It's a little cooler now – at least cool enough that you wouldn't want to plunge right into the next flood. The heiben days are over for the time being.
The main river is still in a state of emergency after the floods – also in terms of bacteria. During the last examinations, which are carried out at regular intervals by the health department of the district of kitzingen, it was found that indicator germs such as e-choli bacteria are increasingly present in the main river water. "That's not normal", explains medical officer stefan roth. Nevertheless, he advises against swimming in the main river. "Whether you are in the water for three hours or three seconds makes no difference." If you swallow water, it's not exactly good for your health. However, the receding flood water also represents a special situation. Due to the shallow floods, a wide variety of pollutants have been spooled into the river main, which cannot be decomposed in such a short time.
Advise against swimming in the main
That's why stefan roth, in consultation with hygiene inspector willi weib, has ordered another water test today. "Only when the indicator germs are found permanently in higher doses do we become active and issue official warnings", says the expert. Such a situation has only occurred once during his tenure, and that was more than ten years ago. At that time, citizens who had bathed in the main increasingly complained about skin lesions and rashes. "But we don't expect such problems at the moment – even if we don't recommend swimming in the main river."
There are plenty of alternatives in the district – willi weib, for example, generally advocates using the well-maintained and hygienically impeccable swimming pools. However, many water rats are drawn to the more natural-looking waters – even if you're not supposed to swim there at all.
Bathing forbidden
Swimming in the dettelbach quarry pond, for example, is directly prohibited. "This is a private site with an existing mining operation", explains jurgen popp, technical manager of the dettelbach plant of the heidelberg cement group, which extracts sand and gravel there. Bathing is expressly not permitted here, let alone entering the land. "If necessary, we will throw people out or call the police." More than once he had to threaten unconvincing visitors to the lake with a charge of trespassing. On the one hand, the risk of injury to bathers was too great. Steel ropes and heavy equipment do not seem to stop them from bathing, some even throw the grill on in the dry grass close to hedges and shrubs. "If that catches fire, they won't get out of there." Not to mention the danger in the water itself. Only in 2005 a man drowned there, after he had pushed his head while jumping in. In such a case, divers have to come and look for the submerged one. During this action – sometimes lasting for days – production stops at the gravel plant. It costs a lot of money, not to mention a human life, and even endangers jobs. Jurgen popp therefore appeals again and again to the unpopular bathers – even if he sometimes even shows understanding. "Who can blame the people who simply want to go to the water when the temperature is high?, he says, but adds directly: "but there are also enough evasion possibilities."
Bathing at your own risk
For example the quarry ponds in horblach. Bathing is tolerated there, although this is not a designated EU bathing water either. "Otherwise, we would have had to follow completely different guidelines and prove different criteria, from the lifeguard to the sanitary facilities, which are not currently in place", explains elisabeth ziegler-weiber of LZR gmbh, which mined sand and gravel in horblach and is the owner of the water. "That's why swimming is only tolerated here – you swim here at your own risk." The water quality is excellent, as in all groundwater lakes.
Search for an alternative
This is shown by the many creatures that schoolchildren bring to light when they use the green classroom and explore the flora and fauna of the water. "It doesn't matter how it looks", says elisabeth ziegler-weiber about the water in horblach. "It depends on what you find in it." She personally would also prefer to have more grass snakes and less "water rats" could observe at the lake. "But you won't keep people away from the water", she says – and hopes together with jurgen popp, stefan roth and willi weib that the bathing friends will already look for alternatives in the next, cooler days. Until the summer heat comes back, they should be able to come up with a plan B.
Water testing the bacteria tested have an indicator function. If they appear in the water, it means that there can also be pathogens in the water.
In the main and in the lakes, the indicator germs are basically present and pose no danger to a healthy adult swimmer. The situation is different for babies and small children. Your organism may not be able to cope with the water.
Prohibitions and restrictions the schweinfurt waterways and shipping office points out that
be aware that according to the bathing ordinance, bathing and swimming is not allowed in certain areas on the whole width of the mains, especially from 100 meters above to 100 meters below weirs and locks, including the lock forebays, power plants, harbor entrances and bridges. The sog is particularly dangerous in the area of ships. The current bathing, use and navigation prohibitions should also be observed in one's own interest. Parents are asked to keep their children
by regularly pointing out the dangers and prohibitions to them.
Alternatives outdoor pool abtswind, bathing lake erlabrunn, outdoor pool gnotzheim, outdoor pool on the moon island kitzingen, terraced pool markt einersheim, outdoor pool volkach, geomaris in gerolzhofen (currently still under reconstruction) and many more…
"Meebruns" and other swimmers
It's one thing to go to the swimming pool for a swim? "Well. In the sea it's much nicer, much more natural, much quieter, much cleaner. There are even crayfish, it's so clean!" Some observers only shake their heads at such statements. "The sandy beach may be nice, but I won't go in that dirty pool!"
Regardless of how personal precautions are taken, swimming in the main naturally has its own special risks – in contrast to those in the chlorinated pools monitored by lifeguards in the very well-maintained swimming pools of the district. Especially after the flood, there are even more pollutants and germs in the river, its tributaries and bays than there already are. It is usually not deadly, but not necessarily healthy either.
It's a good thing that the next heat period is still a few days away. Until then, the main has regenerated a bit, the ice chests in the swimming pools have been filled – and everyone can once again pursue their own personal preferences.
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