Scottish Bathing Waters 2004 Contents Foreword 2 1 Introduction 5 1.1 SEPA’s role in bathing water quality 5 1.2 SEPA’s commitment to improving bathing water quality 5 1.3 Purpose of this report 5 2 Background and legislation 6 2.1 EC Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) 6 2.2 Related legislation 6 2.3 Working with others 6 2.4 Identification of bathing waters 7 2.5 Revision of the Bathing Water Directive 7 3 How results are determined 8 3.1 Interpretation of results and requirements for monitoring programmes 8 3.2 Sampling frequency 8 3.3 Interpretation of microbiological values 9 4 2004 Bathing water quality results 10 4.1 Results from Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters 10 4.2 2004 information on Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters 11 4.3 Abnormal weather 35 4.4 Results from other coastal and inland waters 38 scottish bathing waters 5 Developments 39 5.1 Scottish Water 39 5.2 SEPA environmental improvement plans to reduce sources of diffuse pollution 41 5.3 Bathing waters signage project 43 5.4 Scottish Executive funded pilot projects on diffuse pollution 45 6 Conclusions 46 Annexes 48 Annex One 2004 monitoring data from Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters 48 Annex Two Monitoring data from other waters sampled during the 2004 bathing season 50 Annex Three Glossary of terms and abbreviations 52 Annex Four Sources of additional information on bathing water quality 54 Annex Five SEPA offices 55 Tables and Figures Table 1 Interpretation of microbiological values for bathing waters, where 20 samples have been taken 9 Figure 1 Scotland’s 2004 bathing water results 10 Figure 2 Summary of compliance history for good (mandatory) and excellent (guideline) since 1988 11 Figure 3 Classification of other monitored sites 38 Figure 4 Bathing waters signage performance and validation results 44 Figure 5 Message status of bathing water signs during 2004 44 Map 1 Map 1: Results for Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters 2004 12 Map 2 Map 2: Results for Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters 2004 (south east area) 13 Map 3 Map 3: Location and results of other waters monitored by SEPA during 2004 36 Map 4 Map 4: Location and results of other waters monitored by SEPA during 2004 (south east area) 37 Aberdeen scottish bathing waters 1 Foreword by Campbell Gemmell, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Environment Protection Agency December 2004 I am pleased to present the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA’s) report for the 2004 bathing water season. Bathing water quality was good, and underlying quality has shown further improvement, but the headline numbers are slightly below 2003’s record highs. Last year we reported that the results had undoubtedly been helped by the generally fine and dry weather. In 2004, the summer weather was just not as warm and dry, and this affected the monitoring outcomes. In fact, the summer of 2004 was very wet. June was the wettest on record in parts of the East Coast, and there were several torrential downpours in August, which was the wettest since 1956. The exceptional August rains caused widespread flooding and landslides, including infrastructure damage, such as the prolonged closure of the main A9 trunk route. Overall, August was characterised by rainfall of twice the August average in the west and north of Scotland and was very wet in the east of the country, according to the Hydrological Summary for the United Kingdom published by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Similarly, many river flows were classified as either notably or exceptionally high; for example, the River Tay, Scotland’s largest river, recorded a flow of over 1 million litres per second on the 11th August. This was the highest flow recorded in August since records began over 50 years ago, and well over 10 times the average for this time of year. Against this background, the monitoring results for Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters continue to show overall underlying quality improvement. Fifty-six of them (93%) met required European standards, only one fewer than the record set last year. As anticipated in last year’s report, the wetter weather also resulted in a reduction in the number of waters meeting the Directive’s most stringent ‘guideline’ water quality standards. This number fell from 41 in 2003, to 34 in 2004. 