Austria's bathing water: relapse to fourth place in the EU ranking!
Austria's bathing water: relapse to fourth place in the EU ranking!
Austria has taken a step backwards in the current evaluation of the water quality of bathing waters in the EU. Compared to the previous year, the country in ranking fell from second place to fourth place. According to a report by the European Environment Agency, 95.8 percent of domestic bathing waters have an "excellent" water quality. This means that the majority of the bathing spots can be used safely, even if further efforts are required to improve water quality in densely populated areas. In a comprehensive examination, a total of 96 percent of all EU waters examined met the required minimum standards.
The top position in the ranking is taken by Cyprus, followed by Bulgaria and Greece. It is noteworthy that coastal waters have on average higher water quality than inland waters. However, potential risks were identified - in particular fecal contaminants that are measured using coli bacteria and enterococci. Chemical pollutants were not taken into account in this survey.
annual bathing water monitoring
The European Commission publishes a report on the quality of the bathing water, which also includes the Austrian bathing areas. In 2024, 249 out of 260 tested bathing areas received the evaluation "excellent". Only seven bathing spots were classified with "good", two with "sufficient" and one with "poor". This illustrates the overall positive development of water quality in Austria, albeit sporadic defects.
Particular attention is paid to the higher water temperatures, which can lead to the increase in water snails and cerky. These can cause bathing leakatitis, a skin reaction that usually runs asymptomatic and usually subsides after one to two weeks. However, a occurrence of Zerkaria does not necessarily mean poor water quality; The corresponding water snails are required to maintain the life cycle of the parasites.
health risks and hygiene monitoring
Another health risk comes from cyanobacteria that thrive at high water temperatures and nutrient. These bacteria can produce toxins that can be dangerous for animals, especially dogs. Signs for their occurrence are a bluish-green cloudiness and the formation of "algae carpets". People can have health problems such as nausea and rashes when using people. The EU regularly monitors hygiene and cyanotoxins, whereby smaller swimming lakes are not always included in the tests.
In summary, it can be said that while Austria has fallen back in the EU ranking, the water quality of most bathing waters remains extremely high. Both the authorities and the users are required to deal with the resources carefully about the continuous monitoring measures and recommendations to improve water quality. The situation of the bathing waters and the responsible monitoring can also be found on the pages of the Ages and DetailsOrt Österreich Quellen
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