Overview

• Signed August 13 and effective August 14, the ordinance prohibits deliberate presence in more than ankle-deep Rhine water while exempting rescue operations, authorized events, vessel boarding and fishing.
• Violations carry penalties up to €1,000, though inspectors may issue warnings or lower fines for brief, minor infractions.
• The measure responds to a summer surge in drownings, with the DLRG reporting 34 deaths in NRW waters by July and five fatalities in the Rhine in early summer.
• Enforcement will be led by the Ordnungsamt through spot checks backed by police units and the Wasserschutzpolizei, with detailed operational plans still pending.
• Several neighboring cities, including Neuss, Duisburg, Cologne and Krefeld, are evaluating similar bathing bans to curb river accidents.