The latest news from Eawag

Researchers from the Ecotox Centre, Eawag and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland have tested combined biological and chemical online monitoring as an early warning system at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The system is able to detect peak loads of micropollutants in treated wastewater and identify toxic pollutants in real time. In this way, it can contribute to improving wastewater management.

Many bacteria produce a protein complex to inject poison in their neighbouring cells. This was previously thought to eliminate their competitors. But now researchers at Eawag and ETH Zurich have shown: The killer bacteria can act as biological predators that feed on their prey.

A sudden drop in temperature in Lake Geneva over the Whitsun weekend is leaving swimmers feeling chilly: within a few days, the surface water temperature near the city of Geneva fell by around 8 degrees. This is due to a natural phenomenon that can be observed impressively on the Alplakes platform.

At its meeting of 21/22 May 2025 the ETH Board appointed Dr Thomas Hofstetter (*1969), currently Senior Scientist and Private Lecturer at ETH Zurich and Head of the Department Environmental Chemistry at Eawag, as Adjunct Professor in the ETH Department of Environmental Systems Science.

With its work, Eawag has made a decisive contribution to achieving a great deal for biodiversity in recent years. Water pollution from nutrients – one of the main causes of biodiversity loss – has decreased significantly in Switzerland, and the restoration of numerous Swiss lakes has improved the quality of habitats for many living organisms. Nonetheless, the challenges remain.

Tyre abrasion gets from the road into adjacent soils and affects soil organisms. A joint study by the Ecotox Centre, the aquatic research institute Eawag and the EPFL now shows that earthworms avoid soil that is heavily contaminated with tyre particles. However, the particles had no negative effects on the survival and reproduction of the animals.

The year 2024 was very warm and very wet, especially in early summer. This led to a welcome replenishment of groundwater reservoirs and record hydropower production, but also to severe flooding. In Bern, the focus was on the further expansion of hydropower and the pollution of water resources by pesticides and the "eternal chemicals" PFAS.

The diversity of whitefish species in Swiss lakes is unique and plays a central role in lake ecosystems. A comprehensive Eawag report now summarises the results of 150 years of research on these fish. They make it clear that the mechanisms and environmental conditions that have contributed to their development must be taken into account in order to preserve this species diversity. Last but not least, protecting whitefish diversity helps to preserve the natural yield potential of lakes as a source of food for humans.

Professor Urs von Gunten is one of the world's best-known scientists when it comes to the treatment of drinking water, in particular oxidation and disinfection processes. He has been conducting research at Eawag since 1989, with interruptions; from 2006 he was a titular professor at ETHZ, and from 2011 a full professor at EPFL. Now he is retiring. He retains a consultancy mandate... and the freedom to critically scrutinise the narrative of Switzerland's leading role in research.

To contain the spread of the invasive quagga mussel, Eawag researchers recommend swift action based on comprehensive prevention, early detection and containment.

To predict toxic algal blooms, researchers from Eawag recommend a combination of species identification and chemical measurements. Now, a new study confirms that there is no magic formula and that, instead, specific indicator molecules are needed for each lake.

Last week, the 11th International Steven Hoogendijk Award (ISHA) of the “Batavian Society of Experimental Philosophy” was awarded to Eawag researcher and fresh Head of Department Linda Strande.