A European Commission report has found an improvement in the quality of bathing water in Ireland. The report found the water was "marginally better" last year than it was in 1998. Nine inland bathing areas in Ireland were credited with full compliance with EC guidelines.
The report will be presented by the European Commissioner for the Environment, Ms Margot Wallstrom, today during a forum on implementation and enforcement of EC environmental law.
It studied 11,435 seaside beaches in the EU and 4,376 freshwater areas. More than 95 per cent of the coastal areas have been found to comply with minimum quality requirements - a slight improvement on 1998.
Freshwater bathing areas "show for the third consecutive year some encouraging results", a Commission statement said. More than 90 per cent of the freshwater bathing areas respected the requirements.
Ireland, Greece, Italy and Spain were the only states with improved coastal bathing areas, according to the report.
A 1976 directive on water quality requires each member-state to identify bathing areas, to monitor them during the bathing season and to report on the results. A link to a "Tourist Atlas", which advises on water quality, is provided on the EU website.
The Commission publishes the report every year just before the start of the bathing season. It plans to publish information more frequently for tourists and the tourist industry.
roddyosullivan@ireland.com
Weblink: http://europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/index-en.html
