Last changed: 19/04/12 Small bathing ponds, as opposed to
landscape pools, have become more and more popular among the
public in recent years. There are at least 75 such sites known
in Germany. They are man-made, outdoors, and capped underneath.
A vegetated regeneration zone is designated for purification of
the water, and unlike in swimming pool water, disinfection does
not occur. Therefore, any pathogens possibly secreted by bathers
are not immediately inactivated (as is the case in chlorinated
swimming pools) but remain infectious for a prolonged period of
time. Whereas pathogens in natural bathing waters are quickly
rendered harmless to bathers thanks to dilution and natural
decomposition processes, the bather-to-water volume in natural
swimming pools (ponds) leads to a higher level of contamination
than in landscape pools. Therefore pathogens in these ponds may
be traceable for weeks. This causes considerable cause for
concern with regard to the hygienic safety of such
installations, especially in light