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Project overview
Joint central European actions for improving quality of urban bathing waters
When it’s hot in summer there is nothing better than taking a swim. However, in central European cities this might not be a good idea: 65% of urban surface waters meet only minimum quality standards. The project UrbanBlueHealth improves this condition by first assessing health impacts and then creating new solutions for cleaning up urban lakes and rivers. Amongst others, the partners develop a Blue Health Repository for monitoring and test it in pilots. Water site managers and urban beach operating bodies are trained to implement action plans, and a digital platform makes the new solutions available to other cities.
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1,63m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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5
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Countries
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8
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Regions
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9
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Partners
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3
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
When it is hot in summer there is nothing better than taking a swim. However, in central European cities this might not be a good idea: 65% of urban surface waters meet only minimum quality standards. The project UrbanBlueHealth improves this condition by first assessing health impacts and then creating new solutions for cleaning up urban lakes and rivers. Amongst others, the partners develop a Blue Health Repository for monitoring and test it in pilots. Water site managers and urban beach operating bodies are trained to implement action plans, and a digital platform makes the new solutions available to other cities.
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy
Department of Public Health, Laboratories and Methodology
Project partner
Total partner budget
154,000 €
Chemical Safety Department/Biological Safety Unit
Total partner budget
203,000 €
Total partner budget
119,000 €
Total partner budget
187,600 €
Department for Water Safety and Supply
Total partner budget
179,200 €
CePII, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Unit Water Hygiene
Total partner budget
205,800 €
Total partner budget
166,600 €
Department of Public Health
Total partner budget
169,400 €
Roadmap
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
Joint CE Transnational Bathing Water Strategy
Joint Transnational Strategy outlines the methodological and policy framework of action plans in a transnational scale. It contains exploration of local and regional problems relate to adverse health impacts of extreme climate change events on urban bathing water quality. It provides legal and policy options of local and regional authorities within the frame of national and EU level legislation. The strategy describes environmental and health surveillance methods based on partners contribution shared. It suggests methodology on cross-sectoral working and cooperation methods involving local and regional players in a multi-level governance environment.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
Urban Bathing Water Action Plans
Knowledge provider partners – National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (HU), Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (PL), National Institute of Public Health (CZ) and Croatian Institute of Public Health (HR) in cooperation with pilot partners complied the local urban bathing water action plans in each partner country. These action plans are based on baseline findings and benchmark conclusions and tailored the local sites such as Vienna, Szentendre, Łódź, Prague and Osijek. Actions plans are also benefited from the contribution of the national bathing water groups and the professional discussion of the transnational workshops. The partnership intends to provide the action plan not only in English, but at the national languages, too. Thus in the future the interested stakeholders will be able to reach national materials at national languages. Action plans – with other relevant outcomes of the project - and the translation will be accessible on the Central Europe transnational bathing water platform.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Solutions on improving urban bathing sites
Based on pilot actions implemented in the bathing season 2025, three solutions are being elaborated, in three cities. In city of Łódź in case of the recreational water bodies a high capacity aeration device is installed, which provide sufficient addition oxygen in the bathing water. This extra oxygen controls the number of the pathogen microbes. The Czech partners, SZU, applies remote sensing data-set on alga boom to monitor the and predict peeks of phytoplankton number and assess bathing water quality in bating sites along Vltava River, Braník and Hostivař reservoir. Hungarian solution includes collection on water quality parameters applying automatic and multisensory buoy. The data series and change of the measured parameters make the early warning possible for the Postás beach. In case of sudden change of certain physical and chemical parameters of Danube water it may trigger an intervention protocol for the beach by the local operator.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Project documents
UrbanBlueHealth – Related Websites, Partners, and Media Articles
Historic travel back in time
The best place to swim used to be the Vltava River
Floting lidos of Vlatave river - article
Solutions and even more
Floating Baths
Floating baths designs on the Vlatava River - article
UrbanBlueHealth
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