"The Thames at Ham in the southwest of the city has officially been deemed clean enough to become the river's first ever London bathing site. In an attempt to drive a clean up, local campaigners have been fighting for bathing pond status under the EU-derived bathing water directive for six years. Having been declared biologically dead in the 1950s due to pollution, the site's arrival marks a big milestone in the Thames' water quality."
"The Thames at Ham dipping spot will be open until the summer swimming season ends in late September. And to make sure its water quality is up to par, officers from the Environment Agency will visit the site each week to monitor samples and publish them online for swimmers to check before getting your cossies on."
"Wild swimming fans will be happy to hear that the new location, opposite the length of Trowlock Island in Teddington, is free to use. That's more than can be said about some of the capital's most popular open water swim spots. Last week, the City of London hiked the cost of swimming in Hampstead Heath by as much as 30 percent."
"As for the best way to get to the site, it's accessible by car or on foot via access points near the Burnell Open Space in Ham and opposite the Kingston Hawker Cen"
Thames at Ham in southwest London has been declared clean enough to become the river’s first London bathing site. The site had been biologically dead since the 1950s due to pollution, and campaigners sought bathing pond status under the EU-derived bathing water directive for six years. The location reopened for modern wild swimming with a first dip on May 15. The bathing site will remain open until the summer swimming season ends in late September. Environment Agency officers will visit weekly to monitor samples and publish results online for swimmers. The site is free to use and is accessible by car or on foot via access points near Burnell Open Space in Ham and opposite the Kingston Hawker Centre.
#wild-swimming #thames-river #water-quality-monitoring #london-outdoor-recreation #environment-agency
Read at Time Out London
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