The Environmental Health Directorate within the Superintendence of Public Health has prepared a series of 29 bathing water profiles that cover all 87 designated bathing waters of the Maltese Islands.

These bathing water profiles are intended to provide useful information to the public and have been prepared in accordance with Directive 2006/7/EC, Article 6, Regulation 11 and Schedule III of the Regulations as transposed by Legal Notice 125 of 2008 and amended by Legal Notice 237 of 2011.

These regulations concern the management of bathing water in relation to reduction of gastroenteritis and other waterborne health risks originating from faecal sources and other routes of pollution.

Bathing water quality is monitored annually by the Water Regulatory and Auditing Unit and Gozo Region within the Environmental Health Directorate in different bathing areas in the Maltese Islands over a 23-week period. The monitoring period corresponds with the official bathing season that traditionally opens on the third week of May and closes in the third week of October.

Bathing water quality is classified according to Directive 2006/7/EC as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’.

Each bathing water profile gives information about the bathing water quality, including the potential pollution risks at the site and records the measures used to improve the quality of bathing water. In addition, they give information on the physical, geographical and hydrological characteristics, together with a history of water quality provided in the overview data section.

In case a potential pollution incident is noticed contact, details are provided at the end of each bathing water profile.