Bathing Water Designation 2025

The aim of this consultation is to seek views on our proposal to identify The Swing Bridge River Tywi, Llandeilo; and Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs, Cardiff as bathing waters under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 for the 2025 bathing season.

Welsh Ministers are required to identify popular bathing waters in Wales, monitor their water quality and keep bathers well informed about water quality at these identified sites. In Wales the bathing season runs from 15 May to 30 September.

One of the requirements under the Regulations is for the Welsh Ministers to annually review and publish the list of identified bathing waters in Wales.

Please submit your comments by Feb 17.

Please respond to this consultation by filling out the questionnaire or answering the questions set out in the response form.

Response forms can be submitted by:

Email: water@gov.wales 

Or 

Post: 

Water Branch (Bathing Water Consultation)
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff 
CF10 3NQ

For the response form and more information see gov.wales/consultations 

Link to the Welsh Government consultation website: to be updated when live 

If you have any queries on this consultation, please email water@gov.wales  

Large print, Braille and alternative language versions of this document are available on request.

Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg / This document is also available in Welsh : https://www.llyw.cymru/ymgyngoriadau 

The Welsh Government will be data controller for any personal data you provide as part of your response to the consultation. Welsh Ministers have statutory powers they will rely on to process this personal data which will enable them to make informed decisions about how they exercise their public functions. Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about or planning future consultations. Where the Welsh Government undertakes further analysis of consultation responses then this work may be commissioned to be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g. a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data.

In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation
If your details are published as part of the consultation response then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than three years.

Your rights

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to be informed of the personal data held about you and to access it
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to (in certain circumstances) data portability
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the UK GDPR, please see contact details below: 

Data Protection Officer:
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
CARDIFF
CF10 3NQ
e-mail: Data.ProtectionOfficer@gov.wales 

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: 

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545 745 or 
0303 123 1113

Website: https://ico.org.uk/ 

Purpose of the Consultation

The aim of this consultation is to seek views about our proposal to identify The Swing Bridge River Tywi, Llandeilo; and Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs, Cardiff as designated bathing waters under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (the Regulations) for the 2025 bathing season.

The Regulations require Welsh Ministers to annually identify all popular bathing areas in Wales. The objective of the Regulations is to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution and provide information to the public to enable them to make informed decisions about where and when they bathe.

Bather numbers is the criteria applicable under the Regulations when considering whether it is appropriate to designate a site. Any infrastructure or facilities provided, or other measures taken to promote bathing at the site will also be considered.

Current position

The Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC which put in place a mechanism to identify bathing waters in the UK forms part of retained EU law in Wales. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 specify the statutory requirements associated with the management of bathing waters in Wales.

The Regulations require Welsh Ministers to annually identify popular bathing areas in Wales. The objective of the Regulations is to protect bathers’ health and inform bathers of potential health hazards associated with poor water quality.  

There are currently 109 designated bathing waters in Wales. Once a bathing water has been designated, the water quality is tested by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to support the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September. Designated bathing waters are classified as excellent, good, sufficient or poor depending on water quality sampling results. The bathing water quality classifications are based on two microbiological parameters: intestinal enterococci and E.coli.

The results of individual designated bathing waters in Wales are published on the Welsh Government’s website at: https://www.gov.wales/bathing-water-quality 

Bathing waters are valuable for the recreational opportunities they provide to the people of Wales, the local economy and tourism. The Welsh Governments’ Programme for Government makes a commitment to begin to designate Wales’ inland waters for recreation, strengthening water quality monitoring to enable inland waters to reach the same high standards achieved by Wales’ beaches.

Your name:   

Organisation (if applicable):

email / telephone number:

Your address:

Responses to consultations are likely to be made public, on the internet or in a report.  If you would prefer your response to remain anonymous, please tick here: ☐

Request to identify Swing Bridge, Llandeilo as a Bathing Water

A request from a member of the public on behalf of River Tywi Bathers for Swing Bridge, Llandeilo (SN634225) to be considered for designation as a bathing water for the 2025 bathing season. Afon Tywi, where the site is located, is a Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI) as well as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). 

Evidence and information is provided by a member of the public in support of the application for Swing Bridge Llandeilo 

Bather Numbers

This bathing location is situated on the Afon Tywi, on the edge of Llandeilo. The application included a user survey conducted over 19 days, which recorded 720 bathers. The daily average was 38 bathers, with a high of 84 and a low of 19. More than 40 bathers were recorded on nearly half the days, demonstrating regular usage.

