Going to the beach and enjoying a good swim without the risk of contaminated water seems like the most natural thing in the world to us, but a few years ago it was unthinkable. On the beaches of the Llobregat delta, for example, swimming was prohibited because the water from this river reached them, one of the most polluted in Europe along with the Anoia. But all this changed thanks to a European Commission regulation, the Llobregat delta beaches, without going any further, swimming was prohibited because the water from this river reached them, one of the most polluted in Europe along with the Anoia. But all this changed thanks to a European Commission regulation, the Water Framework Directive, which since 2000 has recognized the importance of rivers for the sea, as a vital source of nutrients for marine life and sediments for the coast.Now this directive is at risk. The same European Commission that promoted it has raised a reform that can weaken it. The its proposal implies increasing the possibilities that projects considered "strategic" may prevail over current environmental legislation. Currently, member states can already request exceptions to compliance with certain directive obligations, but only in very specific and justified circumstances. The reform aims to broaden this margin of exception and adapt it to the new strategic priorities of the European Union. This could facilitate the authorization of projects linked to the extraction of critical raw materials (mainly for the production of various renewable energies) or related infrastructure for defence and security. These changes pose a huge contradiction with the current situation, given that, precisely now, measures have been approved to reduce polluting substances such as PFAS and microplastics in water, and we are also paying daily fines to the European Commission itself for not comply with the required levels of sanitation and water saving.If this reform is approved, there is a very clear risk: moving from a directive model based on the protection of aquatic ecosystems to a model that normalizes their degradation. And this would have direct consequences not only for rivers and aquifers, but also for the health of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, and for people's daily lives.Therefore, this debate is more than a legal issue. It is about choosing what model of relationship we want to have with water. The Water Framework Directive introduced a paradigm shift: water is not managed solely with economic and political criteria, but places ecological criteria at the center to ensure the health of aquatic ecosystems and prevent their degradation.