A new Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) was adopted on the 15th February 2006 and was transposed into Gibraltar law by the Environment (Quality of Bathing Water) Regulations 2009.
Designated bathing waters need to comply with standards which are twice as strict as they were prior to 2015. The directive requires the monitoring of just two microbiological indicators of faecal contamination: E Coli and Intestinal Enterococci. The choice of these indicators reflects recognition that faecal material, for instance due to sewage contamination, is the primary health threat to bathers.
The Directive also requires member states to draw up management measures for each site to minimise the risks to bathers, based on an assessment of the sources that are likely to affect them. Despite Brexit, and the recent developments and changes, Gibraltar continues to follow best practice in line with the Directive with regards to sampling and reporting.
As specified by the Directive, information on a bathing site’s quality classification, the results of water quality monitoring, the site’s management measures and other relevant information is made readily available to the public in partnership with The Department of the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage, both through displays at each site and through the media and internet.
Classifications
Since the end of the 2015 bathing season, bathing sites will classified into four categories: “excellent”, “good”, “sufficient”, or “poor”. These classifications are based on an analysis of the sample results taken over the current bathing season and the preceding three years instead of a single year’s result as at present. Where the water quality is consistently good over a three year period, the frequency of sampling may be reduced.
Bathing Areas
Gibraltar has eight bathing areas:
Bathing Pavilion, Camp Bay, Little Bay, Midharbour Marina, Catalan Bay, Eastern Beach, Sandy Bay and Western Beach.
Click on the bathing location name to view the state of the water quality based on the latest analysis.*
Public Swimming Pools
A new Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) was adopted on the 15th February 2006 and was transposed into Gibraltar law by the Environment (Quality of Bathing Water) Regulations 2009.
Designated bathing waters need to comply with standards which are twice as strict as they were prior to 2015. The directive requires the monitoring of just two microbiological indicators of faecal contamination: E Coli and Intestinal Enterococci. The choice of these indicators reflects recognition that faecal material, for instance due to sewage contamination, is the primary health threat to bathers.
Public swimming pools are checked regularly to ensure the water quality is safe for bathing bacteriologically and chemically. This includes the public pools at Camp Bay and Little Bay when they are open during the bathing season, as well as those at the GASA site and Europa pool.
Private swimming pools are sampled on request and the Agency advises on the management of swimming pool water.
Documents
You can find all relevant documentation below on Bathing Water.
Applications
If you are looking to apply in anything related to Bathing Water, you can do so online using our electronic application forms.
