The list of official beaches is planned to be supplemented with two new inland beaches — the beach at the Bolderāja quarry in Riga and the city beach of Kuldiga "Māras dīķis", as outlined in the amendments prepared by the Ministry of Health (MH) to the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations on the creation, maintenance of beaches, and management of water quality, LETA reports.
The Health Inspectorate (HI) evaluated the information presented by the Riga City Council and the Kuldiga Municipality and recognized that the beach at the Bolderāja quarry and "Māras dīķis" meet the requirements for obtaining official beach status.
In Riga, water quality monitoring at the Bolderāja quarry has been organized for five bathing seasons. The Ministry of Health notes that the area is equipped with changing cabins, a children's playground, a volleyball court, benches, a walkway, surveillance cameras, and portable sanitary facilities and trash containers are provided during the bathing season. This year, a modular portable lifeguard station is also planned to be installed.
In turn, in Kuldiga, a bathing area at "Māras dīķis" was improved last year — changing rooms, benches, trash bins, bicycle racks, pedestrian paths were equipped, and a portable sanitary facility was provided.
The inclusion of the two new beaches will increase water quality monitoring costs by 1,196 euros per year.
The costs for supervising one beach amount to 598 euros and include the salaries of the inspector and hygienist, employer social contributions, laboratory water testing, and transportation expenses.
Funding will be provided under the HI budget program "Supervision and Control" through savings resulting from reduced laboratory testing expenses.
In addition to state budget expenses, there are also costs associated with the municipalities for the official beach status.
The Riga City Council plans to allocate 27,170 euros for the maintenance of the Bolderāja quarry in 2026, while the Kuldiga Municipality will allocate 5,100 euros for the maintenance of the "Māras dīķis" beach.
As noted in the annotation, official beach status means regular water quality monitoring, public information, and compliance with safety requirements, which reduces the risk of infections and injuries and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
According to the Water Resource Management Law, the Cabinet of Ministers approves the list of beaches where water quality monitoring during the bathing season is funded by the state budget.
Currently, there are 59 beaches on the official list — 32 on the Baltic Sea and Riga Gulf coast and 27 in inland waters.
Municipalities annually submit proposals to the HI by December 31 for the inclusion or exclusion of beaches from the list, after which the inspectorate evaluates them and sends proposals to the Ministry of Health.
Leave a comment