Starting with the origin of Switzerland's abundant water resources, the high amount of precipitation in the Alps, the web portal explains relevant hydrological, water management, social and environmental aspects of water.more

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Groundwater

The great unknown

Although at least 80% of drinking water comes from groundwater (see Water Use and Consumption), the renewal of this resource is not well understood. An unknown portion of the effluent from the water balance feeds the groundwater, while the same amount of groundwater feeds back into watercourses (the total water balance doesn’t change). It is assumed (Sinreich et al. 2012) that only about 10% of the theoretically usable groundwater in Swiss reservoirs can be sustainably replaced (equivalent to about a third of the annual rainfall, or 18 km3). The natural replacement of the groundwater depends on the aquifer type (see Glossary). Water can linger for a long time in different aquifers. This time is determined by the underlying geology (how well can the (rain)water seep into the aquifer?), by the size of the groundwater resources, and by the presence of watercourses. The residence time of groundwater can be between a few months (along rivers such as the Aare) to over 10 years (limestone areas like those found in parts of the Alps and Jura mountains). In the case of heavy precipitation in karst areas, the rivers react quickly, although the majority of the water flows away underground before emerging at a source. Thus, all groundwater is not well mixed. Imagine a wet sponge: if more water is introduced, some of the water already in the sponge is pressed out.

Events, News, Publications

Wasser (Symbolbild)

Schwammstadt – Fachtagung und Erfahrungsaustausch Nr. 2: Wasserrückhalt und Grundwasserschutz

Im Rahmen dieser Fachtagung möchten der VSA die verschiedenen Chancen und Risiken von blau-grünen Infrastrukturen aufzeigen, insbesondere im Bezug zum Grundwasserschutz. Ein Erfahrungsaustausch im Rahmen von moderierten Workshops in der

Image: Edith Oosenbrug
BAFU (2022) Grundwasserschutz in stark heterogenen Karst- und Kluft-Grundwasserleitern

Grundwasserschutz in stark heterogenen Karst- und Kluft-Grundwasserleitern

Die Vollzugshilfe beschreibt die Grundsätze für die Ausscheidung der Grundwasserschutzzonen in Gebieten mit stark heterogenen Karst- und Kluft-Grundwasserleitern. Zudem präzisiert sie die Schutzmassnahmen und Nutzungsbeschränkungen für die Zonen Sh und

Image: BAFU