Eawag Info Day: «Agriculture and water quality»
March 8th, 2005
Eawag is one of the four research
institutes of the ETH domain. Although it is primarily responsible for research
in the aquatic field, it is also involved in teaching and consultancy, thus
serving a bridging function between academia and practitioners.
Agriculture is one of the main types of land use in Switzerland. More than a
third of all precipitation flows through agricultural land before entering ground
or surface waters. In the process, the water come into contact with a wide
variety of substances and microorganisms. The problems associated with nitrogen,
phosphorus and organic compounds such as pesticides have been well known for
some time.
More recent findings include the fact that water quality is also impaired by
other agents used in agriculture, such as antibiotics; that our knowledge of
interactions between different substances is inadequate; and that drinking water
from agricultural zones may be microbially contaminated.
The projects to be presented at the 2005
Info Day are concerned with quantifying the extent of water pollution from
agricultural sources and identifying the key factors involved. Questions
concerning the assessment of water pollution are to be discussed. In addition,
against the background of national and international developments in
agricultural policy, strategies and measures designed to reduce agricultural
water pollution will be critically examined.
Further information (in German only)
Eawag News 59e (Proceeding)