Revitalisation of the Glatt river between Opfikon and Rümlang.
From a canal to a natural flowing river
The Glatt river flows in a straight line along the western side of the airport. The riverbed was lowered and canalised during the river corrections 150 years ago. The revitalisation of the section between Opfikon and Rümlang aims to reinstate a near-natural course of the river, resulting in almost twice the area available for the waterway. In addition, the recreational offer will be expanded.
The project as a measure for ecological compensation
Zurich Airport Ltd. is required to compensate for disturbance of any protected habitats by its construction projects. The Glatt revitalisation project is being implemented as a compensation measure to alleviate habitat disturbance in the immediate vicinity of the airport and will also compensate for ecological deficits on site.
The revitalisation project requires the use of agricultural land. The soil removed from this land shall be repurposed to improve crop rotation areas in the Furttal valley. Clarifications are currently underway with the canton and the federal government.
Due to the current nationwide discussion in Switzerland about PFAS pollutants in soil, systematic soil sampling was carried out. This revealed that soil previously used for agricultural purposes and the Glatt embankments are contaminated with PFAS. The measured values vary depending on proximity to water and previous agricultural use of the land. Tests carried out by the Building Department have shown that PFAS can be found in almost all soils in the canton of Zurich.
PFAS have been used since the 1970s in a wide variety of applications and products, such as paints, ski wax, electronics, non-stick coatings, cosmetics, pesticides and outdoor clothing, and enter the environment in various ways, where they hardly degrade. Among other things, they enter watercourses through treated sewage or through the formerly common practice of discharging sewage sludge together with pesticides on agricultural land.
First construction phase will be completed – followed by a break in the project
The areas affected by the Glatt revitalisation project are located outside the airport perimeter. There is no proven link between the soil contamination and the airport or flight operations. The project area and the affected soil are located west of the airport and have largely been used for agricultural purposes to date. Construction work on the first phase in the Eichhof area between Neue Rohrstrasse and the inflow of the Rümelbach stream has been underway since April. The levels of contamination found here are not very high, meaning that a large proportion of the soil that has already been removed can be reused. Zurich Airport Ltd. has therefore decided to complete this phase by the end of 2026, despite the additional costs in the millions.
Future of the project depends on political decisions
Legally, it is currently unclear how soil contaminated with PFAS should be handled. Many soils are contaminated with PFAS, which are classified as hazardous waste when disposed of, resulting in enormous additional costs. Due to this unclear legal situation, Zurich Airport Ltd. has decided not to make any decisions on the next stages of the project until there is a clear legal framework for how PFAS-contaminated soil should be handled in future. Zurich Airport Ltd. regrets that the revitalisation project cannot be implemented as planned and hopes that political decisions on how to deal with PFAS will be made quickly at federal level.
Further information on the project delay can be found in the official press release.
Further information on the project delay can be found in the official press release.
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