In the early morning, when there are no tourists or people looking for recreation, employees of the company drechsler try to get rid of the blue-green algae plague at the oberauhof. They vacuum up the pests, not exactly a very appetizing job.
Straight into the disposal car
Sven schlegel and dennis bub first get to grips with the algae with rakes. Christian meister has the most thankless task in the team. For he is standing up to his belly in ubel smelling water. He sprays the algae with a hose in the direction of the aspirator. And then vinzenz kaffka can do his job. He makes sure that the mega-vacuum cleaner works and that the algae really ends up in the disposal truck.
Just a few days ago, the state health department had praised the water quality of the mainaue recreation area (we reported), but the situation has now escalated. The blue-green algae are back and cause stink and a bathing ban.
Quality top until recently
For weeks, the water in the mainaue recreation area has been tested daily. Sometimes the experts even went out several times a day to draw samples. Not only because of the blue-green algae, but also because of the microbiological quality.
The head of the state health department, camelia sancu, was pleased just a few days ago that the depth of visibility was 60 centimeters and that the microbiological quality was also in order.
Only the anglers were worried. Because the gravel wash was heating up more and more. "At times the water temperatures are around 30 degrees", lamented frank podhorn, chairman of the fishing club.
Hope for dropping temperatures
Everyone was hoping for temperatures to drop and for the situation to improve. But this did not come in the mab as predicted. On the contrary: the blue-green algae have really "bled up" in the last few days and have now led to a bathing ban.
On the surface of the water you can see the typical turquoise-green glow. It stinks unpleasantly. "I was at the lake every day and swam all week, but not anymore", says frank kruger (73). Kruger rides his bike to the gravel wash every day, sits on the shore, and has a drink.
"It’s like it’s dead"
"You notice right away when bathing is banned. It is like dead here today. You can also smell that the algae are there", explains the 73-year-old. Since he spends many hours at the lake, he has observed that the city is trying to control the algae plague.
The recreation area attracts visitors from near and far despite the blue-green algae. The lakeshores are not completely deserted. People continue to walk, cycle along the waterfront or simply sit on the shore.
Mr. And mrs. Nowak and mr. And mrs. Ciupek are even happy that there is less going on. The two couples want to barbecue together. The fact that the warning signs are posted right next door does not bother them. They just want to celebrate.
Problems for kiosk operators
The blue-green algae are a real nuisance, especially for the kiosk operators. "The regulars come, but it’s not like that already. What can you say?", says dieter kern. In the first years after he leased the kiosk, there had been no algae.
"It smells a little, but the algae don’t stink. You can still sit on the terrace", says kern and hopes that the customers will remain loyal to him.
"I don’t sit at the front of the water", says hans-jorg lorenz. The 54-year-old has brought a so-called percussion plate to the kieswasch’ and has percussion notes lying in front of him. "The fact that I’m sitting so far away from the shore has nothing to do with the algae, but with the fact that I need a straight surface", he explains.
Lorenz uses his lake stays to exercise. He wants to continue to come to the gravel wash in the future. "But now I have not been bathed. It doesn’t look so good, and you don’t have to challenge anything", he says. He doesn’t want to throw an idea into the room about what could help. "One has already put up the fence – and at other lakes there are also such problems", says lorenz and: "biologists have to think of something."