The document establishes a star rating system to visually indicate the water quality in the republic’s bodies of water and rivers.
Currently, there are eight areas in Moldova designated as bathing areas of national importance. Six of them are located on the Dniester River, and two are on the country’s largest lakes. In addition, 31 areas have been designated as recreational areas by local authorities.
Since 2009, the law has required that recreational areas obtain a health permit. In 2024, two national zones were approved for swimming; the rest did not receive certificates due to substandard water quality or inadequate infrastructure and were marked with “no swimming” signs.
The cost of water quality testing is set at 103,000 lei per year.
Each year, the authorities intend to conduct analyses based on approximately 480 samples from 30 swimming areas (16 samples per season over the course of four seasons).
