{"id":43818,"date":"2025-12-08T08:31:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T07:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/fstm-en\/?post_type=news&p=43818"},"modified":"2025-12-08T08:39:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T07:39:16","slug":"qualisure-nature-based-solutions-to-protect-the-sure-lakes-water-quality","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/fstm-en\/news\/qualisure-nature-based-solutions-to-protect-the-sure-lakes-water-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"QualiS\u00fbre: nature-based solutions to protect the S\u00fbre Lake’s water quality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you\u2019ve ever walked around the S\u00fbre Lake, you know how peaceful it looks: clear water, quiet bays, green hills. What many don\u2019t realise is that this lake provides around 45% of Luxembourg\u2019s drinking water. It powers a hydroelectric station, supports tourism and fish farms, and is one of the country\u2019s most important natural assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as populations grow and new types of contaminants\u2014from pharmaceuticals to industrial chemicals\u2014find their way into rivers, the lake faces increasing pressure. Protecting it has become both a scientific and political priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where QualiS\u00fbre<\/a> comes in. Launched in 2024 as a three-year INTERREG project, it unites researchers, public administrations and water operators from Luxembourg, Wallonia and Rhein-Palatinate   to create a long-term plan to preserve the lake\u2019s water quality. At the University of Luxembourg, Dr. Silvia Venditti<\/a>, leads the work on nature-based solutions, an approach that uses soil, plants and microorganisms to naturally remove contaminants and preserve the lake for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\nFrom Emis\u00fbre to Qualis\u00fbre<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The EmiS\u00fbre project (2017\u20132021) was one of the first in Europe to test nature-based solutions for removing pesticides and pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plant effluent. It generated essential knowledge, models and practical experience that QualiS\u00fbre now directly reuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \u201f<\/span>\n With EmiS\u00fbre, we were planting the seeds. Now, we get to build the whole ecosystem thanks to QualiS\u00fbre.\u201d\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Dr. Silvia Venditti<\/p>\n\n\n

Research Scientist<\/p>\n\n

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The shift, however, is significant: instead of looking only at wastewater, QualiS\u00fbre examines all emission points within the S\u00fbre basin. This broader approach is necessary because the lake is fed by tributaries with origins well beyond Luxembourg\u2019s borders, as two-thirds of the catchment lie in Wallonia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If emissions from upstream in Belgium aren\u2019t addressed, local actions downstream won\u2019t be enough. This makes the basin an ideal \u201cliving laboratory\u201d for testing how to monitor, treat and prevent micropollutants in a shared, cross-border ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area also brings together all the challenges modern water management must deal with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n