456/02
RESULTS
Bathing water quality in England for the 2002 season achieved a new record of 98.5% compliance, Water Minister, Elliot Morley, announced today. Out of a total of 407 English coastal and freshwater bathing areas, 401 passed the EC Directive''s main mandatory tests.
But he emphasised the need to improve standards further if we are to meet the much higher imperative standards that a new bathing water directive is likely to require. This will require action by farmers as well as the water industry.
Mr Morley said:
"I am delighted to announce record bathing water quality for England and the UK. We now have bathing water quality to match the best that Europe has to offer. However, we must continue our efforts towards further improvement and give greater emphasis to tackling all sources of diffuse pollution, especially livestock and fertilizer from agricultural land. Our water policy document "Directing the Flow" published last week indicated that addressing diffuse pollution from agriculture is the single biggest challenge for improving water quality and that around half of bathing waters in England are affected by diffuse pollution. We have launched a cross-cutting review, with the aim of developing in consultation with stakeholders a package of cost-effective policy measures".
England''s bathing waters have improved significantly over the last few years. This year''s results compare with a compliance rate of 90% in 1999, 95% in 2000 and 98% in 2001.The 6 bathing waters which failed the mandatory standards this season did so by only a single sample. Results for the UK were also the best to date at 98%, up from 95% in 2001. Substantial improvements have also been made in compliance with the stricter Guideline water quality standards.
Regional compliance is 100% in Anglian and Thames regions, 99% in Southern, 98% in the South West and the North East and 97% in the North West.Ongoing investment totalling #600 million in England and Wales committed up to 2005 is aimed at achieving further improvements in bathing water quality, especially guideline, and is targeted at over 100 sewage treatment works and several hundred storm overflows.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The main results for the UK are summarised below, together with details of the results for each bathing water in England. Details of the results for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are published by the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland, respectively. They are also available on the internet sites of the Environment Agency (for England and Wales), Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service (for Northern Ireland). A report with more detailed results for the UK will be available in the New Year.
2. The results for 2002 in other EU Member States will not be published by the Commission until April 2003. The UK performance of 98% compliance in 2002 compares with average EU compliance of 97% in 2001.
3. Compliance with the Bathing Water Directive has been assessed on the basis of the parameters: total coliforms, faecal coliforms, mineral oils, surface-active substances and phenols. These are indicators of contamination from sewage and other sources and the Directive sets mandatory values to be achieved by 95 per cent of samples (19 of the 20 samples taken during the bathing season in the UK). These parameters are the usual basis for compliance assessment in the EC and have been used by the European Commission to rank Member States'' performance. The number of samples (normally out of 20) failing to meet the Directive''s standard for faecal coliform bacteria is shown for each failed bathing water.
4. The Directive also sets tighter "guideline" standards which Member States shall, within the terms of the Directive, "endeavour to observe". Compliance with the EC Directive''s "guideline" standard is assessed by the Commission in accordance with the tighter limits for total and faecal coliforms. In 2002, 76% of bathing waters in England met this standard, compared with 70% in 2001. For Blue Flags, water quality is assessed, additionally, on the Directive''s guideline limit for faecal streptoccoci. Bathing waters which achieved Blue Flag water quality in 2002 are indicated by "G" in the tables attached. In 2002, 70% of bathing waters in England met this even more stringent standard, compared with 60% in 2001.
5. The results for inland bathing waters are also shown. There are a total of 11 in the UK, 9 in England and 2 in Scotland.
6. The EC Commission''s proposal for a new directive has just been received. It will be subject to detailed negotiation amongst Member States and the European Parliament and it will be several years before the current directive, which dates from 1976, is replaced. The proposal sets out an obligation to meet a tighter minimum bathing water quality standard than under the existing Directive. This standard is approximately equivalent to the Guideline standard in the existing Directive.
7. Any questions relating to compliance in the constituent countries in the UK should be directed to the devolved administrations or DOE, Northern Ireland.
[
BATHING WATER SURVEY - 2002 RESULTS FOR ENGLAND, WALES, SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND Compliance with Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) Coastal Bathing Waters Environment Agency (English Operational Regions) Pass Fail Total Compliance North East 55 (55) 1 (0) 56 (55) 98.2 (100) Anglian 38 (36) 0 (1) 38 (37) 100 (97.3) Thames 5 (5) 0 (0) 5 (5) 100 (100) Southern 78 (78) 1 (1) 79 (79) 98.7 (98.7) South West 183 (184) 3 (3) 186 (187) 98.4 (98.4) North West 33 (30) 1 (4) 34 (34) 97.1 (88.2) England 392 (388) 6 (9) 398 (397) 98.5 (97.7) Wales 75 (70) 0 (5) 75 (75) 100 (93.3) Scotland 53 (49) 5 (9) 58 (58) 91.4 (84.5) Northern Ireland 15 (13) 1 (3) 16 (16) 93.8 (81.2) UK COASTAL WATERS 535 (520) 12 (26) 547 (546) 97.8 (95.2) ] Press Notices available via DEFRA website http://www.defra.gov.uk Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR
