Set national health-based targets for "recreational water bodies (32).
· Express targets as microbial water quality" standards for sources of faecal contamination based on WHO guideline values (see Table "3.1).
· Develop additional water quality standards" for cyanotoxins or biovolume indicators from harmful algal blooms based on WHO "guideline values (see Table 3.2).
· Consider additional standards based on" provisional guideline values for beach sand and chemicals, operational monitoring limits for other microbial hazards and aesthetic and nuisance aspects, if justified by national or local risk assessment and resource availability for monitoring and control measures (see Table 3.3).
Health, environment
National
Regulation
UBB.WI.QD&UBU
"Restrictions through enactment of laws or" standards concerning bodies of water
Water pollution
Develop and implement recreational WSPs for priority bathing sites (32). Steps for developing a recreational WSP include the following.
a) Identify the lead entity and assemble a team to develop the recreational WSP. This includes identifying the lead entity and key stakeholders and forming a coordination committee that includes relevant stakeholders with clear roles and responsibilities.
b) Undertake a system assessment for each existing priority recreational water site (or group of sites within the same catchment) and "before developing new sites.
· Describe the recreational water environment" – by combining a sanitary survey of adjacent land and water drainage with an initial microbial quality assessment to assign a beach classification.
· Identify hazards and hazardous events, considering seasonality and predicted local climate change scenarios.
· Assess and prioritize the risks.
· Identify existing control measures, assess risks and prioritize risks that are insufficiently controlled.
· Establish plans, with sustainable funding, for managing currently effective control measures. "
· Establish improvement plans, with sustainable funding, for incrementally implementing control measures where priority risks are insufficiently controlled.
c) Conduct and maintain system monitoring.
· Establish and implement an operational monitoring regime for priority control measures in the catchment to give rapid warning when operational limits are exceeded.
· Establish and implement corrective actions for exceedances of operational limits.
· Conduct ongoing verification monitoring of water quality.
· Establish procedures to verify effectiveness of the recreational WSP.
d) Establish coordinated management and communication strategies to support effective pollution control and public communications.
· Document management procedures for normal and incident conditions, including incident response plans.
· Where feasible, develop predictive models to support timely communication to water users.
· Develop supporting programmes – for example, training, research and development, standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality control activities, procedures for visual inspections, sample collection and equipment calibration.
· Establish communication protocols between responsible organizations and agencies.
· Establish mechanisms for communication with users and managers of the site.
e) Review and update recreational WSPs. This includes meeting periodically and after incidents to review performance of plans, including operational monitoring and water quality results, an updated sanitary survey and beach classification, the occurrence of incidents, communication and complaints; if necessary, update the risk assessment. More information is provided in the Guidelines on recreational water quality. Volume 1: coastal and fresh waters (32)."
Health,
Infrastructure,
Environment
Community
Infrastructure, technology and built environment, information, education and communication, other management and control
VCD.TB.ZZ
Water safety planning
Conduct ongoing surveillance and risk
communication of recreational water-related illness (32).
·
Collect, analyse and interpret health-related data on
suspected or confirmed illness in humans and/or animals, and systematically
document outbreaks associated with recreational waters.
·
Provide the public with timely information about the
status of health risks, and provide water users with advisory warnings before,
during and after a public health incident, in conjunction with recreational
WSPs.
Health
National,
Community
Assessment and surveillance
UBB.VC.QD
Public health surveillance concerning bodies of
water
UBB.VF.QD
Alerting concerning bodies of water
Develop a pool safety plan for swimming
pools and similar environments (33). Points to consider include:
·
adequate water treatment including filtration and
disinfection, pool hydraulics, addition of fresh water, cleaning and
ventilation;
·
provision and encouragement of the use of showers and
toilets;
·
monitoring of turbidity, residual disinfectant and pH.
Note: The WHO guidelines for safe recreational water environments (volume 2)
provide operational guidelines for microbial testing (33).
Health, environment
National, community
Assessment and surveillance
VCD.TB.ZZ
Water safety planning
Ensure adequate clarity of pool water to minimize injury hazard (e.g. through filtration and pool design) (33).
Health, infrastructure, recreation
Community, national
Infrastructure, technology and built environment, other management and control
VCD.RD.ZZ&UBN
Providing goods to improve water safety behaviours
Water quality
VCD.VL.ZZ&UBN
Environmental remediation or decontamination to improve water safety behaviours
Water quality
Provide rescue services and access to
emergency response/services. Pre-set maximum water temperatures to < 40°C (33).
Examples for rescue services and emergency response include: first aid
availability, accessible emergency shut-off for pool water
Health, recreation, infrastructure
Community, national, Universal health coverage
Infrastructure, technology and built environment, other management and control
VCD.RG.ZZ
Providing services for improved water safety
behaviours
• WHO 2021: Guidelines on recreational water quality. Volume 1: coastal and fresh waters (32)
• WHO 2006: Guidelines for safe recreational water environments. Volume 2: swimming pools and similar environments (33)
• Bartram J, Rees G, editors 2000: Monitoring bathing waters: a practical guide to the design and implementation of assessments and monitoring programmes (34)