Bathing water monitoring

In Austria, there are 260 bathing sites defined as "EU bathing waters". This means that the quality of their water is regularly examined according to uniform criteria throughout Europe. This applies, for example, to certain indicator germs that indicate possible contamination with fecal matter, but also to visibility depth and temperature. With the official start of the bathing season on June 15, our bathing water database and bathing water app provide information and current readings on water quality, visibility depth and temperature of all Austrian bathing sites. You can download the app here. The bathing water database is created in cooperation with and on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection.

Bitte wählen Sie ein Bundesland!
Hier finden Sie die KML-Datei mit allen Badegewässern für die Darstellung in Google Earth.


Bundesland Niederösterreich

Bild Gemeinde Badestelle Letzte Messung PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Allentsteig Badestelle Badeteich, Allentsteig Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Blindenmarkt Badestelle Ausee 1, Blindenmarkt Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Blindenmarkt Badestelle Ausee 3, Blindenmarkt Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Blindenmarkt Badestelle Ausee 2, Blindenmarkt Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Geras Badestelle Edlerseeteich, Geras Letzte Messung Gute Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Gerasdorf bei Wien Badestelle Badeteich, Gerasdorf Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Guntramsdorf Badestelle Windradlteich, Guntramsdorf Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Guntramsdorf Badestelle Ozeanteich, Guntramsdorf Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Hohenau an der March Badestelle Badeteich, Hohenau Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Horn Badestelle Badeteich, Horn Letzte Messung Gute Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Krumau am Kamp Badestelle Thurnberger Stausee, Idolsberg Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Langau Badestelle Bergwerksee, Langau Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Langenzersdorf Badestelle Badeteich Seeschlacht, Langenzersdorf Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Langschlag Badestelle Frauenwieserteich, Langschlag Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Leiben Badestelle Donau Altarm, Weitenegg Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Litschau Badestelle Herrenteich, Litschau Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Lunz am See Badestelle Lunzer See, Lunz Letzte Messung Gute Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Ober-Grafendorf Badestelle Ebersdorfer See Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Oberwaltersdorf Badestelle Erholungszentrum, Oberwaltersdorf Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Pölla Badestelle Dobrastausee, Pölla Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Poysdorf Badestelle Badeteich, Poysdorf Letzte Messung Gute Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Rappottenstein Badestelle Waldbad, Rappottenstein Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Sankt Andrä-Wördern Badestelle Donau Altarm, Greifenstein Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Sankt Pölten Badestelle Ratzersdorfer See Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Traismauer Badestelle Badesee, Traismauer Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Tulln Badestelle Aubad, Tulln Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Wiener Neudorf Badestelle Kahrteich, Wr. Neudorf Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF
Bild
Vollbild anzeigen
Gemeinde Zwettl Badestelle Stausee, Ottenstein Letzte Messung Ausgezeichnete Badegewässerqualität PDF
PDF

Every year, the European Commission publishes a report on bathing water quality, which is issued before the start of the next bathing season. In the 2023 report, 252 (96.9 %) of the 260 Austrian bathing sites were rated "excellent", 7 bathing sites (2.7 %) were rated "good", one bathing site (0.4 %) was rated "sufficient". 

Report: European bathing water quality 2023

Interactive bathing water map Europe

Water quality

Indicator germs that indicate possible contamination with faeces

Escherichia coli The guideline value of 100 CFU/100 ml should not be exceeded. If a limit value of 1000 CFU/100 ml is exceeded, a follow-up control must be carried out as soon as possible. If the limit value is also exceeded, the district administrative authority must be informed.

Intestinal enterococci The guideline value of 100 CFU/100 ml should not be exceeded. If the limit value of 400 CFU/100 ml is exceeded, a follow-up control must be carried out as soon as possible. If the limit value is also exceeded, the district administrative authority must be informed.

Water transparency

As a rule of thumb, you should be able to see your feet when you are standing in water up to your knees. The water samples are taken 20 to 30 cm below the water surface. At the same time, a site report is made, recording, among other things, the weather, the number of bathers, or the presence of waterfowl. The samples are brought to the laboratory cooled and protected from light, where they must be incubated for 36-72 hours before being analyzed. The result of the analysis is thus available up to three days after sampling.

