Attention, swimming is prohibited! Health department warns of E. coli in Alpsee

Attention, swimming is prohibited! Health department warns of E. coli in Alpsee

Those who enjoy swimming around the Großer Alpsee near Immenstadt are currently on alert. The Oberallgäu Health Department has issued a clear warning: Swimming in the popular water is currently risky. As merkur.de reports, measurements on July 7th revealed greatly increased germ levels, which are above the permissible limits for Escherichia coli (E. coli). The values ​​for enterococci also show a worrying increase.

These bacteria can cause health problems such as diarrhea and vomiting. In particularly severe cases, serious infections can even occur. The health department points out that swimmers and water sports enthusiasts should currently enter the water at their own risk. Follow-up inspections are already being planned and the results will be published in due course.

Water quality under observation

The warning is part of a broader monitoring of bathing water quality, which is taken very seriously in Germany. According to umweltbundesamt.de, a total of 2,291 bathing waters were tested in the 2024 bathing season, with over 13,000 water samples being evaluated. These efforts are crucial to maintaining health standards for bathers: 98 percent of bathing waters met the strict requirements of the EU Bathing Water Directive.

Fortunately, almost 91 percent of the waters tested received the rating “excellent”. However, there have also been problems in recent years. 148 bathing water bodies had to be closed temporarily or for the entire season, with 72 closures being due to cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). These developments highlight the memorable challenges facing water quality during the summer months.

Important information at a glance

• Aktuell erhöhte Keimwerte im Großen Alpsee gefährden die Badequalität.
• Gesundheitsamt warnt vor gesundheitlichen Risiken wie Durchfall oder Erbrechen.
• Nachkontrollen sind geplant, Ergebnisse folgen.
• Die Wasserqualität in Deutschland bleibt insgesamt gut bis sehr gut.
• Umweltbund und Bundeswasserbehörden überwachen die Gewässer genau.

The regular testing and information policy is part of the European strategy to improve bathing water quality, which came into force on March 24, 2006. The data is collected responsibly, and the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) work hand in hand to inform the population in a timely manner about possible risks, as can be found on bundesumweltministerium.de.

In view of these developments, all bathers and interested parties should closely monitor the situation at the Großer Alpsee and find out about local recommendations. Although summer is tempting, health should always be a priority!