report we highlight the value and importance of bathing waters in Europe and identify challenges for future bathing water management.
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It would be good to add a paragraph explaining how bathing water quality under the BWD is linked to the water quality (ecological and chemical status) under the WFD. For example, you refer in the report to toxic algal blooms etc.
The factors influencing bathing water can be many: microbiological, chemical, algal toxins, microplastics, drugs (antibiotics, etc.); the presence of many of these is strongly affected by climate change, therefore it would be useful to identify a methodology for allocating a health risk value for each of the factors mentioned above, calculated on the basis of the impact that each individual pressure (punctual and diffuse) exerts on a water body. Then the results of the analysis of the area of influence, central part of the bathing water profile, should be integrated with the classification system.
Factors influencing bathing water quality (bacterial pollution, short-term pollution events, eutrophication, cyanobacteria…) are listed and described within section 4 (Addressing the challenges to bathing waters). Management/mitigation measures and corresponding case studies are also described for each of the identified factors. In the section 5.1 it is also explained what threat some of these factors present in scope of climate change.