An in-depth report by the Special Secretariat of Water YPEKA carried out in 2010, states that water in Greece is of excellent quality and ideal for swimming.
Specifically, from the 2, 155 locations tested in 2010, 2, 149 are referred to as “coastal bathing waters”, of which 2, 034 are classified under the heading “excellent” (a 95% in total). 60 are classified “good” and only six are classified as “sufficient quality”. The remaining six locations refer to the lakes of Vouliagmeni and Vegoritida, where the water of the former lake is evaluated as “excellent”. The water of the latter lake, on two checkpoints is evaluated as “unsuitable for swimming”. In 48 new locations included in the program, there is expected compliance with the values of the Directive 76/160/EEC.
The Special Secretariat of Water of the Ministry of Environment, Andreas Andreadakis, told ANA-MPA, that the: “…old designation referred only to the suitability of the water. Today, with the new directive, we have an additional classification, which refers to water quality, as excellent, good or sufficient quality.”
It is foreseen that in 2011, there will be a register of bathing beaches, describing the characteristics of each coast, the risks of facing pollution and an assessment of the impacts.
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