More information on bathing waters
Standards
The Bathing Water Directive sets quality standards for a number of issues. The most important of these are the standards relating to the coliform and streptococcal groups of bacteria. In general, these can be taken as an indication of the amount of sewage or the other faecal contaminants present.
On two occasions during the season, the presence or absence of salmonella and enteroviruses are monitored. The occurrence of algal blooms is also noted. If a bloom is observed a sample is taken for algal identification.
Other Water Quality Monitoring
In addition to monitoring the bathing waters, we monitor (on a number of occasions during the season) any rivers, which run into the sea at beaches. This is because pollution problems at beaches often arise from within river catchments.
Bathing Water Failure
When bathing water fails to meet the mandatory standard a pollution investigation is carried out by us to find a possible source of the contamination. Faecal pollution can arise from sewage outfalls, combined sewer overflows or from agricultural sources. The latter can be from diffuse sources of pollution and can be difficult to control.
Litter
Local authorities are required to remove litter from amenity beaches under the Northern Ireland Litter Order (1994). However, it is clear that the only sustainable way to control litter is at source; that is to educate the public on the impacts of litter. This is the primary focus of the Tidy Northern Ireland Group, a non-departmental public body funded by Government.
We visually assesses litter quantities as part of its bathing water programme. Litter is categorised into seven types; sewage related debris, gross litter, general litter, harmful litter, oil and oil like substances, faeces and accumulations. We use this information to classify a beach aesthetically. Local authorities are informed if beaches have an unacceptable amount of litter.
With the increase in plastic waste, we, in conjunction with NI Water, have been running a proactive 'Bag it and Bin it' campaign. This is to educate the public and to encourage the safe disposal of sanitary waste. It is important to remember that 'disposable' does not mean 'flushable'.
Blue Flag
The Blue Flag Award is a European wide standard organised and administered in the United Kingdom by EnCams. To meet the Blue Flag Standard, the Directive guideline water quality standards must be reached for total and faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci. To qualify for an award, the beach must also have certain land-based facilities including litter bins, life saving equipment, toilets and an information/education point.
Blue Flag Awards are presented retrospectively on the previous year's results. Award winning beaches may fly their flag for one year, as they are reviewed annually. They are also checked during the summer to ensure standards are being maintained. There have been cases where awards have been removed mid-season where standards are not being met.
Further information can be obtained from:
Where to find out more about Bathing Water Quality
We display the monitoring results on bathing water posters. These are updated on a weekly basis and are sent to the coastal local authorities. Most authorities endeavour to display the posters at the bathing water site, council or tourist information offices. Historical summary data and monitoring results can be found at Bathing Water Quality Data.
Are there any health effects associated with sea bathing?
The Department of Environment (London) commissioned a research programme into this topic and the final report was published in 1994. It concluded that it is safe to bathe in waters that comply with the mandatory standards of the Bathing Water Directive.
