Carinthian Lakes Report

Despite heavy rain and heat: lakes are top quality

Lake Faak once again achieves a top rating.

(Bild: Region Villach Tourismus)

Carinthian lake report shows mixed picture. Waters are doing better, but climate leaves its mark.

"Last year was particularly challenging for small lakes. A lot of water was washed in from fields during heavy rainfall," explained Provincial Councillor Sara Schaar at the presentation of the lake report. "Despite this, there was an improvement in nine lakes and a deterioration in only four lakes." The top performer in terms of quality is Lake Weissensee.

The Carinthian lakes have top bathing quality. To keep it that way, we need to take special care of them.

Umweltlandesrätin Sara Schaar

Nutrients bring algae plague
The nutrient concentration was measured at the deepest points for the report. "The more nutrients, the higher the algae concentration. This has an impact on the water quality," says Georg Santner from the Institute of Lake Research. "This is also noticeable in the depth of visibility." Lake Weissensee with 11.5 meters, Lake Millstätter See with 10.3 meters and Lake Klopeiner See with 8.8 meters are in first place. "In comparison, only 0.8 meters were measured at the Moosburg mill pond. But that was during the algae vegetation period."

Lake Millstatt is also particularly characterized by its depth of visibility.

(Bild: Kärnten Werbung)

Aquatic plants as a quality feature
Shallow waters are also more susceptible to climate change. "The surface of Lake Wörthersee has warmed by around two degrees in the past 40 years. This affects small lakes even more," says Santner. "But precipitation is a problem." One characteristic of good water quality is aquatic plants. "These have a positive influence. So please don't remove or damage anything. And feeding ducks and fish is also bad," Schaar adds. "So everyone can help."