Feasibility study to assess the pollutant load of sediments as a result of the July flood 2021 in the transition from the low mountain range to the lowland area

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Large areas of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate were affected by extreme flooding between 13 and 16 July 2021. Focal points of the flood events in North Rhine-Westphalia included the districts of Düren, Euskirchen, Heinsberg, the Rhine-Erft district and the Aachen city region. In particular, the number of fatalities and people affected, the amount of economic damage, but also the level of water levels and discharges allow an assessment as an extreme flood event already shortly after the flood event. A frequently neglected aspect of flood events are pollutants (oils, paints, heavy metals, trace substances, other chemicals, bacteria and viruses, etc.), which are mobilised or remobilised during the flood event and carried into the water body. These pollutants are either deposited in floodplains, gardens, streets or other flooded areas (e.g. basements) or transported into the seas and oceans. This can lead to a considerable accumulation of pollutants in the affected sedimentation areas. It is currently unclear what quantities of pollutants were carried into the water bodies during the July flood of 2021 and whether these can now be found on floodplain surfaces. This is where the ad hoc project applied for here comes in. The aim of the project is to investigate whether a "toxic flood" occurred as a result of the flood event in July 2021 in the region around Stolberg and Eschweiler, which is characterised by contaminated sites and metal processing industry. For this purpose, water, sediment and sludge samples taken during and after the flood event are to be analysed and evaluated.