Seeking a compromise between pharmaceutical pollution and phosphorus load: Management strategies for Lake Tegel, Berlin

Lake Tegel (Berlin, Germany) is controlled by two main inflows: inflow #1 (River Havel) is heavily phosphorus-laden, whereas inflow #2 is an artificial confluence that includes discharge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant distinguished by high levels of phosphorus and pharmaceuticals. To reduce the phosphorus load on the lake, a phosphorus elimination plant (PEP) is situated at inflow #2. Moreover, the two inflows are short-circuited by a pipeline that transfers part of the inflow #1 water to the PEP and finally releases it into inflow #2. The pipeline and the PEP have contributed to a continuous reduction in the total phosphorus concentration of Lake Tegel in the past 25 years. We investigate the question of whether the existing lake pipeline can also be used to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals in Lake Tegel originating from inflow #2 by dilution with water from River Havel, by diverting part of inflow #2 around the lake, or by a combination of both strategies. The circulation pattern of Lake Tegel is complicated by complex bathymetry and numerous islands and is therefore highly sensitive to winds. We tested seven different management scenarios by hydrodynamic modeling for a period of 16 years with the two-dimensional version of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). None of the scenarios provided a strategy optimal for both pharmaceuticals and phosphorus. Nonetheless, compound regimes, such as alternating the pipe flow direction or adding another pipeline, allowed the most abundant pharmaceutical (carbamazepine) to be reduced while maintaining the current phosphorus level. This study demonstrates the ability of immediate lake regulation measures to maintain water quality. In the case of Lake Tegel, the pipeline can be fully effective with regard to pharmaceuticals only in combination with additional efforts such as advanced pharmaceutical treatment of wastewater and/or phosphorus reduction in the River Havel catchment.

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► The Princeton Ocean Model is used to assess scenarios of lake water quality management.
► Target substances are carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, and phosphorus.
► Reduced wastewater pharmaceutical input is achieved on the cost of higher riverine phosphorus load.