Water Quality
Bathing Water Quality
Directive 76/160/EEC for the Bathing Water
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a multi-disciplinary approach to promote sustainable management of coastal zones. It covers the full cycle of information collection, planning (it its broadest sense), decision making, management and monitoring. ICZM uses the informed participation and co-operation of all stakeholders to assess the societal goals in a given coastal area. The proposal to revise the Directive for the Bathing Water Quality (76/160/EEC), with which Cyprus has been harmonized, is based on the ICZM principles.
The parameters of the Proposal to replace the Directive 76/160/EEC for the Bathing Water Quality are the following:
Parameters for Bathing Water Quality:
| A | B | C | D | |
| Microbiological Parameters | Excellent Quality | Good Quality | Methods of Analysis | |
| 1 | Intestinal Enterococci (I.E) in cfu/100 ml | 10058 | 20058 | ISO 7899- |
| 2 | Escherischia coli (E.C.) in cfu/100 ml | 25058 | 50058 | ISO 9308 -1 |
| 3 | Phytoplankton blooms or macro-algae proliferation59 | Negative result on tests | Microscopic monitoring60 toxicity tests61, visual inspection. | |
| Physico-chemical Parameters | Excellent Quality | Good Quality | Methods of Inspection | |
| 4 | Mineral Oils | – | No film visible on the surface of the water and no odour | Visual and olfactory inspection |
| 5 | Tarry residues and floating materials such as wood, plastic, glass, rubber or any other waste substance | – | Absence | Visual inspection |
| 6 | pH62 | – | 6 to 9No unexplainable variations | Electrometry with calibration on pH 7 and pH 9. |
The Bathing Water Profile
According to Article 6 of the Directive of the EU Parliament and of the Council concerning the quality of bathing water, the bathing water profile consists of
a) a description of the physical, geographical and hydrological characteristics of the bathing water;
b) an identification – quantitative and qualitative – of all potential sources of pollution;
c) an assessment of their potential to pollute bathing water, thus impairing the health of bathers. This assessment should be made, in terms of time – accidental or chronic risk potential – and in terms of the nature and volume of all polluting and potentially polluting discharges and their effects in terms of distance from the bathing water.
Elements a) and b) should also be provided on a detailed map.
Other relevant information may be attached or included as deemed appropriate..
d) a description of the monitoring points;
e) an assessment whether this monitoring provides as well representative information for other recreational activities practiced with a similar risk of swallowing water as bathing (e.g. windsurfing, kayaking).
f) The bathing water profile will be updated following the attach-schedule
| Bathing Water Classification | Excellent | Good | Poor |
| Bathing water profile update | Every 3 years | Every 2 years | To be determined in relation to the nature and severity of the risk but not less frequently than once a year, at the start of the bathing season. |
| Aspects to be assessed | Update of (a)(b) and (e) | Update of (a)(b) and (c) | Update of (a), (b) and (c) |
Bibliography:
1. Commission of the European Communities. (2002). Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the quality of bathing water. Brussels, COM (2002) 581 final, 2002/0254 (COD), p. 5, 34.