Lake Garda Achieves Cleanest Water in Europe, Boosting Tourism

Lake Garda is, among the Great Lakes, the cleanest in Europe. This is confirmed by water quality analyses carried out in April by the Azienda Sanitaria di Brescia.

Analysis Results and Bathing Conditions

“The results of the samples collected from the 52 beaches of the Riviera bresciana, between Sirmione and Limone, are all favorable,” explains Dr. Angelo Benedetti, director of the Distretto sanitario di Cavardo-Salò. “No bacterial or chemical problems have emerged.”

Thus, for the first time in twenty years, the summer tourist season on the Lombard shore of Garda opens without swimming bans, compared to an average of 6-7 bans in previous years.

“Thanks to the massive investments of the last 25 years in pollution control,” says Guido Maruelli, president of Azienda Garda 1.

Environmental Protection Systems and Investments

Benaco hosts Europe’s largest environmental protection facility, costing over 200 billion lire and consisting of 130 kilometers of pipelines that run around the lake, intercepting discharges and transferring them to the central treatment plant located in Peschiera.

“The bans on swimming have progressively decreased since the treatment plant was activated in 1990,” adds Guido Maruelli, who leads the company managing this enormous plant. “Municipalities have also contributed significantly, investing tens of billions in sewage systems and connections to the collector.”

Environmental Conditions and Tourism

The very favorable environmental situation is contributing to the rapid rise of the tourist season, which has already started very well.

In 1999, Garda recorded nearly 16 million overnight stays across the Trentino, Brescia, and Verona Riviera, with an increase close to 6 percent compared to the previous year.