Top position for Austrian bathing waters
In Austria's rivers, lakes and streams swimmers can find the best bathing water quality in the European Union. This is illustrated by the current bathing water report of the European Environment Agency (EEA). Therein 97.7% of the national bathing waters (261 bathing sites) are classified as 'excellent'.
Every year, the quality of around 22 000 bathing waters in the EU, Albania and Switzerland is assessed based on the EU Bathing Water Directive. The results are summarised and analysed in the EEA Bathing Water Report. The report finds that the number of waters qualified as 'excellent' has been steadily increasing in Europe since 2006, reaching a peak of 84.8% in 2021. At the same time, the minimum water quality standards were met at 95.2% of sites.
Austria occupies a top position in the EU comparison every year and leads the ranking in 2021. Malta, Greece and Croatia also occupy top positions. In these countries, the EEA classifies more than 95% of bathing waters as 'excellent'.
Austrian bathing waters
In Austria, all bathing waters met the strict quality requirements of the Bathing Water Directive. 97.7% had excellent water quality, 1.5% had good water quality. A total of 261 Austrian bathing waters were assessed.
Current measured parameters on water quality, visible depth and temperatures of all Austrian bathing sites are available on the website of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES). The website also provides detailed information on the individual bathing waters, their catchment areas and their use in the form of bathing water profiles. These are elaborated by the Umweltbundesamt (Environment Agency Austria) in cooperation with the federal provinces, AGES and the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection.
Quality of European bathing waters
EU Bathing Water Directive - a success story
Since the 1st EU Bathing Water Directive came into force in 1976, the quality of bathing waters in Europe has steadily improved thanks to investments in infrastructure and wastewater management. Of the approximately 9 600 bathing waters regularly tested from 1991 onwards, initially only 56% met the high European standards. This percentage rose to 84.8% in 2021, while the number of tested sites rose to 21 859.
