
Vienna’s natural bathing waters have been given ratings of “excellent” and “good” following the latest inspections by city authorities.
The MA39 city department regularly inspects 28 natural bathing sites, including locations on the Old and New Danube, Lake Aspern, the Hirschstetten pond and the Dechantlacke.
“We conduct these analyses from May to September,” MA39 head Georg Pommer stated in a press release. The most recent inspections were carried out in July.
“We test for key indicators of contamination, specifically E. coli bacteria and enterococci,” Pommer explained. “These are the primary markers of pollution.”
Heat can speed up the growth of bacteria in bathing waters, and water birds also add to the pollution. Flood events further affect water quality, as polluted water from the main branch of the Danube can enter the New Danube. In such cases, automatic closures are enforced, as occurred most recently in June, when authorities prohibited bathing in the New Danube.
According to the latest results, the water quality in the New Danube is “excellent” at seven out of nine locations. However, at the Steinsporn and Nordbahn bridges, the water was rated as “good” due to an increase in enterococci and E. coli bacteria.
At the Old Danube, five out of seven bathing areas achieved top ratings in the latest assessments. The Gänsehäufel-Südstrand and the Angelibad were rated “good”, as both sites showed elevated levels of E. coli bacteria, with the Gänsehäufel-Südstrand also recording higher numbers of enterococci. The Stadlau lido at the Mühlwasser also received a “good” rating due to increased E. coli levels.
The results for the Old and New Danube are published online every two weeks, with the latest findings expected to be available from the beginning of next week.