Sources of pesticides in surface waters in Switzerland: pesticide load through waste water treatment plants--current situation and reduction potential.
Concentrations of pesticides in Swiss rivers and lakes frequently exceed the Swiss quality goal of 0.1 microg/l for surface waters. In this study, concentrations of various pesticides (e.g., atrazine, diuron, mecoprop) were continuously measured in the effluents of waste water treatment plants and in two rivers during a period of four months. These measurements revealed that in the catchment of Lake Greifensee, farmers who did not perfectly comply with 'good agricultural practice' caused at least 14% of the measured agricultural herbicide load into surface waters. Pesticides, used for additional purposes in urban areas (i.e. protection of materials, conservation, etc.), entered surface waters up to 75% through waste water treatment plants.
Gerecke
Andreas C
AC
Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Dübendorf.
Schärer
Michael
M
Singer
Heinz P
HP
Müller
Stephan R
SR
Schwarzenbach
René P
RP
Sägesser
Martin
M
Ochsenbein
Ueli
U
Popow
Gabriel
G
D000383:Agriculture; D002947:Cities; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D013557:Switzerland; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014872:Water Movements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control
D006540:Herbicides; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical