Warning in the Netherlands: wastewater at festivals full of drug residues

A water association in the Netherlands has warned about the contamination of wastewater at music festivals with drug residues that enter the sewer system via mobile toilets. Sewage treatment plants are not designed to filter out drug residues from the water, said the head of the Dommel water association, Bas Peters, to the newspaper “Eindhovens Dagblad” on Thursday.

Although some is removed, the majority of the purified water flows into bodies of water with corresponding consequences for fish and plants. The drug residues then found their way back into drinking water production via the Maas River, including in the greater Rotterdam area. Currently, more and more chemicals, drug residues and microplastics are ending up in wastewater, said the expert. The association is investing in expensive technology to remove as many of these substances as possible. 14 million euros were invested in an ozone system alone that could filter out drug residues.

However, such a system is not suitable for filtering out drug residues. The taxpayer cannot be persuaded to invest in separate technology just for the festival season. Instead, festival organizers should ensure that drug residues are filtered out of the wastewater on site before it ends up in the sewage system.

The water association expert advocated that those responsible for water contamination with drug residues should be held responsible. The necessary technology is available, but costs money. The organizers of festivals would have to take this into their own hands; the costs could not be passed on to the residents of a region.

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