Prize money for ideas to recover munitions from lakes

The Federal Office for Armaments, armasuisse, is organising a competition to solicit ideas for safely recovering and disposing of the ammunition. A prize of CHF50,000 ($58,325) is being offered for the best ideas. Keystone-SDA

A large quantity of old munitions lies dormant at the bottom of some Swiss lakes. The federal government is holding a competition to find methods for safely recovering thousands of tonnes of munitions.

Swiss lakes are known for their pristine waters, perfect for swimming, but beneath the surface lies a different story. In the past, the army disposed of thousands of tonnes of ammunition in these lakes.

CHF50,000 in prize money

The federal government is now addressing this issue. The Federal Office for Armaments, armasuisse, is organising a competition External linkto solicit ideas for safely recovering and disposing of the ammunition. A prize of CHF50,000 ($58,325) is being offered for the best ideas, an unusual approach for the Confederation.

“Of course, there is a risk of explosion if the ammunition is recovered,” says Konstantin von Gunten, scientific project manager at armasuisse. “Visibility is poor, and we have to work at depths of 150 metres or more.” Currently, there is no proven method for retrieving the munitions from the lakes.

In 2012, the federal government decided against salvaging the munitions, deeming them no danger to humans or the environment and citing high costs and risks. Keystone-SDA

Bombs dropped into lake Neuchâtel

Since the 1930s, the army used Lake Neuchâtel as an aerial firing range, where fighter jets dropped practice munitions. This training was only stopped in 2021. Some bombs lie just a few metres underwater, raising concerns among nature conservation organisations that the metal could pollute the water over time.

Lake Neuchâtel	4500 tonnes
Lake Thun	4600 tonnes
Lake Lucerne	3300 tonnes
Brienzersee	280 tonnes

Large quantities of munitions have been disposed of in several Swiss lakes.

In 2012, the federal government decided against salvaging the munitions, deeming them no danger to humans or the environment and citing high costs and risks. However, recent years have seen a shift in thinking, with increasing calls from politicians to address the issue.

Expert welcomes decision

“Today, people are astonished that such materials were dumped into the lakes,” says Geologist Marcos Buser. “What we need now are the techniques for salvage.” Keystone-SDA

Geologist Marcos Buser, who has been involved in the clean-up of Switzerland’s contaminated sites for 40 years and has served on the Commission for Nuclear Safety, welcomes the ideas competition. “Today, people are astonished that such materials were dumped into the lakes,” says Buser. “What we need now are the techniques for salvage.”

The competition organised by armasuisse runs until February. After that, the government will decide whether and how the munitions can be retrieved from the lakes. One significant hurdle will be the cost, as salvage operations are likely to run into billions of francs.

Adapted from German with DeepL/amva