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Water Quality Awards

• For recent bathing water quality results at your local beach visit the Southern Water Interactive bathing water quality results pages.
• Minutes of the Water Quality Subgroup meetings can be viewed on our meetings pages.

The Solent Water Quality Award Scheme was launched in 1992 to provide a simple and readily understood indicator of satisfactory water quality at bathing beaches and, where feasible, in recreational waters around the Solent.

The scheme supplements the various beach and resort award schemes, including the Blue Flag, which are administered by ENCAMS, and which all deal with many other criteria in addition to water quality.  The scheme is administered by the Solent Forum on behalf of the Solent Water Quality Association.  All beaches regularly used for bathing, non-designated as well as designated, are eligible for an award under the scheme.  Water regularly used for recreational activities involving immersion such as water skiing, boardsailing etc. may also be included where the applying authority can show that the sampling results presented are representative of the whole area for which the application is made.

The awards’ criteria is based on the ‘European Union Bathing Water Directive’ which was recently revised to introduce tighter standard levels.   As a result this year’s awards have included a ‘gold star’ category for waters consistently meeting the highest 'Guideline' standard (see higher standard in table). By 2015 new standards will be required by the new Bathing Water Directive Revision.   These standards will be named -  Poor, Sufficient, Good and Excellent.   It is proposed that that the Solent Water Quality Awards move over to this new system from 2012 onwards, offering awards for receiving 'Good' or 'Excellent' standard.

Water Quality Awards Results, 2011