Emission inventory revisited: Pinpointing PAH-sources in surface water catchments with investigative monitoring methods
Auteurs
T. Galle, M. Bayerle, D. Pittois, A. Krein, A. Kurtenbach, and R. Bierl
Référence
Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung, vol. 62, no. 5, pp. 306-320, 2018
Description
High-molecular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) regularly exceed environmental quality standards of the Water Framework Directive throughout Europe and are a widespread cause for failure of chemical status of water bodies. PAH contamination is widely considered in river basin management plans (RBMP) as being ubiquitous with atmospheric immission as the main pollution pathway. As a consequence of the supposed diffuse character of the pollution RBMP often lack concrete measures to reduce PAH flows. This article presents a series of investigative monitoring methods that led to the conclusion that for Luxembourg contaminated alluvial sites are suspected to be the main source of the often highly variable small scale pollution in Luxembourgish rivers. Consequences for monitoring these priority pollutants with high affinity for sediments and suspended matter are discussed.
