Council Directive of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water (76/160/EEC) (repealed)

ANNEX U.K. QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR BATHING WATER

G = guide I = mandatory.
(0) Provision exists for exceeding the limits in the event of exceptional geographical or meteorological conditions.
(1) When a sampling taken in previous years produced results which are appreciably better than those in this Annex and when no new factor likely to lower the quality of the water has appeared, the competent authorities may reduce the sampling frequency by factor of 2.
(2) Concentration to be checked by the competent authorities when an inspection in the bathing area shows that the substance may be present or that the quality of the water has deteriorated.
(3) These parameters must be checked by the competent authorities when there is a tendency towards the eutrophication of the water.
	Parameters		G	I	Minimum sampling frequenc	Method of analysis and inspection
	Microbiological:
1	Total coliforms	/100 ml	500	10000	Fortnightly (1)	Fermentation in multiple tubes. Subculturing of the positive tubes on a confirmation medium. Count according to MPN (most probable number) or membrane filtration and culture on an appropriate medium such as Tergitol lactose agar, endo agar, 0,4 % Teepol broth, subculturing and identification of the suspect colonies. In the case of 1 and 2, the incubation temperature is variable according to whether total or faecal coliforms are being investigated.
2	Faecal coliforms	/100 ml	100	2000	Fortnightly (1)
3	Faecal streptococci	/100 ml	100	—	(2)	Litsky method. Count according to MPN (most probable number) or filtration on membrane. Culture on an appropriate medium. Fermentation in multiple tubes. Subculturing of the positive tubes on a confirmation medium. Count according to MPN (most probable number) or membrane filtration and culture on an appropriate medium such as Tergitol lactose agar, endo agar, 0,4 % Teepol broth, subculturing and identification of the suspect colonies.
4	Salomonella	/1 l	—	0	(2)	Concentration by membrane filtration. Inoculation on a standard medium. Enrichment — subculturing on isolating agar — identification.
5	Entero viruses	PFU/10 l	—	0	(2)	Concentrating by filtration, flocculation or centrifuging and confirmation.
	Physico-chemical:
6	pH		—	6 to 9 (0)	(2)	Electrometry with calibration at pH 7 and 9
7	Colour		—	No abnormal change in colour (0)	Fortnightly (1)	Visual inspection or photometry with standards on the Pt.Co scale.
			—	—	(2)
8	Mineral oils	mg/l	—	No film visible on the surface of the water and no odour	Fortnightly (1)	Visual and olfactory inspection or extraction using an adequate volume and weighing the dry residue.
			0,3	—	(2)
9	Surface-active substances reacting with methylene blue	mg/l (lauryl-sulfate)	—	No lasting foam	Fortnightly (1)	Visual inspection or absorption spectrophotometry with methylene blue.
			± 0,3	—	(2)
10	Phenols (phenol indices)	mg/l C5H5OH	—	No specific odour	Fortnightly (1)	Verification of the absence of specific odour due to phenol or absorption spectrophotometry 4-aminoantipyrine (4 AAP) method.
			± 0,005	± 0,005	(2)
11	Transparency	m	2	1 (0)	Fortnightly (1)	Secchi's disc.
12	Dissolved oxygen	% saturation O2	80 to 120	—	2	Winkler's method or electrometric method (oxygen meter).
13	Tarry residues and floating materials such as wood, plastic articles, bottles, containers of glass, plastic, rubber or any other substance. waste or splinters.		Asence		Fortnightly (1)	Visual inspection.
14	Ammonia	mg/l NH4			(3)	Absorption spectrophotometry, Nessler's method, or indophenol blue method.
15	Nitrogen Kjeldahl	mg/l N			(3)	Kjeldahl method.
	Other substances regarded as indications of pollution
16	Pesticides (parathlon, HCH, diedrin)	mg/l			(2)	Extraction with appropriate solvents and chromatographic determination
17	Heavy metals such as:					Atomic absorption possibly preceded by extraction
	— arsenic	mg/l As			(2)
	— cadmiuim	Cd
	— chrome VI	Cr VI
	— lead	Pb
	— mercury	Hg
18	Cyanides	mg/l Cn			(2)	Absorption spectrophotometry using a specific reagent
19	Nitrates and	mg/l NO3			(3)	Absorption spectrophotometry using a specific reagent
	Phosphates	PO4