Monitoring and Water Quality

Water quality faces major challenges worldwide. Climate change is leading to an increase in extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, flooding, and prolonged droughts, which significantly impair the quality of our water bodies. At the same time, pollutant emissions from agriculture, industry, and households further degrade water quality. Rising water demand in many regions, combined with often-dwindling water supplies, makes it necessary to increasingly rely on water resources whose quality is subject to significant fluctuations—particularly in drinking water production. In our monitoring projects, we collect and evaluate water quality data at the regional, national, and international levels. Our research ranges from analyzing toxins in reservoirs (Cyaquata project) page and the discharge of trace substances (MikroModell project) from wastewater treatment plants into Saxon watercourses, to the effects of lake thermal energy (THETA project) on water quality in the Lusatian Lakes. In addition, we assess the suitability of river water for drinking water production via bank filtration in Vietnam and India (link to AquaViet and Masterplan RB) and are conducting initial pollutant monitoring campaigns in temporary watercourses in South Africa (link to paper?). Our work thus contributes to the sustainable use of global water resources.