Bathing waters

Swimming in natural water bodies is still one of the most popular recreational activities. In Germany there are a great many of bathing waters registered in accordance with the EU bathing water directive. In 2011 the total was 1915 inland bathing waters and 370 coastal bathing waters.
In 2006 the former bathing water directive of 1975 was updated and replaced by a regulation in line with the current state of scientific research. The revised directive entered into force on 24 March 2006.

In the meantime the federal constituent states (Länder) have transposed the EU-bathing water directive into national law and issued conforming Länder regulations.
The constituent states are responsible for the enforcement of the provisions, i. e. for the designation and monitoring of EU bathing waters. They publish information on their quality on the Internet.

Swimming is generally beneficial to human health but it may also involve health risks. There are different reasons for this:

• Open bathing waters along inland water courses and lakes and along coastal waters can be polluted with pathogens. These sanitary problems are mainly caused by inputs from sewage treatment plants and storm water spills and from urban and agricultural run-off. They can lead to fever, diarrhoea and vomiting in those who come into contact with the contaminated water.
• Another problem can be caused by nutrient inputs, in particular phosphates and nitrates, as this may lead to eutrophication and facilitate a massive growth of algae (algal blooms). Cyanobacteria ("blue-green algae") produce toxins and allergens. They can cause acute health problems in humans coming into contact with the contaminated water (e.g. conjunctivitis, eczema) or even have chronic detrimental health effects (liver damage).

Germany has been able to reduce the number of pollution sources considerably over the past few years. As a consequence the quality of German bathing waters has continually improved.
Information on the quality of bathing waters or the condition of beaches (in particular warnings about hazardous swimming conditions) should be taken seriously. This information can be obtained on site, the Internet or from the responsible health or environmental authorities.

High concentrations of waterfowl can also lead to pollution of bathing waters by faeces. In many places bird populations increase dramatically because people feed them. So please help to keep our waters clean and refrain from feeding birds.
A particular source of pollutant inputs into bathing waters is the surface run-off after heavy rainfall. Swimming after heavy rainfall should therefore be postponed until the natural purification capabilities have set in. Water turbidity is not necessarily a sign for poor bathing water quality as clear water is just as likely to be contaminated with bacteria.

• Bathing Quality of Inland and Coastal Waters