Maria Kozyraki, Secretary of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, signed a project contract with the contractor company “Chemicotechniki Langouvardos – Spantidakis O.E. Quality Control Laboratories” for the implementation of the action “Monitoring the quality of bathing waters in the region of Crete for the year 2024.” The project is funded by the Ministry of Environment’s Operational Program “Environment and Climate Change” as the first sectoral subproject of the related act for the programming period 2021-2027.
The object of the contract is the sampling and analysis of seawater to monitor the quality of bathing waters along the coasts of Crete for the swimming season of the year 2024, aiming to protect the marine environment and ensure public health. Specifically, monitoring results will be delivered for 177 designated bathing sites distributed along the entire coastline of the island. Monthly seawater sampling will be conducted at each designated site, starting in May and concluding in October 2024.
Through monthly sampling and laboratory analyses of the water, qualitative data are evaluated. Based on these evaluations, specific protocols and management procedures are activated by the responsible authorities (Decentralized Administration, Municipalities) in cases of temporary or short-term pollution incidents that show particular consequences for public health and bathers at specific beaches.
The data, which determine the quality of bathing waters at each of the 177 beaches in Crete for this summer, are published as open geospatial data on the website of the Decentralized Administration of Crete [https://geoportal.apdkritis.gov.gr/gis/home/index.html], as well as on the “Bathing Waters in Crete” application. This application annually provides useful information on the characteristics of each beach and the quality of bathing waters, starting from June 1st, consistently since 2016.