Pape

15.9°C Water temp · Jun 8

Latvia Coastal 1 - Excellent 15.9°C

Satellite image of PAPE — Satellite image © Esri

Pie Papes bākas is a bathing site located on the Baltic Sea coast in Rucavas municipality, Latvia. The site is subject to official water quality monitoring and management under European Union Directive 2006/7/EK. Water quality is assessed based on microbiological criteria, including indicators of faecal contamination such as Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci, as well as observations of cyanobacterial blooms. The bathing water profile documents the physical, geographical, and hydrological characteristics of the site, identifies pollution sources, and evaluates ecological quality factors that may affect swimming safety.

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Water

Baltic Sea coastal waters. The profile includes hydrographical characteristics of the Baltic Sea and describes the hydrological properties of the coastal waters, including ecological quality characteristics of the coastal zone.

Location

Rucavas municipality, Baltic Sea coast, Latvia.

Season

The official monitoring and assessment of bathing water quality occurs over four bathing seasons, with reviews conducted at intervals depending on water quality classification: every four years for good quality waters, every three years for sufficient quality waters, and every two years for poor quality waters.

Water Quality

Water quality is classified according to a four-tier scale: excellent quality, good quality, sufficient quality, and poor quality. Classification is based on four seasons of monitoring data using statistical analysis. For excellent quality, intestinal enterococci must not exceed 100 CFU/100 ml (95th percentile) and Escherichia coli must not exceed 250 CFU/100 ml (95th percentile). For good quality, enterococci limit is 200 CFU/100 ml and E. coli limit is 500 CFU/100 ml (95th percentile). For sufficient quality, enterococci limit is 185 CFU/100 ml and E. coli limit is 500 CFU/100 ml (90th percentile). Bathing is not recommended if E. coli exceeds 1000 but does not exceed 3000 cells per 100 ml or if enterococci exceed 300 but do not exceed 500 cells per 100 ml. Bathing is prohibited if E. coli exceeds 3000 cells per 100 ml or if enterococci exceed 500 cells per 100 ml. Excessive cyanobacterial growth also prohibits bathing.

Risks

Cyanobacterial blooms may occur and would prohibit bathing. Faecal pollution from untreated wastewater is a potential risk factor. The profile evaluates diffuse pollution sources related to urbanized areas, traffic, atmospheric pollution, and agricultural land use, as well as pollution from populations not connected to centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems.