Balluta Bay tops list for poorest bathing water quality… again
Difference between Balluta and the rest of the ‘worst 10’ is relatively large, says study author
Balluta Bay, Xlendi Bay, Birżebbuġa’s St George’s Bay and St Julian’s St George’s Bay recorded the highest levels of bacteria this summer again, according to a study measuring bacteria levels.
The same four also scored as the worst four during last year’s bathing season but data shows that the levels of bacteria recorded at these bays seem to have increased.
These four were followed by Spinola Bay, Armier, Little Armier, Comino’s Santa Marija, Xatt l-Aħmar and Marsalforn forming part of the top 10 worst quality bays this summer.
The study’s author, Victor Axiak, professor of biology at the University of Malta, flagged that Balluta Bay has consistently recorded the highest bacteria levels over the past five years.
“Moreover, the difference between Balluta and the rest of the ‘worst 10’ is relatively large,” Axiak added.
On the other end, the study found that Pembroke, St Thomas Bay, Wied iż-Żurrieq, Xgħajra, Ġnejna, Żewwieqa, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Marsascala, Għajn Tuffieħa and Pretty Bay were featured in the top 10.
Still within EU’s safety levels
The study collected data on E. coli levels from 87 fixed monitoring stations covering 41 bays across Malta, Gozo and Comino, between May 12 and July 20, which marks the first 10 weeks of the bathing season.
This data was compared to the full bathing season of 2024, which spans from the third week of May to the third week of October.
No readings were taken when bays were closed due to short-term pollution.
The results for this period show that Malta is within the safety levels set by the European Commission, as less than one per cent of the available readings exceeded 500 CFU/100ml.
“If our beaches are within the health standards of the EU, why investigate any further?… This will allow us to identify long-term trends and to make a relative scoring of the levels of pollution for the different sites,” Axiak said.
The commission gives four classifications for bathing water quality: excellent, good, sufficient and poor.
None of the stations reported poor quality and most of the bays were classified as excellent.
The worst readings came from stations located at Balluta Bay and Xlendi, which classified the area as ‘sufficient’. Another station at Balluta Bay classified the area as ‘good’. While Xlendi had a station which classified the area as ‘good’ and another which classified it as ‘excellent’.
Armier, Marsalforn, Spinola get worse. St Thomas Bay, Ġnejna, Xgħajra improve
Both Armier and Marsalforn experienced a “significant worsening” as they went from being among the top 10 best bays last year to the top 10 worst bays this year.
Spinola Bay also recorded a sharp drop in quality, falling from the 12th best bay in 2024 to the fifth worst in 2025.
Gozo’s Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Daħlet Qorrot and San Blas went from being among the top 10 last year, to falling just outside the top 10 worst bays this year.
Regarding Comino, none of its bays made it to the top 10, with Santa Marija being ranked as the eighth worst bay this year.
St Thomas Bay, Ġnejna and Xgħajra all reported a huge improvement, as they went from being in the top worst bays in 2024, to being included in the top 10 beaches this year.
Regarding Comino, none of its bays made it to the top 10, with Santa Marija being ranked as the eighth worst bay this year
“The score for Xgħajra is remarkably good for 2025 since this locality was until recently considered relatively polluted. The major infrastructural changes in this locality, such as the discontinuing of discharge of untreated sewage and the setting up of a major sewage treatment plant at Barkat, evidently made a huge difference,” Axiak said.
Another study carried out by the same author found that St Julian’s St George’s Bay dropped from being one of the best bays in 2013 to being one of the worst. Trends show that, in just one year, this bay could reach the contamination levels of Balluta Bay.
Last week, the Environmental Health Directorate warned swimmers to avoid the sea at Wilġa Street in St Julian’s after scientists detected contaminated water for the second time that month.
In June, both Xlendi Bay and Sliema’s Fond Għadir were closed for swimming due to contamination.