2 scottish bathing waters Thanks to the continuing work and investment to reduce both point and diffuse sources of pollution, the 2004 results compare favourably with the results for 2002, which was another wet year. Then, the numbers of bathing waters reaching the mandatory and guideline standards were 55 and 26, respectively. This comparison against a similarly wet year is a clearer indication of the continuing improvement in the quality of our bathing waters. Despite the weather, the 2004 results are the second best for Scotland. The causes of the rainfall-related diffuse pollution events are also increasingly well understood. This year, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive, the scope of the real-time electronic bathing water quality prediction signs was expanded to 10 of the waters most susceptible to diffuse pollution. The predictive accuracy of these signs was improved relative to their first trial in 2003, with 98% of daily messages given being accurate or precautionary. It is encouraging that we are moving towards achieving the aim of ensuring that Scotland’s bathing waters meet European quality standards, although we still have some way to go. At remaining problem sites, our ability to warn of occasional pollution has improved. Progress may not be immediate and the remaining challenges are considerable, but the gains we have made are clear. I look forward to the time, now not far off, when we will be able to report that, with the exception of a few days when there is a real-time electronic warning of poor quality in place, all of Scotland’s identified bathing waters are of good quality. This realistic aim can only be met by maintaining the developmental work outlined in Section 5 of this report. This implies continuing our strategy of working in partnership with stakeholders to deal with the diffuse sources of pollution and ensuring cost-effective investment to improve Scotland’s ageing sewerage infrastructure. Burntisland scottish bathing waters 3 St Andrews 4 1 Introduction 1.1 SEPA’s role in bathing water quality The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was established in 1996 as the national public body responsible for environmental protection and improvement in Scotland. It is accountable to the Scottish Ministers and, through them, to the Scottish Parliament. SEPA’s duties include regulating discharges to water, air and land. Additional powers and duties continue to be given to SEPA, particularly through regulations implementing EC Directives. SEPA also provides environmental advice and information and works in partnership with many public, voluntary and private sector organisations to deliver environmental improvements. In addition to publishing this annual report, SEPA places monitoring results from bathing waters on its website1 throughout the bathing season from the 1st June to the 15th September. 1.2 SEPA’s commitment to improving bathing water quality SEPA recognises the immense economic value of Scotland’s relatively unspoiled environment. High-quality bathing waters are important for a wide variety of interests and help to promote the tourism industry within Scotland. All possible sources of pollution must be recognised and controlled in order to protect and, where necessary, improve the quality of waters. Since its inception, SEPA has continued the aim of its predecessors to improve bathing water quality as rapidly as possible. It will continue working with all other relevant authorities to achieve the goal of full compliance with European bathing water standards, to which the Scottish Executive is committed. Section 5 of this report provides specific information about the ongoing work towards the attainment of current quality standards, and for the future attainment of anticipated new and more stringent European standards. Identified bathing waters represent only a small part of Scotland’s waters. SEPA is committed to protecting and improving all waters and, in recognition of this, SEPA maintains a policy on microbiological standards for relevant discharges. This requires that all new or modified discharges to identified bathing waters must be designed to ensure that the Bathing Water Directive’s guideline standards are met. These high standards are also promoted by SEPA for other recreational waters; areas where SEPA recognises that water contact activities are practiced outwith identified bathing waters, and with a necessarily lower priority in respect of investment, to other beaches well used by the public. 1.3 Purpose of this report This report contributes to SEPA’s duties to monitor and report on the state of Scotland’s environment. Furthermore, in addition to containing the water quality monitoring results, it also describes factors underlying the results and outlines site-specific plans for improvement. The results of SEPA’s routine monitoring in 2004 are presented in two parts. Sections 4.1 and 4.2 cover Scotland’s 60 identified bathing waters, while Section 4.4 covers other waters which were subject to routine bacteriological quality monitoring during the 2004 bathing season. The report illustrates trends in compliance and provides background information on the identified waters in Scotland. These data are used to identify priorities for investment and to focus effort on delivering environmental improvements. The report also details some site-specific issues and the initiatives necessary to ensure high-quality bathing water at these sites in the future. As required by the Directive, the water quality results for the 60 identified bathing waters have been reported to the European Commission (EC), which will publish the results as part of their annual report on the overall quality of bathing waters throughout the countries of the European Union.