European Green Capital - Essen 2017 Opens the First Swimming Area on a Former Industrial River in Europe

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European Green Capital - Essen 2017

23 May, 2017, 18:36 BST

ESSEN, Germany, May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Experience the blue wonder - swimming again possible in the Ruhr after 46 years  

The former swimming world champion Christian Keller dared to jump into the Ruhr with numerous other swimmers. (PRNewsfoto/European Green Capital)
The former swimming world champion Christian Keller dared to jump into the Ruhr with numerous other swimmers. (PRNewsfoto/European Green Capital)
Prof. Dr. Norbert Jardin (Ruhrverband), Simone Raskob (Head of the Department of Environment and Construction and Project Leader of the European Green Capital – Essen 2017 ), Lord mayor Thomas Kufen, swim-star Christian Keller, Gerhard Odenkirchen (Head of department „Waten management“ of the Ministry of Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Consumer Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) and Dr. Wolf Merkel (IWW) solemnly opened the first bathing area in the Ruhr since more than 40 years. (PRNewsfoto/European Green Capital)
Prof. Dr. Norbert Jardin (Ruhrverband), Simone Raskob (Head of the Department of Environment and Construction and Project Leader of the European Green Capital – Essen 2017 ), Lord mayor Thomas Kufen, swim-star Christian Keller, Gerhard Odenkirchen (Head of department „Waten management“ of the Ministry of Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Consumer Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) and Dr. Wolf Merkel (IWW) solemnly opened the first bathing area in the Ruhr since more than 40 years. (PRNewsfoto/European Green Capital)
The former swimming world champion Christian Keller dared to jump into the Ruhr with numerous other swimmers. (PRNewsfoto/European Green Capital) Prof. Dr. Norbert Jardin (Ruhrverband), Simone Raskob (Head of the Department of Environment and Construction and Project Leader of the European Green Capital – Essen 2017 ), Lord mayor Thomas Kufen, swim-star Christian Keller, Gerhard Odenkirchen (Head of department „Waten management“ of the Ministry of Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Consumer Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) and Dr. Wolf Merkel (IWW) solemnly opened the first bathing area in the Ruhr since more than 40 years. (PRNewsfoto/European Green Capital)

For over forty years, the people of Essen were unable to go swimming in "their" River Ruhr. But now the wait has finally come to an end: numerous guests today visited the official opening of the Baldeneysee swimming area. After the starting signal by Thomas Kufen, the mayor of the city of Essen, some enthusiastic visitors joined former swimming world and European champion Christian Keller in jumping into the cool waters for the first time. 

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/514718/European_Green_Capital_1.jpg )

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/514719/European_Green_Capital_2.jpg )

"It is an indescribable feeling for me as well as for the people of the city of Essen to be able to open the swimming area on the Ruhr and to be able to acknowledge the years of research and the commitment of the Ruhrverband, the city and its partners," said Thomas Kufen, who opened the pilot swimming area on Tuesday together with Simone Raskob (Head of the Department of the Environment and Construction as well as project manager of European Green Capital - Essen 2017), Gerhard Odenkirchen (Departmental Manager for Water Management in the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) and Prof. Dr. Norbert Jardin (Technical Director of the Ruhrverband).

The Ruhr illustrates the development of the city of Essen. From being a river on which only a few mills and skilled craft enterprises were located, the river became a transport route for coal and a disposal site for industrial waste water. As a result of millions of euros in investments in waste water removal since the 1980s, the Ruhr has become a blue and clean body of water. Under the project name "Safe Ruhr", the general conditions for enabling safe and legally compliant swimming and an early warning system were developed in 2012, which takes into account the hygienic standards for bathing water within the EU. This system predicts fluctuations in water quality. It will only be necessary to close the swimming area after heavy rainfall events that necessitate discharges from the rainwater retention basins.

More information about the European Green Capital - Essen 2017 is available at http://www.essengreen.capital.

Contact details: 
Project Office for European Green Capital - Essen 2017 
Markus Pließnig, Press Officer
Tel.: +49(0)201/88-82336
Christina Waimann
Tel.: +49(0)201/88-82331
Brunnenstr. 8
45128 Essen
Fax: +49(0)201/88-9182309  
Email: media@egc2017.essen  
Web: http://www.essengreen.capital | http://www.essen.de    

SOURCE European Green Capital - Essen 2017