published23. August 2022, 20:52
environment“Drinking water resources are under pressure”
The first national water body report by the Federal Office for the Environment shows what has been achieved in water body protection – and where there is still a need for action.
In arable farming, the nitrate concentration is particularly high, such as in the Central Plateau.
Tamedia
But the report also shows what has been achieved in the last few decades: Thanks to water protection measures, it is now possible to bathe almost anywhere. 50 years ago this was forbidden for health reasons.
Tamedia
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A lot has been achieved in water protection. 50 years ago, swimming was not allowed in many places in Switzerland. That’s different today.
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Nevertheless, there is a need for action. The groundwater is sometimes heavily polluted, which is also reflected in the drinking water resources, writes the Federal Office for the Environment.
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The water protection measures would have to be continued in order to improve the habitat for animals and plants.
50 years ago, the waters in Switzerland stank and foamed, and bathing was forbidden in many places for health reasons. That’s different today. Since the 1980s, water protection has ensured that habitats for plants and animals are preserved and pollution is reduced. That is the conclusion of the first national water report in Switzerland, about which the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) informed on Tuesday.
The Bafu writes: “Considerable achievements have been made. Despite this, many water bodies continue to be contaminated with nutrients and micropollutants. They are obstructed, straightened and affected by hydropower. As a result – and increasingly also as a result of climate change – both drinking water resources and biodiversity in water bodies are under pressure.” Major efforts are still needed to improve water protection.
Pesticide and drug residues
According to the report, the minimum requirements for water quality are not being met in many places. Pesticides from agriculture and medicines from urban wastewater pollute many streams and rivers on the Swiss Plateau and in the valleys. The groundwater is widely contaminated with nitrate and decomposition products of pesticides, which is why it can only be used as drinking water to a limited extent in some places. In March 2021, Parliament passed a law that stipulates that pesticide contamination of drinking water must be reduced by 50 percent by 2027.
The nitrate concentration in the groundwater at almost 15 percent of the measuring points nationwide exceeds the limit of the water protection ordinance of 25 milligrams per liter. The nitrate concentration is highest in regions used intensively for agriculture; in the area of arable land, the limit value is exceeded at 50 percent of the measuring points. According to the report, the value is too high in many places, especially in the Mittelland.
Via sewage treatment plants in rivers and streams
Pesticides exceed the limit of 0.1 micrograms per liter every year at around two percent of the measuring points. Drugs occur nationwide at around 15 percent of the measuring points in the groundwater. Groundwater deposits in loose rock close to rivers are particularly affected. The medicines get into rivers and streams via sewage systems and sewage treatment plants and from there with the river water into the groundwater.