Monitoring of public beaches and swimming pools

According to the Health Protection Act, the municipal health protection authority must regularly monitor the quality of water at public recreational waters (coastal, freshwater,swimming pools, massage pools and spa´s). The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has issued instructions regarding the quality and frequency of monitoring swimming water at the above-mentioned facilities. Depending on the number of visitors and water quality, samples are taken at least four times per year (every two weeks at the largest locations). Water quality at public beaches is usually checked 1-2 times per month during the swimming season. The samples are taken from the end of May until the end of August.

The safety of public beaches and swimming pools are also monitored using the same basis for the regulations of product safety. In Finland, the Consumer Agency co-operates with the State Provincial Offices and municipalities to monitor the safety of consumer products and services.

The results of water quality tests for swimming pools and public beaches are displayed on the bulletin board of each swimming location. During the swimming season, the results of water quality tests for public beaches are also available on the Environmental Health Care website.