Ludvigslyst

Denmark Lake 1 - Excellent

Ludvigslyst is a bathing area on Julsø lake, primarily serving as an embarkation and disembarkation point for tour boats. Swimming takes place from a landing bridge where the tour boats are moored. The lake bottom is predominantly muddy with approximately 2 metres of water at the end of the bridge. Julsø is the largest and easternmost of the three major Himmelbjerg lakes, located east of Silkeborg and surrounded mainly by forest and agricultural areas.

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Water

Julsø is a large and deep lake with relatively high water exchange. The lake is traversed in a westerly direction by Gudenå river, and several smaller watercourses flow into it. General water flow direction is westerly, though local variations in current direction may occur at the bathing sites due to the lake's width.

Location

Ludvigslyst is located immediately east of Svejbæk in the northwestern corner of Julsø lake. Access is via a gravel road from Julsøvej, with parking available along this gravel road. Laven control station is in Laven village in the northeastern corner of Julsø, accessed via a gravel road from Himmelbjergvej with a level crossing approximately 220 metres west of the control station.

Season

Monitoring occurs from 1 June to 1 September.

Water Quality

Bathing water is classified as excellent based on data from the last 4 years. Classification is based solely on faecal bacteria content; algae abundance is not included in the classification. Monitoring during the bathing season has shown no exceedances of faecal bacteria requirements. Small combined sewer areas exist in the catchment, but overflow of untreated wastewater to the lake is not expected to occur in practice. Treated wastewater from Laven treatment plant is discharged via Kærsmølle stream. Faecal contamination may also originate from Gudenå upstream, which receives overflow from combined sewer areas and treated wastewater from treatment plants.

Risks

Significant risk of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms. Julsø receives large quantities of nutrients from Gudenå and other inflows, causing algal growth and cloudy water; blue-green algae are often dominant species in summer periods. Risk of blooms varies year to year but is generally considerable. Some cyanobacteria species can produce toxins that may be fatal in worst cases, though toxic blooms large enough to pose poisoning risk are rare. Risk also exists for blooms of other planktonic algae types. While other planktonic algae normally do not produce toxins, particularly intense algal growth can raise water pH very high and cause discomfort to swimmers. Chemical contamination is possible in case of tanker accidents near the lake, though this risk is limited.