The lac de la Haute-Sûre, pictured above, will be accessible for bathing from 1 May. Photo: Raymond Clement

The lac de la Haute-Sûre, pictured above, will be accessible for bathing from 1 May. Photo: Raymond Clement

Bathing aficionados will be able to rest easy as they jump into one of Luxembourg’s lakes and ponds as their water quality has been deemed excellent.

Testing the Remerschen ponds, Weiswampach and Haute-Sûre lakes in twelve separate locations, the water management administration confirmed that for most parts, the water was of great quality. Only in one zone of the Remerschen ponds did the administration give the water a good rather than excellent grade.

As the bathing season opens on Sunday 1 May--it lasts until the end of September--the microbiological elements of the popular leisure spots will be monitored to check the evolution of the ecosystems. Bacterial parameters of faecal pollution--e.coli and intestinal enterococci--are checked to ensure that the health of swimmers is not at risk. Blue algae levels in the country’s lake are also monitored as they can cause sanitary issues in high concentrations too.

The presence of blue algae in past years has forced the closure of some bathing lakes. The Haute-Sûre lake, for example, was closed for swimming in early September 2021.

With temperatures ranging from 12ºC to 14ºC at the start of the season, swimmers might however wait before dipping a toe in the water.