Image: VOLKER Weihbold
Of 260 of the domestic bathing spots examined last year, 96.9 percent were classified as “excellent” – more than in almost all other EU countries as well as Albania and Switzerland. Leader Cyprus managed 99.2 percent. The water quality was rated as “good” for 2.3 percent of domestic bathing waters.
“We all like to swim in summer, not only in the open air pool, but also in the many beautiful natural bathing waters in Austria. I am particularly pleased that the EU has once again given us a top position with the report presented today. The quality of our bathing water is absolute great”, reacted Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP). Clean waters are also important for biodiversity. “By protecting the excellent quality of our water, we also contribute to the preservation of important drinking water resources,” emphasized Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens). “In this way we secure the livelihood of all of us.”
“The quality of bathing water in the EU remains high,” summarizes the report published on Friday by the Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency (EEA). In 2022, 85.7 percent of bathing water in the EU was classified as excellent, 95.9 percent met the minimum quality standards. “This confirms the positive trend of recent years.” The quality of coastal bathing waters (88.9 percent “excellent”) is generally better than that of rivers and lakes. Only 79.3 percent of the inland bathing waters have the highest rating.
85.6 percent with excellent water quality
A total of 21,658 measuring points in the EU and 315 in Albania and Switzerland were examined. 85.6 percent of these offered excellent water quality. At the bottom were Estonia (64.6 percent), Hungary (63.1 percent), Slovakia (59.4 percent) and Poland (55.9 percent). The EU minimum standards for water quality were complied with at 95.9 percent of the locations – a minimal increase on the previous year. In only two EU countries was bathing water quality poor at three percent or more of the sites: the Netherlands and Sweden. In Albania, eight bathing waters were classified as poor quality (6.7 percent), but as a result of the construction of several sewage treatment plants, this number has decreased significantly since 2015 (39.1 percent), it said.
The report also highlights other initiatives to improve water quality. Paris is investing 1.4 billion euros to initially use the Seine as a swim course for the triathlon competition at the 2024 Olympic Games. From 2025, 20 swimming and bathing areas are to be opened along the Seine and Marne.
Source: Nachrichten
