Munich: Is Isar too dirty to swim?

It was cool, it was funny. City councilors had fun the other day during the swimming test in Isar, where the city plans an Isar river bath between Cornelius and Maximiliansbrücke. Lying on wooden planks, sunbathing, jumping in waves, drifting into a secure area – a wonderful idea for Isar bath lovers.

So beautiful that the city council with the votes of the Greens and CSU (against the SPD) is green The light has been given to pursue the costly idea of ​​16 to 34 million euros further. But now the Council of the City ÖDP's Flussbadgegner again vehemently talk – and tear up the project with a "fact check".

Here, at the Braunauer Bridge (above the river plan), untreated sewage is discharged into Isar during heavy rains. Photo: Tobias Ruf

16 times a year sewage in Isar?

"The city is planning here just at the most dangerous point of Isar," rumors the aquatic ecologist and Tobias Ruff's ÖDP municipal council. "And Isar is here after a heavy rain that is extremely messy, probably even dangerous to health, because untreated sewage is introduced directly over the planned bathing area."

Untreated wastewater? Ruff explains that in many areas of the city (especially around the old city), Munich's old cbad system is such that, in heavy rains, it has to absorb untreated sewage with household faeces. , clinics and businesses. "There are such water points in Isar," says Ruff. "Four of them are above the river baths, and the exit of the Braunauer Eisenbahnbrücke carries wastewater to Isar on average 16 times a year." There is more on the Candidplatz and the vegetable cbad of Stadtwerke. "The State Office for the Environment knows it, there is a brochure about it."

Toilet paper, binder, other waste: This is so that he takes care of the heavy rains on Isar. Photo: Tobias Ruff

Ruff: "Can save us money for the next study"

Another negative point for Ruff: Even under normal conditions, the flows in the Flussbadbereich planned so high that the river "only for experienced swimmers" Certainly, but certainly not for children. The rafters, which were to be installed to prevent branches or debris, would also endanger bathers further upstream of the river. "There," said the city council, "swimming would then be completely banned, and in the river itself, swimmers would not be safe."

That the installation of platforms and spillways at the bottleneck on. And: that you can use the million baths depending on the weather "at most 60 days of bathing per year". Thus, even the SPD had already justified it not at the river bath. Ruff: "We can save money for the next study, it's wasted money."

Würm as an alternative

ÖDP alternative proposal: at instead to clog millions of euros on Isar, better bays on the Würm build. The ripples – from Lake Starnberg – eleven kilometers through Pasing, Obermenzing and Allach-Untermenzing – 70 centimeters to one and a half meters deep. "The worm is cleaner, warmer and safer," says Ruff. "At Pasinger Stadtpark or Behringstraße it would be easy to do."

Environmental Officer Stephanie Jacobs (non-party) has ÖDP's critics on AZ's demand view: The quality of Isar's water in the # 39; been three, four times checked her in an answer. "So far, no bathing ban has been pronounced in Isar, as the boundaries have been met."

Swimming "in open water is essentially reserved for swimmers" ", With normal water levels. For the other plans, "issues such as safety, responsibility, costs and nature conservation would of course be dealt with in more detail". Whatever it is, it's going to be planned anyway.

This article was written by Irene Kleber