This Directive concerns the quality of bathing water, with the exception of water intended for therapeutic purposes and water used in swimming pools. For the purposes of this Directive, "bathing water" means all running or still fresh waters or parts thereof and sea water, in which bathing is explicitly authorized by the competent authorities of each member State, or bathing is not prohibited and is traditionally practised by a large number of bathers. Further, article 1 lays down the definitions of bathing area and bathing season too. The physical, chemical and microbiological parameters applicable to bathing water are indicated in the Annex hereby attached. The competent authorities in the Member States shall carry out sampling operations, the minimum frequency of which is laid down in the Annex. Article 10 provides for the establishment of a Committee on Adaptation to Technical Progress.