Unclear what toxic substances companies dump in Meuse river, water companies say

It is unclear which toxic substances companies are discharging into the Meuse River and where due to outdated and incomplete permits. The Meuse is a source of drinking water for 7 million people and its water quality is under pressure, RIWA-Maas, the collaboration of Dutch drinking water companies dependent on the Meuse for production, said in its annual report for 2023.

Industrial businesses discharge wastewater through the sewer system or directly into the river water. They need a permit for this, but according to RIWA-Maas, many permits are outdated and still contain only a limited number of substances that must be measured. That means that other substances are dumped without a record.

Substances like PFAS are particularly problematic, the drinking water companies said. According to them, about half of the PFAS pollution in the Meuse happens after the river flows into the Netherlands from Belgium. These persistent, mobile, and toxic substances (PMT substances) don’t break down and are challenging or impossible to clean out of the water with existing techniques. They’re also harmful to humans and the environment.

RIWA-Maas advocates for a complete overview of all direct and indirect industrial discharges in the entire international Meuse river basin. Rijkswaterstaat is the permit issuer in the Netherlands, but RIWA-Maas wants one authority to have the complete overview so that the water quality of the Meuse can be better monitored.

Last week, RIWA-Rijn, the collaboration of Dutch drinking water companies that produce from the Rhine River, called on Germany to tackle PFAS dumping into the Rhine.