Division Water OECD Environmental Performance Reviews Switzerland 2017 Water management AOB – WD & MD – Tallinn - 4.12.2017

Switzerland – a few facts Constitution: Water rights 26 Cantons 2300 municipalites responsible for - drinking water (2500) - waste water (800) High and low population density Lake Geneva to Lake of Konstanz >400P/km2 comparable to the NL (411P/km2)

Switzerland – 41’000 km2 – 1.5 m rain/y 1700 – 1900 flood control: Large river corrections 1900 – 1970 Culverted rivers (4000 km = 7% of 65’000 km) 20% of agricultural land is drained

Hydromorphology - Switzerland – 60% electricity by hydropower Total: 1150 hydropower plants – (CH plans even more) The 186 biggest (16%) about 90% of the production The 417 biggest (36%) about 98% of the production

Negative impact of hydropower 1000 obstacles for fish migration 1500 water withdrawals 500 hydro power plants or other installations causing negative effects on bed load budget 100 river stretches with hydropeaking

Negative impact of hydropower Mitigation measures: Goal: reduce the negative impact Deadline 2030 50 Mio Euro /y

Surface Water quality purified waste water from sewage tretament plants in Swiss rivers rivers suffering from pesticide inputs from agriculture 65 direct inputs from industrial sewage treatment plants

Surface Water quality Mitigation measures Pesticide risk-reduction plan: Goal: 50% risk reduction Deadline: 2030 Micropollutants from waste water Goal: reduction of the load into rivers of a a high load of waste water and from the 12 largest WWTP (upper country responsability)

morphology 14’000 km modified rivers large river corrections 30 of 35 lakes with regulated water level torrent control

morphology Goal: 4000 km revitalised river streches Deadline: ca. 2080 50 Mio. Euro / year

Ground- and drinkingwater protection & quality NO3 from agriculture in groundwater groundwater / drinking water ressources in conflict with traffic, settlements, agricultural land use impact on drinking water capture near rivers

Switzerland – agriculture – 1.5m rain/y Agri-land use: 10’000 km2 Lake G to L. K.: 5’000 km2 (and «intensive») CH: Producer support No 1 (OECD) self supply 60% (kcal): Land use – space for waters High N, P and pesticide use: Problems: P in 12 of 20 large lakes; pesticides in middle and small rivers etc.

Recommendations on water management

Urban sewage treatment and micro-pollutant removal upgrade sewage treatment plants with a view to reducing risks of water pollution by micro-pollutants; consider extending micro-pollutant abatement and control policy to industrial sewage. Nutrient and pesticide management in agriculture consider phasing in a pesticide taxation at production and wholesale points, based on toxicity. Consider introducing a tax on nitrogen surpluses at the farm level as a sanction for noncompliance with legal requirements under the WPA.

River system rehabilitation foster the role of well-functioning river systems as connection areas within the ecological infrastructure concept called for by the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy. Consider revising long-standing rights of water use for power that impede rehabilitation of small rivers and designating selected river stretches as being of national importance, thereby triggering the weighing of interests between hydropower development and ecosystem rehabilitation for these river stretches.

River system rehabilitation Ensure synergies and coherence between the different river rehabilitation objectives (flood protection, protection for nature and landscape etc.). Extend water quality monitoring to small rivers and small lakes and improve understanding of their ecological functioning to develop protection measures, given their ecological importance and their high exposure to agricultural pollution.

Drinking water supply and groundwater protection Consider making the delimitation of groundwater protection areas and groundwater protection zones legally binding and having them fall within the framework of cantonal and municipal land use plans.

OECD EPR-CH 2017 Links OECD http://www.oecd.org/environment/oecd-environmental-performance-reviews-switzerland-2017-9789264279674-en.htm FOEN https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/en/home/topics/international-affairs/organisations/organisation-for-economic-co-operation-and-development--oecd.html

International cooperation ICPR IGKB CIPEL Four major European rivers take their source in the Swiss Alps: Rhine NORTH SEA Rhone Mediterranean Sea Inn (which goes to the Danube) Black Sea Ticino (which goes to the Po river in It) Med. Sea This means that Switzerland shares with other European countries those river basins plus the one of Adige. CIPAIS

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