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WATER QUALITY
- Compliance with requirements and standards such as
those of the EU Bathing Water Directive
- No industrial or sewage related discharges may affect
the beach area
- Local and/or regional emergency plans to cope with
pollution accidents
- No algal or other vegetation may accumulate and be
left to decay on the beach, except in areas designated for a specific
use and as long as this does not constitute a nuisance
- The community must be in compliance with requirements
for sewage treatment and effluent quality such as are contained in the
EU Urban Waste Water Directive (
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION
- Prompt public warning if the beach or part thereof
is expected to or has become grossly polluted or otherwise unsafe. Procedures
for issuing public warnings in such cases must be covered by the emergency
plan
- Information on natural sensitive areas in the coastal
zone, including its flora and fauna must be publicly displayed and included
in tourist information. The information must include advice on how to
behave in such areas
- The beach operator undertakes:
- to publicly display on the beach updated information about bathing
water quality in the form of a table or figure that can be easily understood.
- to display as close to the Blue Flag as possible information about
the Blue Flag, including the aspects covered by the Blue Flag and who
is responsible at local and national level.
- to remove the Blue Flag if an imperative criteria is no longer fulfilled
- The local community and the beach operator should
together be able to demonstrate that at least five environmental education
activities are offered
- Laws governing beach use must be easily available
to the public upon request, for example in tourist offices, the town
hall or on the beach. Code of conduct for the beach area must be posted
on the beach
- The local community has an Environmental Interpretation
Centre or similar permanent public environmental education place dealing
with the coastal environment. Such a centre may be a denoted a Blue
Flag Centre if it as a place to obtain information about the Blue Flag
and as a focal point for public environmental education activities about
the coast and sea
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
- The local community must have a land-use and development
plan for its coastal zone. This plan and the current activities of the
community in the coastal zone must be in compliance with planning regulations
and coastal zone protection regulations. If the community is very small
it may be part of a larger regional plan
- Litter bins in adequate numbers, properly secured
and regularly maintained and emptied. Adequate provision for refuse,
algal matter and other pollutants collected at the beach. The waste
collected at the beach must be disposed of in a licensed facility
- A daily beach clean during the bathing season when
necessary
- On the beach there will be no:
- driving unless specifically authorised
- beach bike or car races
- dumping
- unauthorised camping
Beaches on which cars are allowed must have designated areas on the
beach for parking, car-free zones and the waters edge must always be
kept entirely free from cars
- There must be safe access to the beach
- There must be management of different users and uses
of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents. If there are
natural areas bordering the beach, steps must have been taken to prevent
negative impacts from the use of and traffic to and from the beach and
its waters
- The beach has facilities for receiving recyclable
waste materials, such as glass bottles and cans
- The local community is promoting sustainable means
of transportation in the beach area, such as bicycling, walking and
public transportation
- Adequate and clean sanitary facilities with controlled
sewage disposal conforming with the requirements of the criteria concerning
EU Urban Waste Water Directive
SAFETY AND SERVICES
- Beach guards are on duty during the bathing season
and/or there is adequate safety provisions, including lifesaving equipment
and directions for their use and immediate access to a telephone. The
lifesaving equipment must be of a type that is approved by national
lifesaving/-guarding bodies. It must include instructions for use, must
be permanently and immediately accessible on the beach and be regularly
checked for proper functioning. Similarly, beach guards must be trained
and accredited according to national requirements established by authorities
or professional associations
- First aid must be available on the beach and its
location easily identified
- National laws concerning dogs, horses, and other
domestic animals must be strictly enforced on the beach. Their access
and activities must under all circumstances be controlled
- A shielded source of drinking water
- Easy and ready access to a telephone in cases where
the beachis not safeguarded by beach guards, the criteria is imperative
- At least one of the municipality's beaches must be
equipped with access ramps to the beach and toilet facilities for people
with disabilities, except where the topography does not allow for it.
In cases where the municipality has only one beach awarded with the
Blue Flag, this beach must have access and facilities for the disabled,
except where the topography does not allow for it
- All buildings and equipment of the beach must be
properly maintained
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