The Quality of Bathing Water Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

PART 2 GENERAL

Identification of bathing waters

3.  The surface waters specified in Schedule 1 are bathing waters for the purposes of these Regulations.

Length of bathing season

4.  For the purposes of these Regulations, the bathing season begins on the 1^st June and ends at the end of the day on 15^th September in each year.

General duties

5.—(1) The Department shall in the exercise of its relevant functions—

(a) ensure that by the end of the bathing season in 2015, all bathing waters are classified under regulation 12 as at least “sufficient”;

(b) take such realistic and proportionate measures as it considers appropriate in order to increase the number of bathing waters classified under regulation 12 as “good” or “excellent”; and

(c) otherwise ensure compliance with the requirements of the Bathing Water Directive.

(2) In this regulation “relevant functions” means functions under these Regulations and so far as relevant the enactments specified in Schedule 2 to the Water Framework Regulations.

(3) In the Water Framework Regulations, in Schedule 2 (relevant functions), in Part 2, after paragraph 26 insert—

“27. The Quality of Bathing Water Regulations (Northern Ireland)2008.”.

(4) The Department shall promptly provide a bathing water operator with such information as the Department considers the operator requires for the purpose of the operator’s functions under these Regulations.

Public participation

6.—(1) The Department shall—

(a) encourage public participation in the exercise of its functions under these Regulations; and

(b) ensure that the public has an opportunity—

(i) to find out how to participate; and

(ii) to submit comments or complaints.

(2) The Department shall take due account of any information it has obtained from the public when exercising its functions under these Regulations.

Bathing water profiles

7.—(1) The Department shall establish and keep under review a bathing water profile for every bathing water in accordance with Schedule 2.

(2) The Department may combine the bathing water profiles of contiguous bathing waters.

(3) When complying with paragraph (1), the Department shall take into account the data which it has obtained or analysed under—

(a) The Quality of Bathing Water Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993(1); and

(b) The Water Framework Regulations.

(1)

S.R. 1993 No. 205