Bathing water in the Donau-Ries: All samples flawless – safety guaranteed!

Bathing water in the Donau-Ries: All samples flawless – safety guaranteed!

In the idyllic waters of the Donau-Ries, where nature beckons with its warming rays of sunshine, there is news from the health department. According to a current report in the Schwäbische Post, the Donau-Ries health department has been closely examining the water quality of various bathing waters in the neighboring Bavarian district in recent weeks. All samples taken since the first week of May have yielded no complaints.

The ongoing controls took place in three EU bathing waters, namely in Tapfheim, Riedlingen and Wemding, where the water samples were sampled twice. In addition, twelve other bathing waters, including Altisheim, Ehingen, Genderkingen, Gosheim and many more, were included in the water quality checklist in the first week of June. Particularly pleasing: the water temperatures in the first week of June were between 20 and 21 degrees Celsius, with the highest temperature recorded in Gosheim at 21.5 degrees Celsius. That invites you to jump into the cool water!

EU bathing waters under constant control

But what makes these bathing waters so special? According to the Donau-Ries website, the selection of EU bathing waters is carried out according to the strict criteria of the EU Bathing Water Directive. Only bodies of water that are regularly frequented by many bathers and where there is no permanent ban on swimming are selected. Health authorities are obliged to monitor water quality at specified intervals during the bathing season to ensure the safety of bathers.

Each bathing site has a detailed bathing water profile that includes geographic, hydrological and physical information as well as potential sources of contamination. In Bavaria, six water samples per bathing area are taken before and during the season to be examined without fail, as the current bathing weather describes.

Bathing water quality in Germany

A look at the national results shows that the quality of bathing water in Germany is also extremely pleasing. According to the Federal Environment Agency, 98 percent of the 2,291 bodies of water examined in the 2024 bathing season were of a good quality level and almost 91 percent were even rated “excellent”. Of course there were exceptions – nine bathing areas were classified as “poor” by the European Commission.

The previous prolonged rainfall, which resulted in the closure of a number of bodies of water due to excavation, was particularly worrying, but the quality of German bathing water remains largely positive. Information on water quality can be accessed via various websites and can also be displayed on a map of Germany.

For detailed information on EU bathing waters and the current test reports, those interested can visit the websites of the district administration authorities. The results of the water samples are available there and care is taken to ensure that bathers are informed about safety measures and hygiene standards.

Swimming in a healthy environment – ​​that is the wish of all swimming enthusiasts, and the current results from the Donau-Ries show that things are on the right track here.

For further information, please visit the Swabian Post's articles about bathing waters here, Donau-Ries here and the Federal Environment Agency here.