Bathing water quality in Lõuna-Eesti, Estonia
Lõuna-Eesti has 21 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (17 lake and 4 river). 61.9% were classified Excellent — 5 points above the 56.9% across Estonia — and 1 was Poor. 7 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Lõuna-Eesti
Sea, lakes and rivers in Lõuna-Eesti
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 17 | 13 (76.5%) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| River | 4 | 0 (0%) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
7 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- KUBIJA JÄRV 11 seasons
- KUREMAA JÄRV 11 seasons
- PÜHAJÄRV 11 seasons
- RIISKA JÄRV 11 seasons
- TAMULA JÄRV 11 seasons
- VANAMÕISA JÄRV 11 seasons
- VILJANDI JÄRV 11 seasons
- AIDU TEHISJÄRV 6 seasons
- NÕO VESKIJÄRV 6 seasons
- SAADJÄRVE KUKULINNA 6 seasons
- SAADJÄRVE TABIVERE 6 seasons
- VALUOJA JÄRV 6 seasons
- VÄRSKA SANATOORIUM 6 seasons
Rated Poor in 2025
For a Poor site the Bathing Water Directive requires management measures, including a bathing prohibition or advice against bathing, so check the authority before visiting.
- ANNE KANAL Poor in 4 of 11 classified seasons
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (0)
None.
Declined (4)
- EMAJÕGI LINNAUJULA Excellent → Good
- EMAJÕGI VABAUJULA Excellent → Good
- PÕLVA PAISJÄRV Excellent → Good
- VEREVI JÄRV Good → Sufficient
How Lõuna-Eesti rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | 13 | 65% | 1 |
| 2024 | 19 | 16 | 84.2% | 1 |
| 2023 | 19 | 17 | 89.5% | 1 |
| 2022 | 19 | 18 | 94.7% | 0 |
| 2021 | 19 | 17 | 89.5% | 0 |
| 2020 | 20 | 16 | 80% | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 10 | 71.4% | 0 |
| 2018 | 14 | 10 | 71.4% | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 10 | 71.4% | 2 |
| 2016 | 14 | 11 | 78.6% | 0 |
| 2015 | 14 | 12 | 85.7% | 0 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Lõuna-Eesti
Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.
| Place | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tartu | 3 | 0 (0%) | 1 |
| Tõrva | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Viljandi | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Võru | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
All 21 official bathing waters in Lõuna-Eesti
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 21 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Lake 17 sites · 76.5% Excellent
- AIDU TEHISJÄRV Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- KAMARI PAISJÄRV · Põltsamaa Good
- KUBIJA JÄRV · Võru Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- KUREMAA JÄRV Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MUSTVEE SUPLUSKOHT Not classified
- NÕO VESKIJÄRV Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- PÕLVA PAISJÄRV Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- PÜHAJÄRV · Otepää Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- RIISKA JÄRV · Tõrva Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SAADJÄRVE KUKULINNA Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- SAADJÄRVE TABIVERE Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- TAMULA JÄRV · Võru Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VALUOJA JÄRV · Viljandi Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- VANAMÕISA JÄRV · Tõrva Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VÄRSKA SANATOORIUM Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- VEREVI JÄRV · Elva Sufficient Good → Sufficient since 2024
- VILJANDI JÄRV Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
River 4 sites · 0% Excellent · 1 Poor
- ANNE KANAL · Tartu Poor Poor in 4 of 11 classified seasons
- EMAJÕGI LINNAUJULA · Tartu Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- EMAJÕGI VABAUJULA · Tartu Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- PEDELI PUHKEALA · Valga Good
Compared with other regions in Estonia
| # | Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lõuna-Eesti | 21 | 61.9% | 1 |
| 2 | Lääne-Eesti | 16 | 56.3% | 1 |
Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Lõuna-Eesti were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 13 of 21 (61.9%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 5 were Good, 1 Sufficient and 1 Poor, and 1 had no class. That ranks Lõuna-Eesti 1 of 2 Estonia regions by Excellent share.
- Which beaches and lakes in Lõuna-Eesti have the best long-term record?
- 7 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example KUBIJA JÄRV, KUREMAA JÄRV, PÜHAJÄRV. See the ranking.
- Which places in Lõuna-Eesti have the most official bathing waters?
- Tartu (3, 0% Excellent), Tõrva (2, 100% Excellent), Viljandi (2, 100% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Lõuna-Eesti rated Poor?
- Yes, 1: ANNE KANAL.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On Bathing sites and water (Terviseamet) (Health Board (Terviseamet)). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Estonia overview · All regions of Estonia · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Estonia, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Estonia. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.