ABSTRACT
Micropollutants that can be found in freshwater environments originate from a variety of sources, and are either inorganic or organic. This chapter discusses the agricultural origin of water micropollution with emphasis on transport dynamics of pesticide molecules and their associated environmental risk. It consists of an overview of the different processes pesticides undergo in the environment after their application, and of their detrimental impacts on living organisms. A case study is presented dealing with a specific herbicide applied in the Lavaux vineyards located on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, east of Lausanne. The chapter presents clear evidence for the mobility of the herbicide, glyphosate, and its metabolite, AMPA, in typical vadose zones of the Lake Geneva catchment despite their high sorption abilities. The results of the risk assessment approach are based on the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curves for glyphosate and AMPA.
