The origin of micropollutants in the catchment and their transport to a mid-sized lake
Summary
In this subproject, field measurements and model characterizations of the catchment will be combined to identify the sources and emission rates of key categories of micropollutants. One sub-project will identify sources and soil-water interaction processes of micropollutants in agricultural areas of the catchment; a second sub-project will identify sources and processes of micropollutants in urban areas. The resulting analysis of micropollutant fluxes from WWTP and tributaries will inform the micropollutant transport analysis effort described in Research Module 3. This project will provide detailed temporal information about the inputs of contaminants and tracers to the boundaries of the lake, thereby supporting the efforts of Research Modules 1 and 2.
Three small catchments of the Lausanne area have been selected to test and estimate the input of micropollutants to the lake (Chamberonne, Vuachère, Lutrive). The first two rivers end up in the lake near the Vidy Bay, a contaminated area in terms of sediments. The chosen watersheds are representative of those encountered all over the lake: agricultural dominated by wine, fruit and vegetable production, urban areas with a large percentage of sealed surfaces where the run-off is close to 100%.
Projects :
- Fate of the herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA in soils and their transfer to surface waters: a multi-scale approach in the Lavaux vineyards, western Switzerland
- Micropollutants source and transport dynamics in urban catchments
- Elimination of micropollutants in wastewater
Supervisors :
- Prof. Hans-Rudolf Pfeifer – University Lausanne
- Dr Luca Rossi – Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
- Prof. Andrew Barry – Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne