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Switzerland bathing water results 2009

File Published 07 Jun 2010
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Bathing water results 2009 – Switzerland
1. Introduction
This report gives a general overview of bathing water quality in Switzerland during the 2009 bathing
season. Switzerland reported values for two parameters as defined by the Directive 2006/7/EC.
Before the necessary data set for assessment of bathing water quality under the Directive 2006/7/EC
is compiled (data for three or four consecutive years) the rules for
transition period assessment
is
done. This means that the classification of bathing waters is defined on the basis of concentrations of
intestinal enterococci and
Escherichia coli
that are reported under the
Directive 2006/7/EC. The limit
values for the classification are taken from the
Directive 76/160/EEC. For t
he conversion of reported
parameters under the Directive 2006/7/EC, Article 13.3 of the Directive 2006/7/EC foresees that the
parameter
Escherichia coli
, reported under the Directive 2006/7/EC, is assumed to be equivalent to
the parameter faecal coliforms of the Directiv
e 76/160/EEC. The parameter intestinal enterococci
reported under the Directive 2006/7/EC is assu
med to be equivalent to the parameter faecal
streptococci.
The results are classified in the following categories:
Compliant with the mandatory value of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
and not
compliant with the guide values of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
or intestinal
enterococci (class CI);
Compliant with the mandatory va
lue of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
and the more
stringent guide values for the
Escherichia coli
and intestinal enterococci (class CG);
Not compliant with the mandatory va
lue of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
(class
NC);
Banned or closed (temporarily or throughout the season) (class B).
This year the interval between two samples during
the bathing season should not be larger than 41
days. The interval is longer than 31 days as
defined in the Directive 2006/7/EC, since we are
approaching the year 2012 only when the assessment rules will be in full compliance with the rules of
this Directive. Furthermore, the first sample that
should be taken shortly before the start of the bathing
season could be taken even 10 days afte
r the start of the bathing season.
Switzerland reported 382 bathing waters for 13 cantons.
Escherichia coli
was reported for all bathing
waters, while intestinal enterococci was reported for 107 bathing waters in three cantons (Jura,
Schaffhausen and Ticino).
The overall quality assessment for Switzerland is done using
limit values of
Esche
richia coli
since only
22% of reported bathing waters (84; canton Ticino) satisfied the transition period assessment rules
(both parameters, frequency criteria). For each bat
hing water, the maximum concentration of reported
samples for
Escherichia coli
is used.
The results are classified in the following categories:
Compliant with the mandatory value of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
(class CI);
Compliant with the mandatory va
lue of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
and the more
stringent guide value for the
Escherichia coli
(class CG);
Not compliant with the mandatory va
lue of the Directive 76/160/EEC for
Escherichia coli
(class
NC);
Banned or closed (temporarily or throughout the season) (class B).
2. Length of bathing season an
d number of bathing waters
The season duration is only rarely assessed by the c
antonal authorities, as it varies from year to year,
depending much on local weather conditions. Only
two cantons, Ticino and Vaud, reported precise
season durations for 2009. In Ticino, the bathing season lasted two months, from 3 June to 6 August
2009, for most bathing waters. For the eight remaini
ng bathing waters, it is assumed to last 2.5
2
months, from 15 June to 31 August. In Vaud, the bathing season lasted four months, from 15 May to
15 September 2009. For the remaining cantons, the indication is a broad approximation which will be
verified in the coming season. Based on this approximative indication, the bathing season in most
reported cantons is assumed to start in June and end in September 2009. In two cantos (Glarus and
Graubünden) the season start is one month later.
A total of 382 freshwater bathing waters were mo
nitored in Switzerland during the 2009 bathing
season (69 on rivers; 313 on lakes). This is the firs
t time that the Swiss authorities report about the
bathing water quality in an international context.
3. Results of bathing water quality
The results of the bathing water quality in Switzerl
and for the bathing season of 2009 are presented in
Figure 1.
The graph shows the classification under assessment using limit values for
Escherichia coli
for
freshwater bathing waters (left bars):
The percentage of bathing waters that comply with the guide value for
Escherichia coli
(class CG,
blue bar);
The percentage of bathing waters that comply with the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
(class
CI, green bar);
The percentage of bathing waters that do not comply with the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
(class NC, red bar);
The percentage of bathing waters that are bann
ed or closed (temporarily or throughout the
season) (class B, grey bar).
The same graph shows the classification under assessment during transition period for freshwater
bathing waters (right bars):
The percentage of bathing waters that comply
with the guide values (class CG, blue bar);
The percentage of bathing waters that comply with the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
(class
CI, green bar);
The percentage of bathing waters that do not comply with the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
(class NC, red bar);
The percentage of bathing waters that are bann
ed or closed (temporarily or throughout the
season) (class B, grey bar).
Table 1a shows the quality classes in absolute number
s and in percentages for freshwater bathing
waters in Switzerland under assessment using limit values for
Escherichia coli
. Table 1b shows the
quality classes in absolute numbers an
d in percentages for freshwater bathing waters in Switzerland
and its canton Ticino under assessment during transition period.
Map 1 shows the location of the reported bathing wa
ters in Switzerland. The map shows the bathing
water quality results of both assessments. The location of the bathing waters is based on the
geographic coordinates reported
by the Swiss authorities.
