A new Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) was adopted on the 15th February 2006 and was transposed into Gibraltar law by the Environment (Quality of Bathing Water) Regulations 2009.

Designated bathing waters need to comply with standards which are twice as strict as they were prior to 2015. The directive requires the monitoring of just two microbiological indicators of faecal contamination: E Coli and Intestinal Enterococci. The choice of these indicators reflects recognition that faecal material, for instance due to sewage contamination, is the primary health threat to bathers.

Public swimming pools are checked regularly to ensure the water quality is safe for bathing bacteriologically and chemically. This includes the public pools at Camp Bay and Little Bay when they are open during the bathing season, as well as those at the GASA site and Europa pool. Private swimming pools are sampled on request and the Agency advises on the management of swimming pool water.