Worst excuse to ban wild swimmers yet

[Brick]

http://digitaljournal.com/article/32...b=comments&sc=

A mass die-off of fish in a German lake has been blamed on swimmers urinating in the water.

An angling representative claims that they calculate that each swimmer will release 1/2 litre of urine in the water per day, and that the phosphate in the urine will have contributed to algal growth and die-off that killed the fish.

Let's have a look at the facts. Urine does have phosphate in it, about 300mg of calcium or sodium phosphate per litre. Phosphate is a major component of fertiliser, and is a primary limiting factor of aquatic plant growth, so sufficient phosphate could lead to more plant growth.

But even if we accepted that every swimmer peed out 1/2 a litre of urine per day in the water, that would still take six or seven swimmers to excrete one gram of phosphate into the water.

It has been reported that 148 Tonnes of anti-phosphate agent (bentaphos) had been used to treat the water. 1T of bentaphos can remove 34kg of phosphate, so this should be enough to remove 5tonnes of phosphate from the water. Which is equivalent to the phosphate from about 16,800,000 litres of urine. But it's been reported that the bentaphos didnt work. For which one explanation would be that the amount of phosphate is far more.

Phosphate added to lake water doesn't stay there forever. It is incorporated into living organisms, sinks to the bottom of the lake, and is incorporated in the sludge at the bottom, and thereby removed from the lake ecosystem. So this expected 5 tonnes of phosphate from swimmer urine would therefore have to be produced by tens of millions of urinating swimmer days within a limited time period.

This may show us that our angling "friends" are prepared to use any excuse to claim that swimmers shouldn't be allowed in the water. But it appears that the swimmers have actually been banned from the lake. Until further research can be completed. So, it seems that not only will anglers be prepared to use any excuse, no matter how ridiculous, to get swimmers banned. It appears that someone actually listened to them and took them seriously.

Please note that the date of this post is not the 1st of April. I would never have been able to come up with something this bizarre as an April Fool's joke.

Edit: I've got to check my figures here.

[broomhillsaved]

Wow, you really couldn't make this up could you? I see that ice-skaters are also being blamed for waking fish from their hibernation.

[Brick]

Originally Posted by broomhillsaved

Wow, you really couldn't make this up could you? I see that ice-skaters are also being blamed for waking fish from their hibernation.

Which if it were true, would mean that you would expect to see dead fish in many lakes where there is ice-skating. Funny how both of the groups being blamed for the fish deaths are groups other than anglers who would like to use the lake.

It's an eye-opener to google "swimmers lake urination" to see how far this story has spread. I found articles published in the US, Australia, Pakistan, all around the world.

I thought I'd look to see how the story is being received on UK angling forums, but even though I tried a few, I couldn't find a mention. Personally I was expecting to find that they'd swallowed the story hook, line, and sinker.

[Wildswimmer]

What about the phosphate peed by millions down the toilet, most of which hasn't been stripped from the effluent from sewage treatment plants? Together with the phosphates from detergents which are added as sequestrating agents - used to keep the dirt suspended in the wash water?

This is from the kayakers' UK Rivers Guidebook:

http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/f...hp?f=3&t=90846

Wildswimmer Pete

[Pandi]

PH 8.7.Just add dry acid,would get that reading down in no time.

[Dave_G]

Just an excuse by our angling 'friends' to ban swimmers from 'their' lake. What is even more shocking, is that someone in authority has actually taken this bovine excrement seriously!
How long before they try it on in this country?

[KatieBun]

There's one lake which NOWCA have been asked to start running OW swimming in and, apparently, anglers have been saying there are poisonous leeches in the water. Hilarious. There is no such thing anywhere in the world as a poisonous leech. Anglers don't want to share!

[Dave_G]

It may well be argued that some anglers are poisonous leeches!

I really thought I'd heard everything, but today on the RALSA website I read from one of our members that a local farmer and some local residents are continually telling their children to stop playing/swimming in the river. He believes there is no law against being in the river, and they are not trespassing as it is a public right of way. They are not damaging his land nor have they left any litter. When the farmer was approached he said they weren't allowed in as when they came out of the river wet, this was taking water out that the local water authority needed!!!! The stretch of river in question has been used by local people for many, many years.
Is someone having a laugh? I've heard some really daft excuses to prevent people from swimming in rivers, but this one really takes the biscuit! I think the reply by another member of RALSA covers this issue superbly. He makes the point that he has never heard quiet such a stupid comment as dripping kids steal water from the river before! He additionally states that if there is a public right of way alongside the river and no damage is being done, then the farmer hasn't got a leg to stand on. He advises the member who reported this to let the river access for all campaign know, giving details of the river and area and if possible a grid reference They should be able to give him more advice.