Under the Directive, member state authorities may identify bathing waters where people are expected to bathe in large numbers. Article 5 and Annex II set out classifications for bathing waters as either 'poor', 'sufficient quality', 'good quality', or 'excellent quality'. Annex III requires reviews to take place every two years if quality is poor, three years if sufficient, and four years if good. Annex I defines how the quality of water is judged by measuring levels of
Escherichia coli and Intestinal enterococci, with different thresholds for 'inland waters' and 'coastal waters and transitional waters'. == See also ==