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Dieren en planten

Water en land

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Coastal recreation   Swimming water quality   

Swimming water quality of the sea in the Netherlands

The quality of the swimming water along the Dutch North Sea coast in 2005 was good at most beaches. Only 1% of the locations did not satisfy the rules. The Dutch Automobile Association (ANWB) awards blue flags every year to bathing beaches that are clean. During the bathing season (from 1 May to 30 September), Rijkswaterstaat samples the water in 26 places along the coast every month or two. The assessment of the swimming water quality always takes place based upon the sample made the previous year.

  • Sources of pollution

    The most important cause of mediocre swimming water quality in some places along the North Sea are sewage discharges along the coast. During the summers when there is a lot of rain, sewage water discharges directly into the sea, as in Den Haag and Egmond. The North Sea Foundation advocates purifying this water so that swimmers can swim in safe and clean water.