Facilities

The application provided information regarding facilities nearby the site, including, public toilets, parking nearby, and cafés.

Evidence of support

Evidence was provided on local consultation and support for the proposed designation from individuals, local groups, and businesses. A local public meeting was held 23^rd August 2023 attended by more than 100 people, with the meeting being supportive of the application.

Question 1: Do you agree or disagree with our proposal to designate Swing Bridge, Llandeilo as a bathing water for the 2025 bathing season?

☐ Agree 

☐ Disagree 

Question 2: Do you agree the evidence provided in relation to Bather Numbers, Facilities and Evidence of Support is sufficient to receive a designation as a bathing water site from the 2025 bathing season?

☐ Agree 

☐ Disagree 

Question 3: What evidence and measures have you observed that identify and promote bathing at the site? (e.g., number of bathers, signage, website, social media, etc.)

Question 4: What is your view on the proposal, and what is the reasoning behind your opinion?

Request to identify Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs as a bathing water

We have received a request from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water for Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs (ST 18662 81983) to be considered for designation as a bathing water for the 2025 bathing season. 

Lisvane Reservoir is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Llanishen Reservoir is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC)

Evidence and information provided by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water in support of the application for Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoir

Bather Numbers

The application provided a bathing water survey for Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs which was compiled by the applicant. The application included a user survey, which provided data on bather numbers and recorded a total of 2403 bathers across 20 days. In excess of 100 daily bathers were recorded on 11 separate days with a daily average of 120 bathers. 

Photographic evidence showing members of the public in the water was also provided.

The survey data was compiled by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water over the bathing season (May 15 to September 30).

Facilities

 he application provided information regarding facilities at or nearby the site, including, public toilets, parking nearby, visitor centre with café, first aid staff, defibrillators, wetsuits, buoyancy aids, showers, and changing rooms.

Evidence of support

Evidence was provided on local consultation and support for the proposed designation from individuals and local groups. 

Question 5: Do you agree or disagree with our proposal to designate Lisvane & Llanishen Reservoir as a bathing water for the 2025 bathing season?

☐ Agree 

☐ Disagree 

Question 6: Do you agree the evidence provided in relation to Bather Numbers, Facilities and Evidence of Support is sufficient to receive a designation as a bathing water site from the 2025 bathing season?

☐ Agree 

☐ Disagree 

Question 7: What evidence and measures have you observed that identify and promote bathing at the site? (e.g., number of bathers, signage, website, social media, etc.)

Question 8: What is your view on the proposal, and what is the reasoning behind your opinion?

Question 9: A number of specific questions have been asked. If you have any related issues which we have not been specifically addressed, please use this space to identify them:

Views on Bather Numbers for Sites 

The Welsh Government currently advises applicants to conduct surveys during the busiest days of the year, such as bank holiday weekends or school holidays, to ensure accurate recording of bather numbers at peak times. These surveys should include counts of both adults and children swimming or paddling. The bathing season in Wales runs from 15 May to 30 September, and surveys should reflect bather activity throughout this period to provide a comprehensive view of site usage.

To further support this process, we are seeking your views on what should be reasonably considered a ‘large’ number of bathers

Question 10:  What do you consider to be a ‘large’ number of bathers for coastal sites over a full 24-hour peak period to qualify as a designated bathing water?

Question 11: What do you consider to be a suitable average number of bathers per day visiting a coastal site across the entire bathing season to qualify as a designated bathing water?

Question 12: Do you consider a ‘large’ number of bathers to be the same for both coastal and inland sites? An inland site would be identified as a river, lake or reservoir.

☐ Yes 

☐ No

If No –answer questions 13 and 14

Question 13: What do you consider to be a ‘large’ number of bathers for inland sites over a full 24-hour peak period to qualify as a designated bathing water

Question 14: What do you consider to be a suitable average number of bathers per day visiting an inland site across the entire bathing season to qualify as a designated bathing water?

Welsh Language

Question 15: We would like to know your views on the potential effects of the proposals on the Welsh language, particularly regarding opportunities for people to use Welsh and ensuring the language is treated no less favourably than English.

What effects do you anticipate, and how might these proposals be adjusted to enhance positive effects or mitigate any negative ones on the Welsh language?

All the responses to this consultation will be analysed and considered and the Welsh Government will publish a summary of responses.