Every summer, Oslo municipality tests the water at the various bathing areas in Oslo. The samples taken on Tuesday show that most of the bathing areas in Oslo have good water quality. Two places, on the other hand, have worse test results than the tests taken in the Seine when the triathlon competition in the Olympics was postponed. The water at the bathing areas, on the other hand, must be topped up one more time before the municipalities can state that bathing is prohibited. This is how Oslo municipality measures the bathing water Oslo municipality takes samples of the bathing water in Oslo from June to August. They measure thermotolerant coliform bacteria (TKB) to determine how good the water quality is. This means the different values: Excellent: Less than 250 TKB per 100 ml Good: 250-500 TKB per 100 ml Less good: 500-1000 TKB per 100 ml Poor, bathing not recommended: More than 1000 TKB per 100 ml Source: Oslo municipality Higher values than Paris The City Environment Agency in Oslo municipality measures the water quality at various bathing areas once a week, to ensure that the bathing water in the capital is safe. They test the water for, among other things, the bacteria E. coli. – We measure thermotolerant bacteria (TKB), they are in sewage, simply in poo, says Ellen Espolin Johnson of the City Environment Agency. She takes samples of the water and sends it in for analysis. The samples taken at Bekkelagsbadet are fine. But the water at Sørenga and at the Opera has high values. The amount of bacteria measured in the water is above what Oslo Municipality considers acceptable. At both swimming areas, the test results show slightly higher values than what was measured in the Seine before the Olympic triathlon was canceled and moved to Wednesday. Today, the Seine lake was approved before today’s triathlon competition. Photo: Lisa Leutner / Reuters On Sørenga it was measured 1700 and on Operastranda 1500. In the Seine it was between 980 and 1553 at the four test sites. 1,000 is the limit for Oslo municipality. The swimming water at Sørenga and Operastranda therefore does not meet the Olympic requirements for clean water, according to the tests taken on Tuesday. But the results must be confirmed with one more test, before the municipality bans swimming here, explains Ellen Espolin Johnson. If the values on the next test are also over 1,000, the municipality will put up a sign saying that bathing is prohibited. – It smells a bit musty In periods of heavy torrential rain, the water sometimes becomes more polluted. – The sewers become full, then the sewage comes up into the drain and what runs on the surface and into the rivers. And then the torrential rain takes dog poo and everything possible into the water, says Johnson. The swimming area at Sørenga is still packed on a sunny day, even though it rained heavily last week. Emilie, Maria and Paula are at Sørenga often, but their favorite is actually the bathing area Huk. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news – The water is a bit disgusting, it smells like muck, says Maria (17), who is at Sørenga with her friends Emilie and Paula. She has followed the news in the past, and has seen that the water quality has been poor. – But I like swimming anyway! Sondre (17) from Lillestrøm has been a regular swimmer at Sørenga this summer. However, he is skeptical about the quality of the water. Brage, Sondre, Thor and William have been swimming a lot at Sørenga this summer, but I think the water looks a bit dirty. Photo: Ismail Burak Akkan / news – But the water quality could be a little better then, there is a lot of rubbish in the water, like sunscreen and plastic and the like, he says. My friend Brage (18) has heard that the quality of the water becomes worse when it rains a lot. Wait a day with the dip Research leader Sondre Meland at the Research Institute for Water and the Environment (NIVA), says that you have a small snapshot of water quality in the blink of an eye and that it is often changing. – That is why there is general advice: If it has been rainy, you should wait a day before taking a dip. In periods with a lot of rain, the overflow water, because there is so much of it, goes down the sewer. When there is a lot of rain, the water pipes cannot remove all the water, and the sewage treatment plant does not have the capacity to clean it. Then it happens that the water goes uncleaned into rivers and along the fjord. Oslo municipality tests the water at the bathing areas in Oslo once a week. Photo: Ismail Burak Akkan / news What is the danger of bathing in dirty water that has high bacteria values? – The bacteria that are measured are indicator bacteria for sewage, and intestinal bacteria and that type of thing. When there are high levels there, it can lead to a risk of stomach problems and diarrhoea. But there can also be bacteria and viruses in the water that can cause infections, says Meland. When asked if he himself had jumped into the water in Sørenga today, he answers no. Published 31.07.2024, at 21.38
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Measurements at these bathing areas are dirtier than the Seine – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
