ABSTRACT
Recreational activities which involve contact with water are very popular, especially in the warmer tropical waters. The risks vary with the type of activity, and those where there is prolonged intimate contact with the water, and thereby greater likelihood of ingesting water, pose greater risk. When establishing microbiological criteria for recreational waters, it is also necessary to consider the effect of applying stringent limits. From the aesthetic viewpoint it could be said that all water should be free from the following: material that will settle to form objectionable deposits. Studies of the occurrence and survival of pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in temperate aquatic environments have directed much of the water quality criteria adopted. Effective water quality management involves a systematic program of sampling and analyses, and both the process control and the surveillance program involve monitoring.
