Integrated assessment of groundwater systems
Joint project gwTriade
Our objectives
- Identification of priority groundwater pollutants (indicator substances) and appropriate test methods for the assessment of impacts on groundwater biodiversity
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Development and implementation of an integrated assessment concept specifically for groundwater systems - based on a triad approach
- Analysis and integration of societal objectives regarding groundwater assessment and protection to develop recommendations for action on extended groundwater assessment for users and decision makers
Triad approach
- Combination of standardized ecotoxicological bioassays, chemical analysis and faunal diversity assessment to investigate the ecotoxicological, chemical and ecological potential of increasingly polluted groundwater ecosystems. The triad approach is complemented by the integration of societal objectives concerning groundwater protection.
Our Consortium
- We are a consortium of different project partners with expertise in environmental toxicology, molecular ecology, groundwater and drinking water ecology, chemical analysis, water management, conflict analysis and stakeholder processes
Project Funding
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the gwTriade project (Ecological and Ecotoxicological Groundwater Quality Monitoring based on an Integrative Triad Approach) within the LURCH (Sustainable Groundwater Management) funding measure as part of the federal research program on water “Wasser: N”. Wasser: N contributes to the BMBF “Research for Sustainability’ (FONA) Strategy”.
Grand number: 02WGW1668A
European Council and Parliament Reach Provisional Agreement on Updating Priority Substances in Surface Water and Groundwater
23 September 2025: The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on updating the EU directive on pollutants in surface and groundwater. Newly included substances include pesticides, pharmaceuticals, bisphenols, and PFAS (including TFA), while outdated substances such as atrazine will be removed and limit values tightened. In addition, a cumulative limit for pesticides of 0.2 µg/L will be introduced, and Bisphenol A will be classified as a priority hazardous substance.
Scientific Conference on the Environment 2025 of SETAC GLB
The joint annual conference of SETAC GLB and the GDCh working group on Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology took place from 22 to 24 September 2025 at the headquarters of the German Environment Agency (UBA) in Dessau-Roßlau.
40th DGL Annual Meeting 2025 with Groundwater Session
The 40th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Limnology (DGL) took place from September 14–18, 2025, in Frankfurt am Main, hosted by Goethe University Frankfurt, the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, and the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Hessen.