If you’ve grown up in Bristol you’ll have heard tales of the water quality being terrible. Things have changed over the last thirty years.
Bristol Triathlon Club run their annual triathlon here, and every weekend sees hundreds of kids taking to the water in all manner of craft for a dunking.
The water we paddle in is predominantly fresh water from the River Avon. The Floating Harbour is not a designated European Bathing Water (like beaches are) and water quality varies, particularly after heavy rain. We check the water quality weekly and would cancel the session if water quality didn’t meet standards. As with all river water, it is advisable to:
- always cover exposed cuts and wounds with a water proof dressing.
- it is inadvisable to ingest the water
- it is good practice not to ingest food or drink with wet hands. We recommend washing your hands prior to eating.
Bristol Council have published this week’s water quality results on their site, which you can compare with EU Bathing Water standards here. Although Bristol Floating Harbour is not a designated bathing water, its quality is usually ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in the areas we use.