Arsenic-containing rock from the Gotthard poured into the lake
Published: Wednesday, Dec 18th 2024, 14:00
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Rock with an elevated concentration of arsenic entered Lake Uri in 2023 during the dumping of excavated material from the Gotthard road tunnel. According to the Uri authorities, there was no danger to the environment.
SRF's "Rundschau" reported on the arsenic-containing rock in an online article on Wednesday. Alexander Imhof, head of the Uri Office for the Environment, confirmed the facts at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The canton of Uri wants to renaturalize Lake Uri using material from the construction of the second tube of the Gotthard road tunnel. A trial fill was carried out last year for this purpose. It was subsequently discovered that the rock had an elevated arsenic content.
According to Imhof, the filling was then interrupted. The 3,000 tons of rock already placed in the lake were covered with harmless material. It is unlikely that plants or animals were harmed by the arsenic, said Imhof.
A risk assessment showed that rock with a higher arsenic content could still be dumped into the lake without exceeding the limit values. Nevertheless, the canton of Uri decided that no material from the arsenic-contaminated zones should be dumped into the lake. The reason given by Imhof for the decision was renaturation.
According to Imhof, the rock with the increased arsenic concentration comes from the Ticino side of the Gotthard. Arsenic occurs naturally in the rock, he said.
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