Integrated Water Quality Management for Streams and Rivers (iWaQa) - Information from Bioassays and Chemical Analyses
Global warming as well as the way in which land is used will have a significant influence on the quality of our watercourses in the coming decades. These changes affect water organisms and ecosystems, although, at this point in time, very little is known about these influences. In the iWaQa project, the water condition in the areas of the streams Mönchaltdorfer Aa and Berner Gürbe is comprehensively characterised and a mathematical model is developed to assess the long-term influence of various cultivation methods. The objective of the project is to provide decision-making aids for the assessment and minimisation of adverse impact on the ecological condition of the streams and rivers.
The Ecotox Centre supplies biological and chemical information for the characterisation of the streams' drainage area within the scope of the project. Both areas were sampled with passive samplers. Depending on the sampling points, impact is expected from wastewater treatment plants or agriculture.
Applied test systems/methods
Assessment of algae toxicity
- Combined algae test with the unicellular green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (endpoints: photosynthesis and growth inhibition)
Detection of hormonally active substances
- Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES)
- Chemical analysis of estron, 17β-estradiol, 17α-ethinylestradiol, bisphenol A, and p-n-nonylphenol with LC-MS/MS
Assessment of meurotoxicity
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