WATER ERASMUS Technical Workshop DIVING IN: the role of public water operators in ensuring clean bathing waters

12th Mai, 2022

Online

Aqua Publica Europea and Barcelona Cicle de l’Aigua, the public water operator from Barcelona (Spain) are organising our next WATER ERASMUS Technical Workshop on Bathing Water.

The EU benefits from very high quality of bathing waters – the European Environment Agency’s State of Bathing Waters report 2020 highlights that 93 of bathing sites meet minimum water quality standards. Clean bathing water is critical for health, the environment but also local development. At the same time, bathing water is the final destination of the pollution accumulated upstream and climate change also affects water quality with more frequent and more intense heavy rainfall and risks of stormwater overflows. Many public water operators have responsibilities related to, or affecting, bathing waters and are committed to supporting their municipalities in ensuring safe waters for locals and visitors.

In the broader context of ongoing review of the Bathing Water Directive by the European Commission, the WATER ERASMUS Technical Meeting will start by reviewing the challenges and perspectives for safe bathing waters with institutional experts and move on to a technical exchange among water operators who will share their technical and governance approaches to contribute to clean waters, in particular considering the impact of combined sewer overflows.

Agenda

10:30 Welcome and general presentation – Aqua Publica Europea & Barcelona Cicle de l’Aigua
10:35 – 11:00 Session 1 – Setting the scene: challenges and perspectives for bathing water quality
• Review of the EU Bathing Water Directive, Maja Feder, Policy Officer, European Commission
• Q&A session
11:00 – 11:10 Coffee break
11:10 – 12:20 Session 2 – Technical and governance approaches by APE members
Exchange with
• LIFE iBATHWATER project / BCASA – Spain
• Aguas de Gaia – Portugal
• SIAAP – France
• City of Paris – France
• City of Vienna – Austria
12:20 – 12:45 Discussion – all participants
12:55 Conclusions & next steps