site.btaEU Report: Over 50% of Bathing Waters in Bulgaria Are of Excellent Quality

June 6 (BTA) - In 2018, 52.6 per cent of bathing
waters in Bulgaria were of excellent quality, 37.9 per cent were
 of good quality, 7.4 per cent of satisfactory quality and 1.1
per cent of poor quality, according to a report by the European
Enviroment Agency and the European Commission published on
Thursday. A total of 95 bathing sites were sampled.

An overwhelming number, 95.4 per cent, of the 21 831 bathing
water sites monitored in the 28 EU Member States, Switzerland
and Albania met the minimum quality requirements under EU rules.
 

The major sources of pollution are sewage and water draining
from farms and farmland. Plastic pollution is another challenge
as it endangers marine life, finds the report.

In 2018, 301 (or 1.3 per cent) of all bathing water sites in the
 EU, Albania and Switzerland were rated as having Сpoor' water
quality.
 
The three countries with the highest numbers of poor quality
bathing water sites are Italy (89 bathing water sites), France
(54 sites) and Spain (50 sites).

Bathing water requirements are set out in the EU's Bathing Water
 Directive. Implementation of its rules has helped to vastly
improve the quality of Europe's bathing water over the last 40
years, said the European Commission. LI/PP