These products include cleaning products, medicines, fuels and paints. These micropollutants, invisible to the naked eye are washed away by rainwater and wastewater which flow into treatment stations. They eventually only pass through. These micropollutants then end up in the natural environment, with serious consequences for the environment.
This is why the Adour Garonne water agency and the French Biodiversity Office, in partnership with Bordeaux Metropole and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, the Water Sector Strategic Committee, and the Ministry of the Ecological Transition, are organizing a symposium for water professionals, stakeholders, the public, and economic decision-makers on Monday, July 11.
This synthesis is informed by the work done since 2013 in a program called "Micropollutants urban water". These 13 programs performed territorial assessments of polluting sources and transferred, and provided solutions. It is now time to empower communities and raise awareness about micropollutants.
As part of the Rempar Project, the main micropollutants found in the Arcachon basin are residuals of disinfectants and detergents, as well drugs (paracetamol, ketaprofen), whose source is not always hospital-based. These can account for up to 80% in the Bordeaux conurbation (Regard Project), and are far more common than pesticides or phthalates.
Other elements included in the collection include metal traces, hydrocarbons, and pesticides. They are mainly collected from vehicle traffic, heating, and leaching of building materials.
These 13 projects allowed us to test tools that could reduce and filter micropollutants in urban wastewater treatment plants. We also had the opportunity to intervene at different levels.
To encourage the use of moderately harmful household and cosmetic products, we put the public first. Bordeaux saw forty families change their habits for six months as part of "Famille Eau Defi". This had a significant impact on the outcome. Similar support is available for medication.
Sometimes, local authority projects can be accompanied by better anticipation. This was the case for the treatment rainwater from Bordeaux's ring road. Facilities have been set up at factories and craftsmen to extract metal residues from the water source. Solutions that are practical for deployment and distribution.
