Switzerland dumped munitions in its lakes. Now its offering $57,000 for the best ideas to get them out

By Jack Guy, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities in Switzerland have launched a competition to gather ideas on how to remove old munitions from the depths of the country’s idyllic lakes.

The three best entries will share a prize pot worth 50,000 Swiss francs ($57,800), according to a statement from the country’s federal office for defense procurement (Armasuisse) published earlier this month.

While the winning ideas will not be implemented immediately, they could form the basis of future research into dealing with the issue of submerged munitions, according to the statement.

Munitions, some of which were surplus, faulty or outdated, were submerged in a number of lakes, including Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and Lake Lucerne, between 1918 and 1964.

They were buried between 150 and 220 meters (492 and 722 feet) below the surface, according to Armasuisse.

“With the launching of an idea competition, armasuisse wants to increasingly involve academia and industry in the considerations on how environmentally friendly and safe recovery of deep lake ammunition could be carried out, should this ever become an issue,” reads the statement.

“This could be the case if, against all expectations, the release of pollutants from submerged ammunition were to be established during ongoing lake water monitoring.”

According to the statement, an assessment of possible recovery methods in 2005 “showed that all proposed solutions for ammunition recovery available at the time would lead to massive sludge turbulence and high risks for the sensitive ecosystem of the lake.”

Other challenges include poor visibility, the risk of explosions, water depth, currents and the condition, size and weight of the munitions, with some weighing up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds).

A further complication is the fact that some components are made of non-magnetic copper, brass or aluminum, according to Armasuisse.

“All these factors represent major challenges for environmentally friendly ammunition recovery,” adds the statement.

The competition is open until February 6, 2025, with the winners scheduled to be announced in April.

This is not the first time that Switzerland has moved to deal with historic munitions.

In 2020, it was reported that an estimated 3,500 tons of explosives stored at a depot would have to be removed, forcing residents in the village of Mitholz to leave their homes. In 1947, an estimated 7,000 tons of explosives stored at the depot detonated, killing nine people and causing extensive damage to the village.

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