Open water swimming: How safe is it?
Generally, inland sites such as rivers, ponds and lakes lag behind coastal places in terms of water quality, because inland rivers and lakes are more exposed to sewage from the land, and the pollution doesn't dilute as much as it would in the sea.
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In farming areas, heavy rain washes livestock manure and soil from fields into rivers, creating short‑lived spikes in faecal indicator organisms and adding nutrients that fuel algal and cyanobacterial blooms.
In short, alerts help, but they don't replace making a personal judgement by observing the river and the weather and thinking about who is swimming. Avoiding wild swimming in the days after a storm or heavy rain may be a safer choice. Checking the water for blooms, cloudiness, brown flow, sewage or chemical odour, surface scum, pea‑soup green water or foam in slow eddies, or any sign of dead fish can provide other clues that you should skip a dip.
Areas away from outflows, marinas and livestock fields, with an easy way in and out, are likely to be cleaner and safer than those close to sources of pollution. Extra caution is required – and in some cases, avoiding the wild swim altogether – if you have a weak immune system, are ill, have open wounds, or plan to swim with children. In addition to pollution, cold and currents can pose risks, as can swimming alone with no one around to help in an emergency.
The point is not that rivers are off-limits, but that the pleasures of wild swimming are best preserved when enthusiasm is matched by caution, timing and local knowledge.
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