Figure 1:
Results of bathing water quality in Switzerland in 2009. Assessment using limit
values for
Escherichia coli
(left) and assessment during transition period (right).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2009
2009
% compliance with guide value(s)*
% compliance with mandatory value*
% not compliant with mandatory value*
% banned/closed
% of bathing waters
Freshwater bathing waters (CH)
Note:
* : Assessment using limit values for
Escherichia coli
: the mandatory and guide value for
Escherichia coli
.
* : Assessment during transition period: the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
.
Table 1a: Results of bathing water quality in Switzerland in 2009. Assessment using limit
values for
Escherichia coli
.
CH
Compliance with
guide value for
Escherichia coli
Compliance with
mandatory
value for
Escherichia coli
Not compliant
Banned/closed
temporarily or
throughout the
season
Total
number
of
bathing
waters
Number % Number % Number % Number %
Freshwater
bathing
waters
2009 382
321
84.0
380
99.5
2
0.5
0
0.0
Note: Bathing waters which were compliant with the guide value for
Escherichia coli
were also compliant with the mandatory
value for
Escherichia coli
.
Table 1b: Results of bathing water quality in Switzerland and its canton Ticino in 2009.
Assessment during transition period.
CH
Compliance with
guide values
Compliance with
mandatory
value for
Escherichia coli
Not compliant
Banned/closed
temporarily or
throughout the
season
Total
number
of
bathing
waters
Number % Number % Number % Number %
Ticino 2009
85 83
97.6
84
98.8
0
0.0
0
0.0
Freshwater
bathing
waters
CH
2009 382
83
21.7
84
22.0
0
0.0
0
0.0
Note: Bathing waters which were insufficiently sampled accordi
ng to the New Bathing Water Directive were not included in this
table. Therefore the sum of the different categories is not equal to the total number of bathing waters. Bathing waters which
were compliant with the guide values were also compliant with the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
.
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4. Bathing water quality in 2009
As shown in Table 1a, 99.5% of the freshwater bathing waters met the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
in 2009 according to assessment using limit values for
Escherichia coli
. The rate of
compliance with the guide value for
Escherichia coli
was 84%. Two bathing waters (0.5%) were non-
compliant with the mandatory value. No bathi
ng water had to be closed during the season.
As shown in Table 1b, 22% of the freshwater bathing waters met the mandatory water quality in 2009
according to transition period as
sessment. 21.7% of the bathing waters met the guide values. No
bathing water was non-compliant with mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
and no bathing water had
to be closed during the season. The reasons for thes
e low percentages are that (a) only three cantons
(Jura, Schaffhausen and Ticino) monitor intestinal
enterococci, and (b) only two cantons (Ticino and
Solothurn) carry out monitoring with sufficient fr
equency according to transition period assessment
rules. Therefore, all bathing waters with both para
meters and sufficient sampling frequency (84) were
reported by canton Ticino. In Ticino, 98.8% of the bathing waters met the mandatory value for
Escherichia coli
and 97.6% of the bathing waters met the guide values. Only one bathing water did not
meet the mandatory water quality since it was classified as insufficiently sampled (no data for intestinal
enterococci).
5. General information as provid
ed by the Swiss authorities
Responsibilities, laws and regulations
In Switzerland on national level, the areas of
public health and water management are managed by
two federal authorities, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the Federal Office for the
Environment (FOEN). While the FOEN is responsible for all aspects of managing and conserving
quality and quantity of water resources (ground- and surface waters), the FOPH is concerned with
subjects such as epidemics and infectious diseases, hygiene, food safety and drinking water.
In the federal legislation, water quality, quantity and
management issues are primarily regulated in the
Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation of
18 April 1999 (SR 101), the Federal Act of 24
January 1991 on the Protection of Waters (SR 81
4.20) and the Water Protection Ordinance of 28
October 1998 (SR 814.201). Hygiene and public health issues are dealt with in the Federal Act of 9
October 1992 on Foodstuffs and Utility Articl
es (SR 817.0) and the corresponding implementing
ordinances. Cantonal and communal legislations can
supplement the federal legislation. The existing
cantonal legislation on water quality and management issues varies considerably.
National recommendations on bathing water quality monitoring
Since the nineteen sixties, efforts have been made in
Switzerland to protect the health of bathers by
the hygiene assessment of lake
and river baths. In 1991, a recommendation for the hygiene
assessment of lake and river baths was issued (available in German and French:
http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/lebensmitte
l/04858/
04864/04904/04937/index.html?lang=de
). These
recommendations largely follow the EU Directive of 1976 (Directive 76/160/EEC).
Monitoring
According to the federal organization
and legislation of Switzerland t
he cantons are responsible for the
management of their water resources, including
the monitoring and assessment of bathing water
quality. Concretely, bathing water quality is monito
red and assessed by the cantonal laboratories, in
most cases on the basis of the Recommendat
ions of 1991. The focus therefore lies on
E. coli
and
Salmonella
, with a few cantons going beyond this to include other parameters such as intestinal
enterococci. The main differences in monitoring be
tween the various cantons therefore occur with
regard to monitoring frequencies (and not with regard to monitored parameters). For some reported
bathing water sites, samples are taken at three locati
ons (e.g. right, left, centre points of a site).
Public participation procedure and information to the public
Bathing water sites are identified on the basis of actual bathing practices, as the aim is to provide
adequate information to the public. Information on the monitoring results is usually available on the
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