Weilheim: Does the Dietlhofer See stink?

— The health department reacts immediately

Created: 09/02/2022, 12:00 p.m

By: Jennifer Battaglia

Does the Dietlhofer See stink or is it safe to swim there?

© EMANUEL GRONAU

Several complaints about the smell of the "Dietschi" were received by the editorial team.

The water quality left a lot to be desired.

But is that really true?

The health department reacted immediately.

Weilheim - 24 degrees, sunshine, only a few clouds in the sky: At the beginning of the week, the weather was perfect for swimming and refreshing in Lake Dietlhof.

Margarethe Beer from Peißenberg also took advantage of the opportunity to cool off.

She had come to the lake with friends and family.

The 65-year-old has enjoyed bathing in the “Dietschi” since she was a child.

“I was here for four days last week alone,” she says.

Satisfied bathers at Dietlhofer See: "Everything is great here"

Beer cannot confirm that the Dietlhofer See should smell unpleasantly.

The home newspaper had received several calls from concerned citizens: the lake would stink and the water quality had decreased significantly over the summer.

Bathers on site do not share these impressions, on the contrary: "The lake is clear," says Beer.

"Everything is fine here."

In fact, near the shore you can see the bottom directly, the water seems transparent and not cloudy.

There is also no unpleasant smell.

"It's obvious that the lake doesn't exactly smell of chlorinated water," says a friend of Beer's.

"We didn't get a rash or anything like that either," affirmed the woman from Peißenberg.

We ask the city if there have been any complaints.

No, no complaints.

And the health department also reacted promptly: In order to check the bathing water quality, a visit including sampling was carried out at Lake Dietlhofer just a few hours after the local newspaper asked.

Head of Health Dr.

Stefan Günther came to the lake in person, together with an employee from the hygiene control service, Max Einöder.

The head of the health department, Dr.

Stefan Günther, supervises the water sampling by the employee in the hygiene control service, Max Einöder.

© LRA

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Dietlhofer See: Water Management Office tested water last year

A press release from the district office then said that both the water and the environment were unremarkable and showed no odor pollution.

Due to the westerly wind, however, one could smell an odor from the nearby fields, which may be due to the weekend's rains and the manure used by farmers.

The last routine inspection of the bathing area had taken place at the beginning of August and, according to the district office, was "hygienic".

Nevertheless, an additional sample has now been carried out and sent to the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL).

The results should be available by the end of this week.

Last year, the water management office also took samples from deep parts of the lake over a period of months.

The reason for this was the concern of the Weilheim fishing association for the "Dietschi", which had sounded the alarm because of fewer and fewer water lilies and disappearing fish species.

But here, too, there were no signs of poorer water quality.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter.)

Dietlhofer See: Project with TU Munich from autumn?

You will still keep a close eye on the lake.

"We'll definitely stay tuned to the topic," says Ullrich Klinkicht, who is responsible for "Dietschi" on the Weilheim city council.

Even before the latest complaints were received by the local newspaper, he had talked to Uta Raeder from the limnological station in Iffeldorf.

A possible joint project for “Dietschi” is in the pipeline.

The station belongs to the Chair of Aquatic Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich.

“These are the water experts in Germany,” Klinkicht continues.

For all "Dietschi" lovers, there doesn't seem to be any reason to get excited at the moment.

According to Klinkicht, it is normal for the oxygen content in the lake to decrease due to weather conditions such as prolonged heat or little rain.

"It's a natural process," he says.

It can sometimes smell a bit boggy or even fishy.

You can find more current news from the Weilheim-Schongau district at Merkur.de/Weilheim.