The Development of a Drinking Water Contamination Risk Assessment and Management Strategy in Luxembourg - An Interdisciplinary Approach - CHEMRISK

Coordinating Institution: CRP Henri Tudor
Contracting Partner(s): Administration de la Gestion de l'Eau , Laboratoire National de Santé , University of Luxembourg
From: 01/05/2005
To: 15/10/2006
Budget: 497,133.00€
Contact(s): Schosseler Paul

Summary:

The Chemrisk project combined classical vulnerability studies with immission data to achieve a risk analysis for the main drinking resources in Luxembourg. Geo-statistical methods and spatiotemporal modelling will be applied to evaluate different land-use scenarios. The main scope in the first months of the project lay on data mining for the GIS data basis. Apart from digital maps on land use, geology, soils and elevation models, localised data on chemical parameters from springs and wells was gathered. A water balance integrating precipitation data, spring and river discharges is about to be established for different catchments of interest. A special focus will be laid on the Luxemburg Sandstone, the main drinking water supplying aquifer in central Luxembourg. The latter is known to be highly fissured and prone to preferential flow and flashy reactions to rain events. In order to learn about the chemical dynamics of springs throughout different recharge situations, ten springs will be equipped with online measurement equipment for discharge, temperature and conductivity. These locations will be sampled at a high pace in times of recharge and analysed for inorganic parameters as well as pesticides and antibiotics. A thorough review on use and environmental behaviour of pesticides and antibiotics has been conducted and will lead to the choice of a measurement protocol for different land use situations. Analytical instruments were selected and has been installed in early 2006. A scientific collaboration on method development has been agreed on with the supplier of the analytical instruments.

Figure: A captured drinking water source in the Luxemburg Sandstone