Health risks at dozens of outside swimming locations in Netherlands
The Netherlands is in the midst of a potentially record-breaking superheatwave, and many people are seeking to cool down in the water. But health risks currently apply to dozens of outdoor swimming spots in the country due to poor water quality. That number has nearly doubled since the start of the swimming season, Hart van Nederland reported based on figures from Zwemwater.nl.
Prolonged hot weather can degrade water quality because blue-green algae and bacteria grow faster. Therefore, the quality of swimming water is regularly checked until the end of the swimming season on October 1.
Currently, swimming is discouraged or even outright prohibited in 38 spots due to poor water quality, causing a high risk of gastrointestinal issues, or the presence of blue-green algae, causing a high risk of skin irritation and gastrointestinal issues.
Limburg and Zeeland are the only two provinces with no active health warnings for outdoor swimming.
Noord-Holland has the most, with warnings at ten locations, including at Zaansmeer, Dorregeest, Andijk, Spaarnwoude, Kudelstraat, and Haarlemmermeerse Bos lake and pond.
There are six active warnings in Noord-Brabant. Friesland and Groningen have five warnings each. Gelderland has four, Zuid-Holland three, Drenthe two, and one each for Flevoland, Overijssel, and Utrecht.
In total, the Netherlands has 946 official outdoor swimming locations. So swimming is safely possible in the vast majority of them.
