EU Waters Report: Excellent Bathing Lake Ratings Face Criticism Over Lack of Pollutant Testing

Two Bacteria, One Overall Verdict

But according to the EEA itself, the assessment is based exclusively on the measurement of two fecal bacteria: intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli. Both germs can cause gastrointestinal complaints, diarrhea, or infections. Chemical pollutants such as pesticides, mineral oils, heavy metals such as arsenic, or the persistent PFAS compounds, as well as cyanobacteria, so-called blue-green algae, are not included in the assessment. As the EEA explained, the EU Bathing Water Directive provides "only for the consideration of these two fecal bacteria"; changes would be the responsibility of the EU legislators.

Correctiv Analysis: Thousands of "Clean" Bathing Sites on Polluted Waters

That the official top rating thus reflects only part of the reality of water quality is shown by an evaluation by Correctiv, which draws on official EEA water body data in which chemical pollutants are indeed recorded. According to this, at least 7,866 EU bathing sites that are considered clean under the Bathing Water Directive are located on waters that are demonstrably polluted with chemical substances. Particularly large numbers of such sites are found, according to the analysis, in Italy, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, and France. In Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Slovakia, according to the Correctiv analysis, even all recorded bathing sites are located on waters that have not achieved good chemical status under the Water Framework Directive.

Criticism from Experts: Assessment "Misleading"

Correctiv also emphasizes that chemical pollution does not necessarily mean a concrete health risk for bathers. "Die Dosis macht das Gift. Eine chemische Belastung bedeutet deshalb nicht zwangsläufig ein Gesundheitsrisiko für Badegäste," the report states. The accumulation of cases reflects rather a chronic pollution of most surface waters. "Vielmehr spiegelt dieses Ergebnis wider, dass die meisten Oberflächengewässer in diesen Ländern – oder, wie im Fall von Deutschland, sogar alle – chronisch belastet sind," the authors write. In Germany, for example, detailed concentration data on individual substances dates from 2021, according to Correctiv; in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Malta, and Romania, from 2023; and in other countries sometimes from even earlier years. The Correctiv map also shows which pollutants were found at officially tested bathing sites, but does not name concentrations.

At the political level and among experts, criticism is growing in light of these findings. The chemist Markus Große Ophoff from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, who belongs to an expert commission of the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), is calling for mandatory warning notices. "An Badestellen sollte vor dem Baden gewarnt werden, wenn das Wasser nachweislich mit Schadstoffen in stark erhöhten Konzentrationen belastet ist," he said. Vulnerable groups must be protected in particular: "Dabei gelte es vor allem, vulnerable Gruppen wie Schwangere und Kinder zu schützen." Große Ophoff also warns of foam formation on waters: "Meeresschaum oder auch der Schaum an Seen kann besonders stark mit PFAS belastet sein," he explained. PFAS are ubiquitous, accumulate in the human body, and are considered particularly difficult to break down.

Political Responsibility: Reform of the EU Directive?

Clear words are also found from Hans-Jörg Martin, a toxicologist at the University Hospital of Kiel. "Die gegenwärtige Bewertung reicht nach meiner Meinung nicht aus. Ein Gewässer kann die Grenzwerte von chemischen Stoffen sprengen und dennoch als exzellent eingestuft werden. Das ist irreführend," he said. If authorities included chemical parameters in the assessment, "fänden sie belastete Badegewässer – mit potenziellen Folgen für die menschliche Gesundheit," according to Martin. The World Health Organization (WHO) had also pointed out the risks from cyanobacteria in a 2025 report, since climate change, with rising temperatures and higher nutrient concentrations, favors their proliferation. "Es könne eine Badestelle auch dann mit Gesundheitsgefahren verbunden sein, wenn sie als exzellent eingestuft worden sei," it states there. "Daher sollten in die Bewertung von Badegewässern neben Fäkalbakterien zusätzliche Stoffe einfließen, the report recommended.

What Bathers Should Pay Attention to Now

The discrepancy between the official top rating and the independent findings raises questions for the EU Commission and national authorities. The EU Bathing Water Directive dates from 2006 and has only been adjusted in isolated cases since then. While the measurement of the two fecal bacteria serves as the legal basis for the assessment, the EEA states that it has data on numerous other parameters that have so far only been used for ecosystem monitoring and the protection of aquatic organisms. "Diese Daten dienen der Überwachung der Ökosysteme und dem Schutz von Wasserlebewesen; in die Bewertung der Badegewässer fließen sie bisher nicht ein," the EEA explained. "Etwaige Änderungen" to expand the assessment criteria are "Sache der EU-Gesetzgeber."

For the 2026 bathing season, this means for now: those who swim in waters designated as "excellent" can rely on a low bacterial load, but receive no official information about pesticides, heavy metals, or PFAS in the water. Correctiv and the experts interviewed recommend obtaining additional information from local warnings, avoiding foam, and not letting children and pregnant women bathe in potentially polluted waters. Whether and when the EU will amend the Bathing Water Directive remains open.