PUBLIC SEMINAR | Tracing Pollution at Source : Innovative approaches to identify and monitor emerging contaminants

The public seminar “Tracing Pollution at Source: Innovative Approaches to Identify and Monitor Emerging Contaminants”, co-organised by Aqua Publica Europea and Hamburg Wasser, took place in Hamburg, Germany, at the JUFA Hotel Hamburg HafenCity and online on 1 July.

The seminar "Tracing Pollution at Source: Innovative Approaches to Identify and Monitor Emerging Contaminants" brought together researchers, public authorities, water utilities and policymakers to discuss how innovative monitoring methodologies can improve our understanding of pollution pathways in water resources, thereby enabling more effective and cost-efficient mitigation strategies.

New potentially harmful substances, particularly chemical compounds, are introduced every day, making chemical pollution increasingly complex and dynamic. At the same time, persistent pollutants such as PFAS continue to accumulate in the environment. Traditional monitoring programmes, largely based on predefined lists of substances, can no longer keep pace with this evolving landscape. Speakers therefore highlighted the need to complement conventional monitoring with innovative approaches such as high-resolution mass spectrometry, suspect screening and non-target screening, which enable the detection of previously unknown contaminants and provide a more comprehensive understanding of pollution pathways.

The seminar also demonstrated the practical value of these approaches through experiences shared by public authorities and water utilities from across Europe. Case studies from Catalonia, Flanders, Turin, Warsaw, Budapest and Athens illustrated how innovative monitoring can help identify pollution sources, improve risk assessment, optimise monitoring programmes and support more targeted and cost-effective interventions. Several speakers emphasised that monitoring should not be regarded as an end in itself, but as a decision-support tool that enables pollution to be prevented at its source, thereby strengthening the implementation of the polluter-pays principle.

The concluding panel discussion highlighted that unlocking the full potential of innovative monitoring will require a more coherent policy framework at EU level. Participants called for stronger links between water legislation, chemicals legislation and industrial emissions policy, together with greater harmonisation of monitoring methodologies, enhanced data sharing, and closer cooperation between regulators, researchers, laboratories and water operators. The seminar concluded that, while "zero risk" does not exist and pollution control should be based on robust and comprehensive toxicological assessments—including consideration of food and other exposure pathways—investing in source identification and pollution prevention is not only essential for protecting public health and the environment, but also represents the most effective and economically sustainable approach to strengthening Europe's long-term water resilience