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Bathing water quality

Last update of indicator19.01.2024

Indicator definition

The indicator describes the quality of bathing waters and water quality on natural bathing water.

Units

-

Metadata

Related policy documents and targets

Act no. 364/2004 Coll. on Waters and on the amendment of the Slovak National Council Act no. 372/1990 Coll. on Offenses as amended (Water Act)

§ 8 Bathing waters

(5) The Ministry (note: The Ministry of Environment) ensures that all bathing waters are classified at least as sufficient till the end of the bathing season in 2015.
To ensure that the number of bathing waters classified as excellent or good is increased, the authority of state water management shall impose measures for improving the condition of the bathing waters, in particular the measures in accordance with the section 36, par. 5, 12 and 14.

The Protocol on Water and Health - to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, 1992 - National objectives of SR III (2014)

The reason for the Protocol´s objectives update in 2014 is their fulfilment, or the need of extending the deadlines for the fulfilment of objectives which are still actual, as well as determining new national objectives conditioned by the situation change and the occurrence of new problems to which the attention must be paid, and which seem to be important in terms of Protocol´s objectives implementation in SR. SR has defined the national objectives already for the third time since the Protocol entered into force.

National objectives of SR III

National Objective no. 6: Reducing the health risks associated with bathing water quality
Date of fulfilment: y. 2020

National Objective no. 7: Mapping the presence of enteroviruses in bathing waters
Date of fulfilment: y. 2019

National Objective no. 8: Monitoring the development of water bodies affected by the development of cyanobacteria
Date of fulfilment: y. 2020

Key question

What is the quality of waters intended for bathing and at natural swimming pools?

Key messages

  • In 2022, the classification of waters intended for bathing in accordance with Directive 2006/7/EC was carried out in 29 natural locations out of a total of 32 locations declared as waters intended for bathing. 19 locations of water intended for bathing were classified by the European Commission as locations with excellent quality of water for bathing, 9 locations had good quality of water for bathing and 1 location had sufficient water quality of water for bathing. Due to the reconstruction and release of water from water reservoirs, it was not possible to classify 3 locations in 2022 - Ružiná - near the village of Divín and Ružiná - near the village of Ružiná, and due to the unavailability of data from 4 consecutive bathing seasons, it was not possible to classify the Lower Hodrušské lake.
  • In 2022, no serious exceedances of limit values ​​were recorded, and short-term pollution was probably caused by contamination from sewage or rainwater runoff.
  • The limit value (MH) of the determined indicators was exceeded in 30.51% of the total number of samples (in 2021 it was 30.61%) and in 5.28% of the total number of indicators (in 2021 it was 5.39%).
Change since 2005 Change since 2005 Last year-on-year change Progress in achieving of concrete defined objective
Pozitivny trend Pozitivny trend emo_smile emo_smile
Since 2004, the quality of bathing waters has improved and is in line with the assessment under the rules laid down in the EP and Council Directive no. 2006/7/EC (resp. in the Directive 76/160/EEC - by 2008). The quality of bathing water improves and is in line with bathing water requirements The quality of bathing waters were on the same level as on previous year 2021 and no natural swimming pool had an unsatisfactory water quality. The achievement of determined objective is envisaged provided that the proposed measures imposed by government authorities are observed.

 

Summary assessment

Quality of bathing water during summer tourist season 2022

 

Source:SEA,  PHA SR

 

Detailed assessment

During the bathing season 2022 the hygienic situation was monitored by public health authorities at natural recreational water  and artificial pools.

Natural recreational water

During the 2022 season, more than 80 natural water bodies were monitored with varying frequency, the list of which is given in the Report on the Monitoring of the Hygienic Situation in Natural Water Bodies and Artificial Swimming Pools during the 2022 Swimming Season. Organized recreation took place at 11 locations that were operated as natural swimming pools . 472 water samples were taken, from which 4,301 water quality indicators were examined. The limit value (MH) of the determined indicators was exceeded in 30.51% of the total number of samples (in 2021 it was 30.61%) and in 5.28% of the total number of indicators (in 2021 it was 5.39%). The results obtained represent a slight improvement in the quality of water in natural swimming pools. More than 79.74% of the total number of unsatisfactory indicators represented health-unimportant physico-chemical indicators (transparency, color, water saturation with oxygen, water reaction, total phosphorus and total nitrogen). Microbiological indicators accounted for only 0.44% of the total number of unsatisfactory indicators, while only in one case was the limit value of the intestinal enterococci indicator exceeded. In most cases, this was only short-term pollution, with more long-term cases of cyanobacterial overgrowth. During the bathing season, bathing advisories or bathing bans were issued for exceeding the limit value in the indicator cyanobacteria or chlorophyll “a”. The most significant problems with the biological quality of water were manifested in the Košice region (e.g. Ružín, Plážové kúpalisko Jazero), but also in the Vinianske jazero location.
 
Bathing water
 
In 2022, bathing waters were classified pursuant to the Directive 2006/7/EC at 32 locations were included in the list of waters intended for bathing. 19 locations of water intended for bathing were classified as locations with excellent water quality, 9 locations had good water quality for bathing and one location had sufficient water quality. Due to the reconstruction and release of water from water reservoirs, it was not possible to classify 2 locations in 2022 - Ružiná - near the village of Divín and Ružiná - near the village of Ružiná, and due to the unavailability of data from 4 consecutive bathing seasons, it was not possible to classify the Lower Hodrušské lake.
 
During the bathing season 2020, there were reported no diseases or medical complications that would be linked with bathing in natural bathing waters.

International comparison

Contact

Ing. Ľubica Koreňová, SAŽP, lubica.korenova@sazp.sk

Related definitions:

A natural bathing waters is a defined natural water body used for bathing and related operational areas and facilities with an operator; a natural recreational water is bathing water with an operator.

Pollution is the presence of microbiological contamination, biological contamination, chemical contamination, contamination by other organisms or waste that adversely affects bathing water quality and it constitutes a risk to bathers' health.

Bathing water is any surface water which is declared under a personal regulation, and which is used by a large number of bathers, and no permanent bathing prohibition or permanent advice against bathing was issued for it; a large number of bathers is assessed by the Public Health Office regarding mainly a development from the past, built infrastructure or facilities and the measures taken to promote bathing in the past.

 Methodology:

During the bathing season 2013 a hygienic situation was monitored by public health authorities at natural swimming pools and artificial pools in accordance with the Act no. 355/2007 Coll. on Protection, support and development of public health and on amending certain laws as amended, as well as by the SR Ministry of Health Decree no. 308/2012 Coll. on the Requirements for water quality, water quality control and the requirements for operation, equipment of operating areas, premises and facilities at the natural swimming pool and artificial swimming pool, and by the SR Ministry of Health Decree no. 309/2012 Coll. on Requirements for bathing water. The adopted legislation establishes that the quality of bathing water is monitored by the SR Public Health Office, regional public health authorities (RPHA) and the operators of the sites, in the frequency and by methods complying with the Directive 2006/7/EC on the Quality control of bathing water.

Classification of bathing waters has been carried out according to no. 4 of the Annex I and Annex II to the Directive 2006/7/EC, which was at the national level transposed by the SR Health of Ministry Decree no. 309/2012 Coll., and that on the basis of percentile evaluation of the log10 function of normal density of probability of microbiological data acquired from the particular bathing water.

A calculation methodology is described in the Chapter 4. Classification of bathing waters under the Directive 2006/7/EC in the Administration of the SR on the quality of bathing waters

Data sources:

Regional Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic (RPHA SR)


Related international indicators:

Linked references: