Bathing water quality in Extremadura, Spain
Extremadura has 29 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (18 river and 11 lake). 31% were classified Excellent — 55.6 points below the 86.6% across Spain — and 11 were Poor. By province, the Excellent share is highest in Badajoz (66.7% of 12) and lowest in Cáceres (5.9% of 17). 1 site has been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
Calidad de las aguas de baño en Extremadura
De 29 zonas de baño oficiales de la UE en Extremadura, el 31 % fue «excelente» en 2025; zonas con calificación «insuficiente»: 11.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Extremadura
Extremadura by province
Sites are placed in the Eurostat NUTS 3 provinces that contain their reported coordinates.
| Province | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cáceres | 17 | 1 (5.9%) | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Badajoz | 12 | 8 (66.7%) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Sea, lakes and rivers in Extremadura
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 11 | 9 (81.8%) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| River | 18 | 0 (0%) | 6 | 1 | 11 | 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
1 site was Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- EMBALSE ORELLANA ORELLANA LA VIEJA PM1 11 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE DE ALQUEVA CHELES PM1 8 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE GARCIA DE SOLA /PUERTO PE?A HERRERA DEL DUQUE PM1 5 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE GARCIA DE SOLA PUERTO PENA TALARRUBIAS PM1 5 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE ORELLANA CAMPANARIO PM1 5 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE ORELLANA CASAS DE DON PEDRO PM1 5 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE ORELLANA ORELLANA DE LA SIERRA PM1 5 seasons · Badajoz
- EMBALSE CANCHO DEL FRESNO CA AMERO PM1 4 seasons · Cáceres
- EMBALSE ZUJAR CASTUERA 02 PM1 1 season · Badajoz
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.
- RIO LOS ANGELES PINOFRANQUEADO PM1 Poor in 6 of 8 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO 02 PM1 Poor in 5 of 5 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO 03 PM1 Poor in 5 of 5 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO PM1 Poor in 5 of 5 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO JERTE PLASENCIA PM2 Poor in 3 of 11 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO RIVERA DE USAGRES USAGRE PM1 Poor in 3 of 10 classified seasons · Badajoz
- GARGANTA RIO TAJO VALDECA?AS DE TAJO PM1 Poor in 2 of 9 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIVERA DE ACEBO ACEBO 02 PM1 Poor in 2 of 11 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIVERA DE ACEBO HOYOS PM1 Poor in 2 of 2 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO ARRAGO CADALSO PM1 Poor in 1 of 8 classified seasons · Cáceres
- RIO LADRILLAR LADRILLAR PM1 Poor in 1 of 3 classified seasons · Cáceres
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (3)
- EMBALSE ZUJAR CASTUERA 02 PM1 Good → Excellent
- RIVERA DE ACEBO ACEBO PM1 Sufficient → Good
- RIVERA DE GATA MORALEJA PM1 Sufficient → Good
Declined (5)
- EMBALSE ROMANO PROSERPINA M?RIDA PM1 Excellent → Good
- GARGANTA RIO MORO VIANDAR DE LA VERA PM1 Good → Sufficient
- GARGANTA RIO TAJO VALDECA?AS DE TAJO PM1 Sufficient → Poor
- RIO ARRAGO CADALSO PM1 Sufficient → Poor
- RIO LADRILLAR LADRILLAR PM1 Sufficient → Poor
How Extremadura 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 | 29 | 9 | 31% | 11 |
| 2024 | 26 | 9 | 34.6% | 5 |
| 2023 | 27 | 11 | 40.7% | 6 |
| 2022 | 27 | 11 | 40.7% | 4 |
| 2021 | 23 | 10 | 43.5% | 2 |
| 2020 | 16 | 3 | 18.8% | 0 |
| 2019 | 21 | 3 | 14.3% | 5 |
| 2018 | 21 | 3 | 14.3% | 7 |
| 2017 | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | 1 |
| 2016 | 10 | 4 | 40% | 0 |
| 2015 | 10 | 5 | 50% | 1 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Extremadura
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 | Province | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orellana la Vieja | Badajoz | 3 | 3 (100%) | 0 |
| Navaconcejo | Cáceres | 3 | 0 (0%) | 3 |
| Cañamero | Cáceres | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
| Acebo | Cáceres | 2 | 0 (0%) | 1 |
| Cadalso | Cáceres | 2 | 0 (0%) | 1 |
All 29 official bathing waters in Extremadura
Grouped by province, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 29 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Cáceres 17 sites · 5.9% Excellent · 10 Poor
- EMBALSE CANCHO DEL FRESNO CA AMERO PM1 · Cañamero Excellent Excellent 4 seasons in a row
- GARGANTA DE JARANDA JARANDILLA DE LA VERA PM1 Good
