The State Sanitary Inspectorate (Sanepid) has reopened Zegrze Reservoir for swimming after tests on the bacterial level have shown that, despite thousands of dead fish being found there last week, the water is safe for human recreation.

Sanepid has still, however, banned swimmers from Wieliszewa, a swimming area near Warsaw, and Ryn, in the Masuria Lakes Region, where bacteria levels in the water have been found to be higher than normal.

Poland’s lakes and rivers have been flooded following recent rain storms, causing oxygen levels that do not maximize marine life. As such, fish have been found dead in mass quantities throughout the country, including in the Bug River.

Emergency services are continuing to gather dead fish found floating on the water near a dam in Debe, a hydroelectric dam near Warsaw. (mmj)

Related Stories: Dead fish in Warsaw reservoir , thenews.pl. 13 July 2009.