Prague plans floating river pool with traffic light system for water quality

Residents and visitors to Prague 7 could have a new place to swim in the Vltava within the next few years. The district is exploring plans for a floating swimming area beside U Vody Park in Holešovice, using a riverfront structure near the Port 7 development.

The project is still at an early stage, but Prague 7 Mayor Jan Čižinský said the district hopes the swimming area could open within three years. The proposed facility would use pontoons to create a pool-like area, although it has not yet been decided whether the water would come directly from the Vltava or from the municipal water supply.

The district has recently acquired the riverfront area near Port 7 and is now looking into obtaining used pontoons that could be adapted for the project. The final cost has not yet been determined and will depend largely on the price of the pontoons and other infrastructure.

Čižinský said he would prefer to use water from the Vltava, which he considers suitable for swimming under normal conditions. The main concern is water quality following heavy rainfall, when runoff can temporarily worsen conditions in the river.

The mayor has contacted the T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, which has been conducting long-term monitoring of water quality. The aim would be to use that data to predict when conditions are suitable for swimming and when people should avoid entering the water.

Prague 7 is considering a system similar to those used in cities including Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where swimmers can check a simple traffic light signal indicating whether the water is suitable for swimming. If cooperation with the research institute cannot be arranged, the district would likely use municipal tap water instead.

Water quality in the Vltava is already being monitored at Branická Beach, where the Prague Hygiene Station began regular testing this year. The water has generally received a rating of two (second lowest) on a five-point scale, although it reached level three following heavy rain in early June.

The proposed swimming area would also require the district to resolve property issues with Povodí Vltavy, the state-owned river basin authority. While Prague 7 acquired the riverfront structure as part of a contribution from the developer of the nearby Port 7 office complex, the land underneath belongs to Povodí Vltavy.

Čižinský said the district is already in talks with the authority and could either purchase the land or establish an easement. He estimated the cost of resolving the property issue at several hundred thousand Czech crowns.

The Holešovice proposal is not the first plan for river swimming in Prague. A similar floating river baths concept was previously considered as part of a wider revitalization of the city's embankments.

That proposal included a floating pool and wading pool near Vyšehrad, but the project was later put on hold because of its estimated cost, which was expected to reach hundreds of millions of crowns.