- GARGANTA RIO MORO VIANDAR DE LA VERA PM1 Sufficient Good → Sufficient since 2024
- GARGANTA RIO TAJO VALDECA?AS DE TAJO PM1 · Valdecañas de Tajo Poor Poor in 2 of 9 classified seasons
- RIO ARRAGO CADALSO 02 PM1 Good
- RIO ARRAGO CADALSO PM1 Poor Poor in 1 of 8 classified seasons
- RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO 02 PM1 Poor Poor in 5 of 5 classified seasons
- RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO 03 PM1 Poor Poor in 5 of 5 classified seasons
- RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO PM1 Poor Poor in 5 of 5 classified seasons
- RIO JERTE PLASENCIA PM2 Poor Poor in 3 of 11 classified seasons
- RIO LADRILLAR LADRILLAR PM1 · Herguijuela de la Sierra Poor Poor in 1 of 3 classified seasons
- RIO LOS ANGELES PINOFRANQUEADO PM1 Poor Poor in 6 of 8 classified seasons
- RIO RUECAS CA?AMERO PM1 · Cañamero Good
- RIVERA DE ACEBO ACEBO 02 PM1 Poor Poor in 2 of 11 classified seasons
- RIVERA DE ACEBO ACEBO PM1 Good Sufficient → Good since 2024
- RIVERA DE ACEBO HOYOS PM1 · Perales del Puerto Poor Poor in 2 of 2 classified seasons
- RIVERA DE GATA MORALEJA PM1 Good Sufficient → Good since 2024
Badajoz 12 sites · 66.7% Excellent · 1 Poor
- EMBALSE ALANGE ALANGE PM1 Good
- EMBALSE DE ALQUEVA CHELES PM1 Excellent Excellent 8 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE GARCIA DE SOLA /PUERTO PE?A HERRERA DEL DUQUE PM1 · Valdecaballeros Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE GARCIA DE SOLA PUERTO PENA TALARRUBIAS PM1 Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE ORELLANA CAMPANARIO PM1 · Orellana la Vieja Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE ORELLANA CASAS DE DON PEDRO PM1 Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE ORELLANA ORELLANA DE LA SIERRA PM1 · Orellana la Vieja Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE ORELLANA ORELLANA LA VIEJA PM1 Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- EMBALSE ROMANO PROSERPINA M?RIDA PM1 · Mérida Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- EMBALSE ZUJAR CASTUERA 02 PM1 Excellent Good → Excellent since 2024
- RIO RIVERA DE USAGRES USAGRE PM1 Poor Poor in 3 of 10 classified seasons
- RIO ZUJAR VILLANUEVA DE LA SERENA PM1 Good
Compared with other autonomous communities in Spain
| # | Autonomous community | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andalusia | 382 | 96.6% | 2 |
| 2 | Murcia | 85 | 96.5% | 0 |
| 3 | Canary Islands | 218 | 95.9% | 0 |
| 4 | Catalonia | 263 | 92.8% | 1 |
| 5 | Galicia | 519 | 89.2% | 5 |
| 6 | Valencian Community | 293 | 88.4% | 5 |
| 7 | Asturias | 73 | 86.3% | 2 |
| 8 | Cantabria | 40 | 85% | 1 |
| 9 | Basque Country | 62 | 72.6% | 2 |
| 10 | Balearic Islands | 191 | 69.6% | 3 |
| 11 | Navarre | 15 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 12 | Castilla–La Mancha | 38 | 60.5% | 7 |
| 13 | Aragon | 21 | 42.9% | 1 |
| 14 | Castile and León | 41 | 36.6% | 7 |
| 15 | Extremadura | 29 | 31% | 11 |
Autonomous communities 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 Extremadura were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 9 of 29 (31%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 8 were Good, 1 Sufficient and 11 Poor. That ranks Extremadura 15 of 15 Spain autonomous communities by Excellent share.
- Which province of Extremadura has the highest share of Excellent sites?
- Badajoz: 66.7% of its 12 sites were Excellent in 2025. Only provinces with at least five sites are compared; see the full table.
- Which beaches in Extremadura have the best long-term record?
- 1 site was Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example EMBALSE ORELLANA ORELLANA LA VIEJA PM1, EMBALSE DE ALQUEVA CHELES PM1, EMBALSE GARCIA DE SOLA /PUERTO PE?A HERRERA DEL DUQUE PM1. See the ranking.
- Which places in Extremadura have the most official bathing waters?
- Orellana la Vieja (3, 100% Excellent), Navaconcejo (3, 0% Excellent), Cañamero (2, 50% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Extremadura rated Poor?
- Yes, 11: RIO LOS ANGELES PINOFRANQUEADO PM1, RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO 02 PM1, RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO 03 PM1, RIO JERTE NAVACONCEJO PM1 and 7 more.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On NÁYADE (Ministry of Health) (Ministry of Health (NÁYADE system) and the regional health authorities). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Spain overview · All autonomous communities of Spain · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Spain, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and province 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 Spain. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.