Switzerland seeks ideas to safely retrieve WWI-era bombs dumped in lakes

Now, the officials in Switzerland have introduced a competition to motivate people to come up with solutions to remove these old munitions from the deep waters of the country’s serene lakes.

The top three submissions suggesting the safest and environmentally friendly ways to retrieve old bombs will be awarded a shared prize pot worth 50,000 Swiss francs ($57,800), CNN reported.

Safe, eco-friendly retrieval of over 100-year-old ammunition

Earlier this month on August 7, The Federal Office for Defense Procurement (Armasuisse) announced plans to seek new methods for the environmentally friendly and safe recovery of ammunition from Swiss waters through an idea competition. 

The officials noted that while the submitted ideas may not be implemented immediately, they could serve as a foundation for further research or studies.

The ammunition submerged at the end of the First World War until the initial decades of the Cold War comprised problematic, surplus, or outdated ammunition in perfect condition, or even rejected production batches. 

Most of this ammunition lies at depths of 150 to 220 meters in Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and Lake Lucerne.

“With the launching of an idea competition, Armasuisse wants to increasingly involve academia and industry in the considerations on how environmentally friendly and safe recovery of deep lake ammunition could be carried out, should this ever become an issue,” the statement noted.

“This could be the case if, against all expectations, the release of pollutants from submerged ammunition were to be established during ongoing lake water monitoring.”

Dumped bombs in lakes pose safety and environmental threat in Switzerland

At the time dumping ammunition seemed practical considering Switzerland, like many other countries after the World Wars, had massive stockpiles of surplus munitions that needed to be discarded. 

Submerging them in deep lakes was seen as a viable solution, as it was believed that the cold, deep waters would contain any potential hazards and prevent the munitions from causing harm.

However, dumping this ammunition is concerning today due to the environmental impact and safety risks. 

The ammunition could be emitting toxic chemicals or heavy metals resulting in pollutants increase in the lake water. It poses a threat to the ecosystem of the Swiss lakes. 

Another major risk is accidental explosions, especially if disturbed by natural events or human activity, such as deep-water exploration or fishing. Some of these munitions weigh up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds).

Recovering the old ammunition is tricky due to poor visibility and the depth of the lakes in addition to these bombs made of non-magnetic materials, making them difficult to locate and retrieve.

The official statement spotlighting the 2005 evaluation of possible retrieval solutions observed “ammunition recovery available at the time would lead to massive sludge turbulence and high risks for the sensitive ecosystem of the lake.”

The competition will remain open until February 6, 2025, and the winners are expected to be announced in April.