Bath dermatitis

Higher water temperatures are not only pleasant for humans, water snails can also reproduce better in them - and in the water snails also cercariae, microscopic parasites that can lead to itching and rashes in humans, to so-called bath dermatitis.

Cercariae (fork-tailed larvae) are larvae of sucking worms. They develop in aquatic snails and are subsequently excreted in large quantities. They are found in both freshwater and saltwater, mainly in shallow shorelines. In water, they survive only one day, so they must enter waterfowl quickly to complete their development cycle. Humans are only "unintentionally" infested; the parasites die quickly in the skin. However, they can trigger an immune reaction that leads to itching and skin rashes, bath dermatitis.

The initial infection is often asymptomatic (= without signs of illness) and remains undetected. If symptoms occur, they are usually mild and quickly subside. However, if a person is infected several times by cercariae, itching, redness and wheals may occur, some of them severe. In most cases, bath dermatitis subsides after one to two weeks at the most.

The presence of cercariae does not mean that the water quality is poor. Suitable water snails must be present for the formation of cercariae to occur at all. In Austria, the occurrence of bath dermatitis was first described in the late 1960s; since then, cercariae associated with cases of bath dermatitis have been documented in individual water bodies in all provinces. Chlorinated water, e.g., in a public swimming pool or outdoor pool, does not pose a risk for bathing dermatitis.

Water birds infected by avian schistosomes (= sucking worms) release worm eggs (A) into the water via their feces. The hatched larvae of the first generation, called miracidia (B), infest water snails (C) as intermediate hosts. The third generation of larvae - the cercariae (D) - are released into the water by the water snails (sometimes other intermediate hosts are also required), especially at temperatures above 24°C. These larvae then seek out a duck bird (E) as the final host and penetrate its skin in the water. The cercariae lose their tail structures and become schistosomulae (F), which enter the intestine via the portal tract, where they become sexually mature, approximately 10 mm long sucker worms (G). The eggs of these worms, also known as couch flukes, then re-enter the water with the duck droppings. The skin of bathing humans (H) is only pierced by mistake; in human skin, cercariae die within hours.

Cyanobacteria ("algae bloom")

When it's hot, cooling down does you good. But caution is needed in some ponds, pools, etc: High water temperatures and nutrient levels can cause a rapid proliferation of cyanobacteria, the so-called "algal bloom." Cyanobacteria, colloquially called "blue-green algae," are not true algae, but bacteria and natural components of surface waters.

Signs of cyanobacteria in the water are:

  • bluish-green turbidity of the water
  • streaking
  • "algae carpets" on the water surface ("pea soup")
  • limited visibility depth of less than 1 meter

Cyanobacteria can produce toxins (poisons) that can be fatal to dogs, such as when they lick patches of algae from their fur or eat the rotting algal material on the shore.If large amounts of water are swallowed by humans or enter the respiratory tract, nausea, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, collapse, or paralysis may occur. Absorption of cyanotoxins through the skin is unlikely, but skin irritation, inflammation, or allergic reactions may occur. More serious health consequences represent gastrointestinal inflammation, respiratory diseases and liver damage.

The EU bathing waters are regularly checked hygienically and, in case of suspicion, also tested for cyanotoxins. However, smaller bathing lakes and swimming ponds are not always sampled. If a water body is suspected of showing an accumulation of cyanobacteria, water samples can be tested for cyanotoxins by us at a charge.

WHO cyanotoxin guideline values:

  • Microcystins: 24 μg/L
  • Cylindrospermopsins: 6 μg/L
  • Anatoxins: 60 μg/L
  • Saxitoxins: 30 μg/L

Tips:

  • Do not bathe if you cannot see your feet because of a greenish-bluish haze
  • Beware of water sports where a lot of water can be swallowed
  • Shower and clean your swimwear
  • Also watch out for your children and pets

Bathing Water App

Our products & services for water hygiene

Last updated: 14.06.2024

automatically translated