Hygiene of bathing waters

Abstract

Bathing is possible without any epidemic risk in Southbavarian lakes. Limit values according to the water monitoring by the EC-Directive 76/160/EC were rarely exceeded and occurred only in 0.3 to 2.1 % of the samples from 1990 to 1998. In river waters, however, limit values occurred in 17 to 35.3 % of the samples and one should beware of bathing there. In 1999 some lakes became fecally polluted by overflows which could be documented by high numbers of total coliforms but not by Escherichia coli. Subsequently total coliforms functioned as an important hygienic parameter. Therefore, total coliforms should not be abolished in the revision of the EC-Directive. Water monitoring of little lakes further revealed that the future limit value of 100 fecal streptococci in 100 ml was exceeded in more than 50 % of the samples. Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli were demonstrated in 2 % of the surface water samples. Thermophilic campylobacters could be isolated from 17.4 % of bathing water samples which were faultless according to the hygienic parameters of the EC-Directive. In this respect all possibilities should be utilized to minimize fecal pollutions at bathing places.