Two Bathing Seasons of Water Quality Data
The use of urban water bodies for swimming and cooling off is becoming increasingly popular internationally. As part of the Interreg EU project UrbanBlueHealth, together with project partners from Croatia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria, innovative methods for water quality monitoring and potential early-warning systems are being evaluated.
In the Austrian contribution to the project, both standard methods for assessing water quality and high-frequency measurement of enzyme activity – which can specifically indicate faecal contamination – are being deployed using the Danube Canal as a case study.
Further information: Interreg-Central-EU – UrbanBlueHealth
Activity Valueβ-D-Glucuronidase activity – indicator of faecal contamination (microbiological water quality)
PrecipitationHourly rainfall totals (GeoSphere Austria, INCA analysis, 1 km grid, location Franz-Josefs-Kai)
Badeschiff Wien
Heartfelt thanks to Andy and Badeschiff Wien for their support in making it possible to operate “Arthur” directly at the Danube Canal.
Arthur – ColiMinder at the Danube Canal
All our devices have their own names. The ColiMinder installed at the Danube Canal is called Arthur. Arthur is a seasoned instrument with deployments at leading water utilities and research institutions worldwide:
Arthur’s Deployment History
- 2017 – 2018 Mekorot, Israel
- 2019 – 2021 Eau de Paris, France
- 2022 LIST – Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
- 2023 – 2025 Eau de Paris, France
- 2025 – 2026 Danube Canal Vienna
In Cooperation With
Swimmable Cities is a global initiative shaping the liveability and resilience of communities around the world. Since launching its Charter before the Paris Olympics, their Alliance has grown to include 237 diverse organisations across 116 cities and towns in 37 countries. They are providing advisory services to support innovative Strategic, Policy and Finance initiatives for urban swimming infrastructure.
