The latest news from Eawag

Barriers such as the Müllerschwelle weir in the River Zulg in Steffisburg hinder or prevent fish migration. The Water Protection Act stipulates that such barriers must be rehabilitated and made passable for fish. In September 2023, the commune of Steffisburg began rehabilitation work on the Müllerschwelle weir to improve the connectivity along the River Zulg.  (Photo: Commune of Steffisburg, Mark van Egmond).
News
Improving fish migration with new concepts
March 7, 2024

Which barriers need to be removed for the greatest benefit of migratory fish? Where do the measures make the most sense and how do the costs relate to the benefits?

On a boat and a platform in Lake Rotsee, the Eawag research group carried out extensive measurements on the transport of gases in lake water (Photo: Tomy Doda, Eawag).
News
How gases travel laterally through a lake
January 25, 2024

At night or during cold winter days, lake water cools faster near the shore than in the middle of the lake. This creates a current that connects the shallow shore region with the deeper part of the lake. An international team led by Eawag researchers were able to show for the first time that this horizontal circulation transports gases such as oxygen and methane.

David Janssen collects water samples from rivers in southern Greenland to analyse their heavy metal and nutrient content (Photo: Julian Charrière).
News
Heavy metals in the rivers of Greenland
December 12, 2023

Field studies by Eawag researcher David Janssen in southern Greenland show that the heavy metals in the rivers are largely of natural origin, and that the influence of mining and agriculture is negligible, at least during the period observed.

Ozone is blown into the treated wastewater through these diffusers (WWTP Neugut, Dübendorf; photo: Max Schachtler) .
Institutional
Swiss approach to modern wastewater treatment is ...
December 1, 2023

A team of seven current and former Eawag researchers will receive the Swiss Chemical Society’s Sandmeyer Prize in 2024 for the development of advanced wastewater treatment for the degradation of micropollutants using ozone. And the most amazing thing is: Just about 15 years have passed between basic research and large-scale technical implementation. This incredible timetable was only possible thanks to the wealth of knowledge already available at Eawag and the fact that interdisciplinary collaboration is a matter of course at the Swiss aquatic research institute.