Germany: Water in lakes, rivers and the sea clean and germ-free

EU Environment Agency
German bathing waters are mostly clean and germ-free

People in Germany and large parts of Europe don’t have to worry about harmful bacteria when jumping into the nearest bathing water this summer. According to a report published by the European Environment Agency EEA on Friday, 90.2 percent of the analyzed German bathing lakes, rivers and coastal waters have excellent water quality. This means that the bathing conditions in the waters of the Federal Republic are even better than in most other EU countries.

Hardly any health risk when swimming in Germany

For the annual report, the Copenhagen-based EEA analyzed data from 2022 on 21,973 bodies of water in the 27 EU countries as well as in Albania and Switzerland, including 2292 in Germany. She looked at the pollution of the water with faecal bacteria, which can lead to diseases in humans. This involves intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli, which mainly come from wastewater and agriculture. The conclusion of the environmental experts: The health risk of swimming in lakes, rivers and coastal waters in the EU is very limited.

“Swimmers heading to lakes, rivers and beaches to cool off this summer can be assured of the highest quality standards at bathing resorts across Europe,” said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius. Maintaining these high standards benefits the health and well-being of citizens.

interview

seahorse
Fatal swimming accidents in children: a swimming coach advises parents to minimize the risk

08/11/2022

With a value of just over 90 percent of bathing waters with excellent water quality, Germany is roughly at the level of the previous year. In a European comparison, this again means a place in the upper middle field: This time, Cyprus, Austria, Greece and Croatia did best among the 29 countries, followed by Denmark, Malta, Bulgaria and Romania, before Germany came in ninth place. At the bottom, with values ​​below 65 percent, are Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Estonia.

On average, the bathing water quality of 85.7 percent of the bodies of water was classified as excellent in the EU, and 95.9 percent at least met the EU minimum standards. The EEA noted that this confirms the positive trend of previous years.

Coastal waters with better water quality than inland waters

While the German bathing areas are predominantly inland waters, coastal waters make up a good two-thirds of all bathing areas across the EU. These generally have better water quality than inland waters, which, according to the EEA, is due to the fact that the water on the coasts is renewed more frequently and the waters there have greater opportunities to clean themselves. In contrast, many inland bathing resorts are located on relatively small lakes and ponds and on rivers with little current. Especially in summer, such inland waters are more susceptible to short-term pollution, for example from heavy rain and droughts.

Overall, bathing water quality has improved significantly in Europe over the past few decades. According to the EEA, this is due, among other things, to systematic monitoring and management of bathing areas and large investments in municipal wastewater treatment plants.

The proportion of bathing water with poor quality has decreased over the years across Europe and has remained relatively stable since 2015. Poor water quality was found in only 315 of the almost 22,000 bodies of water examined. In Germany, as in the previous year, there were a total of 14, which corresponds to a share of 0.6 percent. These include the Achterdieksee in Bremen, the Hinbergsee in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Neustädter See in Saxony-Anhalt, the Garchinger See near Munich and one of several bathing areas at the Freigericht-Ost lake in north-western Bavaria. The Environment Agency advises bathing bans, warnings or other measures for places with poor water quality.

hey
dpa