Austria tourism: Urinating tourists may be turning a famous Green Lake yellow

Urinating
Urinating
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Urinating in the Green Sea may change a lake in Austria known for it’s emerald green color.

Urinating in the Green Sea may change a lake in Austria known for it’s emerald green color. The many tourists visiting this lake find a lack of facilities and men take the easy way out most of the time.

The lake now is in dire danger as its crystal-clear waters are now becoming opaque.

This is due to increased levels of algae which locals believe could be a result of tourists routinely urinating in the pond.

The exact reason as to what affected the lakeโ€™s environment is unknown but locals attribute the โ€œchangeโ€ in color of the exceptional lake to the growing levels of algae, which might be both a result of warm winters or constantly growing crowds of tourists who do not shy away from urinating in the pond.

Hubert Sulzer, from the local mountain and nature rescue services told ORF that โ€œstrong tourism and a shortage of toilet facilitiesโ€ might have played a significant role in the lakeโ€™s decline.

However, Gerald Weninger from Tragoss Tourism Association who has been living in the area for 20 years said that there was no need to worry about the algaeโ€™s appearance.

โ€œWhen it is cold, the algae are gone. They have appeared again and again for a warm winter. But at a subsequent winter with minus ten, minus 20 degrees, they die again. I think the problem will resolve itself,โ€ Weninger told ORF

Gruner See located at the Styrian village of Tragoss, Southeast Austria is a renowned tourist attraction and a popular diving site. In June when the water levels of the lake reach their highest levels, trees, along with both a bridge and a bench end up submerged creating a picturesque underwater world. The site has been prohibited from divers and swimmers since January this year in a bid to protect the lakeโ€™s flora and fauna.

Activists have become more concerned about the lakeโ€™s environment and are reportedly demanding better tourist management of the site which saw some 100,000 visitors last year.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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