DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF COASTAL RECREATIONAL AREAS ON ECOLOGICAL AND HYGIENIC CHARACTERISTICS

Summary: The article is devoted to the problem of the sanitary ecological state of recreational areas. An author on the basis of empiric research’s result was developed the draft of comprehensive assessment of the sanitary ecological state of coastal recreational areas, which will enable for forming the technical conclusions about accordance of the sanitary state of recreational areas to the requirements of the international program ?The Blue flag?. This scheme proposes an analysis of recreational loading and recreants’ opinion poll on the issue of the environmental quality and the study of the most important indicators of sea water, sediment, contamination of beach sand by household waste and staging experiments by bioindication with typical representatives of coastal recreational areas. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the most pronounced differences in terms of total suspended solids and solid waste in the area of the beach Omega in compare with the beaches of the north part of Sevastopol, whereas the most pronounced correlation between the indices of the total suspended solids and content of sea water’s oxygen (r = -0,965), as well as the total suspended solids and the amount of garbage on the beach (r = 0,753). Between the recreational load and the amount of municipal solid waste has been identified the feedback (r = -0,702). We can assume that this trend is associated with the better cleaning of popular beaches and municipal protection of less visiting areas. Currently, the closing of beach areas takes place on the basis of microbiological characteristics of water whereas the state of the sand and the components of contamination are not considered. Thus, only a comprehensive assessment of the sanitary and ecological state of the coastal environment with the sand, water and bottom sediments can become the basis for regulation of visits to the beaches and give for the recreational areas a certain status. The differentiation of the beaches on the quality of the areas hasn’t only the great ecological and health value but also can serve as an important economic stimulant for the development of coastal areas.