ABSTRACT
Due to Vidy Bay's reception of combined treated and untreated wastewaters, it is a significant source of metals, organic micropollutants and faecal indicator bacteria. Vidy Bay has previously been studied for its circulation patterns in the upper water column, the fate of water-soluble contaminants and pathogens, and the spread of various other contaminants in surface sediments. Sediment resuspension affects sediment deposition rates, contaminant transport and nutrient cycling and is recognised as an important process in large lakes. The chapter emphasises sedimentation processes, the influence of hydrodynamic conditions and sediment focusing as key issues for the question of long-term contaminant transport and water quality, using Vidy Bay, Lake Geneva, as a case study. Determining the pathways and dynamics of suspended sediments in Vidy Bay is of great importance to understanding the fate of contaminated laden particles. Characterisation of colloids and aggregates at the sediment water interface indicated that these suspended particles were likely to be unstable.
