For Decades, Switzerland Dumped Munitions Into Its Pristine Alpine Lakes. Now, It Wants Them Gone

Between 1918 and 1964, the Swiss military dumped thousands of tonnes of unexploded munitions in alpine lakes. Officials believed that submerging the armaments was the safest way to dispose of them because the water would absorb any blasts.

Now, however, Switzerland’s government wants to get rid of the sodden weapons over fears of possible future water contamination. The country is launching a competition to see who can come up with the best ideas for removing the munitions safely.

Switzerland is offering nearly $60,000 to be split among the top three proposals for extracting the weapons. Officials may not implement the ideas right away, but they may use them to help inform the removal strategy going forward, according to a statement announcing the contest.

The competition is accepting submissions until February 6, 2025, and the winners will be announced in April.

The munitions are primarily located in Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Lake Lucerne and Lake Neuchatel. They are submerged at varying depths, with some as deep as 720 feet and others as shallow as 20 feet, per BBC News’ Imogen Foulkes.

Switzerland has maintained its neutrality since 1815, which means it “does not take part in external armed conflicts, provides no armed assistance and is not a member of any military alliances,” according to the government.

However, the country maintains an army to defend against attacks, respond to natural disasters and provide humanitarian aid.

In the early 20th century—long before the international environmental movement of the 1960s—the military disposed of munitions in bodies of water for various reasons. It tossed surplus ammunition, as well as outdated or faulty weapons.

In recent decades, this practice has been called into question for several reasons. For one, the unexploded weapons may present a danger to surrounding communities, per BBC News. Additionally, as the weapons break down, they might start to emit toxic chemicals into the water and surrounding soil. This pollution could harm humans, animals and plants.

The Swiss government says there is no immediate cause for environmental concern, as regular monitoring “currently shows no negative effects from the dumped munitions,” Samanta Leiser, a spokesperson for the Swiss defense procurement department, tells the New York Times’ Amelia Nierenberg. Still, authorities want to be prepared in case that changes.

But moving the munitions may be just as dangerous as leaving them in place. They could explode while crews attempt to extract them from the lake. Additionally, the weapons might disintegrate and spread toxins during removal.

A 2005 assessment of possible options showed that recovering the weapons would also likely disturb the fragile lake environment by stirring up sediment and releasing oxygen, according to the statement.

“It would be a painstaking process,” Mike Sainsbury, the managing director of Zetica, a company specializing in unexploded ordnances, tells the Times.

This is not the first time Swiss munitions have made headlines. In 1947, 3,000 tonnes of explosives buried in a mountain depot went off, destroying the small village of Mitholz. Residents rebuilt their homes and businesses, but they remain under threat to this day. In 2020, authorities revealed that residents of Mitholz may eventually need to evacuate for more than a decade while crews safely remove the remaining munitions.

Elsewhere in Europe, bombs from World War II continue to turn up periodically. In February, a woman renovating her home in southwest England unearthed a 1,100-pound explosive, which led to the temporary evacuation of 10,000 people. A few months later, another World War II ordnance was found near a soccer arena in Mainz, Germany.

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.