The risk of getting an upset stomach when swimming increases after it rains heavily. This is because some of the rainwater that flows into lakes and oceans can carry bacteria with it.
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Manure and feces
According to Mikael Krysellhead of unit for environmental monitoring at the Maritime and Water Authority who Echo have spoken to, it is both manure and faeces that run into seas and lakes.
– Especially if there are freshly fertilized pastures, fields where there are a lot of cows or sheep or the like, then bacteria from faeces simply flow into the bathing water, says Mikael Krysell to Echo.
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So that the rainwater does not run up into floor and street wells and cause flooding, the dirty water is instead released into waterways and thus drags faeces out with it. It is called flooding and is a temporary release of wastewater during heavy rains when treatment plants and pipelines are overloaded.
When bathing, the bath water has a very small percentage of faecal bacteria, but it can be enough to make you sick to your stomach.
That’s how long you should wait before bathing
To swim on the coast, it is enough to wait a day. However, on smaller lakes it is recommended to wait two to three days before it is safe to swim again.
– You simply have to be a bit on your guard, especially if you see that the water is a bit cloudy, then it is usually something that has been washed out from land, says Mikael Krysell to Echo.
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