Bathing Water

It is essential that Northern Ireland's bathing waters, which are recognised as being an important asset both locally and internationally, are given the protection they deserve and which is required under the European Commission's current and revised Bathing Water Directives.

These Directives cover both marine and freshwater bathing areas and, through the application of stringent microbiological standards, require that high water quality standards are achieved and bathers are protected. The Directives do not apply to areas used solely for recreational purposes other than bathing.

Northern Ireland's bathing season begins on 1 June and ends at the end of the day on 15 September each year, to coincide with the summer weather conditions and the school holidays.

There are 24 identified bathing waters in Northern Ireland currently, of which a complete list, together with information on compliance with the current Bathing Water Directive, can be accessed at:

http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/bathingqualityni.htm

Review of and consultation on the identification of bathing waters****NOW CLOSED****

It has been, and remains, the Department's practice to review and consult publicly on Northern Ireland's list of identified bathing waters, and in this regard the Department issued a consultation document on a review of identified bathing waters in Northern Ireland on 29 June 2011. The consultation sought views on proposals to:

• establish a defined bathing water identification policy for Northern Ireland;
• recommend an increase in the number of identified bathing waters in Northern Ireland from 24 to 26; and
• set the frequency at which future reviews of bathing waters in Northern Ireland are carried out.

Following discussion at the 2nd Good Beach Summit, hosted by Environment Minister Alex Attwood at Crawfordsburn Country Park on 21 September 2011, the consultation period was extended to enable views to be sought on the possibility of:

• extending the definition of a bather (when considering sites for formal identification) to include those people involved in other immersion activities, such as surfing; and
• extending the monitoring programme to test the water quality outside the bathing season established for the purposes of the Bathing Water Directive at certain identified bathing waters and other recreational waters.

The consultation closed on 4 November. A copy of the consultation paper, and the synopsis of responses to the consultation can be accessed from the links below:

Review of and consultation on the identification of bathing waters in Northern Ireland 2011 (617 KB)

Synopsis of Responses to the Review of and Consultation on the identification of bathing waters in Northern Ireland 2011. (115 KB)

Revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC)(rBWD)

There is no doubt that the quality of Northern Ireland's bathing waters has improved significantly since transposition of the current Bathing Water Directive, but that legislation is now some 30 years old and in need of revision. This led to the coming into force of the rBWD on 24 March 2006.

In summary, the rBWD requires the:

• monitoring, assessment and classification of bathing water quality at inland, coastal and transitional waters;
• development of a system of bathing water profiles as a means of understanding the risks, which can then be used as a basis for the management of bathing waters;
• undertaking of management measures in the event of specified pollution incidents; and
• provision of appropriate, timely and standardised information to the public on bathing water quality.

The Department subsequently consulted on "The Draft Quality of Bathing Water (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008" between 15 February 2008 and 9 May 2008.

A copy of this document can be downloaded here The Draft Quality of Bathing Water (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008 (300kb)

A synopsis of responses received can be viewed here: Consultee Responses received (32kb)

The rBWD was transposed into national legislation on 28 May 2008 by "The Quality of Bathing Water Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008" (S.R. 2008 No.231), which can either be purchased from The Stationery Office Limited or viewed here:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/sr/sr2008/nisr_20080231_en_1 .

A final Regulatory Impact Assessment, in support of these Regulations, can be viewed here final_ria.pdf (684 KB) .

Guidance for Bathing Water Operators

The Department has published guidance for the benefit of bathing water operators in Northern Ireland. The guidance highlights the responsibilities that are placed on bathing water operators by the Quality of Bathing Water Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008, in particular highlighting the requirements in terms of signage which must be implemented by the 2012 bathing season.

A copy of the guidance can be accessed from the link below:

Signage guidance for Bathing Water Operators (757kb)

Public Participation

The Department wishes to draw attention to Regulation 6 (Public participation) of the Regulations, and in this regard welcomes comments or complaints from the public on the list of identified bathing waters in Northern Ireland. The Department will consider any representations made by the public for a site to be nominated as a candidate bathing water, so long as it is supported by evidence of usage and is within the scope of the Directive and its transposing Regulations.

Any such representations, comments or complaints, or, indeed, requests for further information, should be directed to:

Fiona Wilson
Department of the Environment
6th Floor
Goodwood House
44-58 May Street
Belfast
BT1 4NN

E-mail: Waterpolicy@doeni.gov.uk