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Water quality in Croatia

Croatia has 1.777 km of mainland coast, an if we calculate Islands as well, we get a fantastic 5.835 km - and this means lots of beaches! Everyone can find a beach for oneself on the Croatian coast,  according to preferences: pebble, sandy, rocky; small or big; equipped or wild - what all have in common is the clean sea, a pleasant climate and the incredible blue Adriatic sea surrounded by pine-trees and the green mediterranean vegetation.

Blue Flag

From around thirteen years ago in Europe is successfully performed a programme for the environmental protection of the sea and coastline called Blue Flag for beaches and marinas. The leader and the international programme manager is the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe - FEEE, established in the 1981 within the European Council.

Croatian campsites are particularly engaged in ecology and nature preservation. More than 100 beaches in Croatia gained the prestigious brand "Blue Flag" - an international quality symbol for:

  • Preserved nature 
  • Clean sea and clean beaches
  • Well equipped beaches
  • High quality services

 

The initiative begun with a stimulation of local authorities to improve the safety and cleanness of beaches and marinas, and today it represents an additional safety factor both for local inhabitants and for holiday makers. Today the program includes over twenty countries having tourism for one of their strategic aims.

The Blue Flag symbolizes a preserved, safe and pleasant surrounding intended for relaxation, fun and recreation, a well developed managing system of the coastline and sustainable development in tourism. To have a Blue Flag on the beach or marina means a high-level tourist advertising, based on a high-quality service, clean sea and coast, and beach equipment.

In large part of the Croatian coastline and in some continental beaches, the sea quality (water) is measured on regular basis and the public is informed about the results. In Croatia the sea is high-quality and suitable for bathing.

On some counties areas the sea quality is monitored continuously since 20 years approximatelly, and since 1996 it is monitored according to the  Regulation on Standards of the Sea Quality on Sea Beaches (Official Bulletin of the Republic of Croatia no. 33/96). 

The final sea quality grade during the swimming season, along with the above mentioned Regulations some counties apply even inner criteria as the World health Organization criteria and other.The sea quality testing on beaches are mostly performed about 10 times throughout the summer season, more precisely from May to September.

The testing involves determining of sea water physical, chemical and bacterial characteristics (the most important are the bacterial parameters, as the most significant sea pollution indicator of fecal waste waters). Alongside with the safety reasons, such testing results are applied on litoral local self-government units in prioritative recovery programmes defining, especially within sewage systems, with the aim to preserve the bathers safety.