Tourists heading to some of Switzerland’s most iconic lakes may be surprised to learn that thousands of metric tons of ammunition lie beneath those picture-perfect waters.
And the Swiss government is now offering a reward for the best ideas to get it out.
The Federal Office for Defence Procurement, known as Armasuisse, is offering a joint cash prize of 50,000 Swiss Francs (around $57,000) for the three best entries to a new idea competition aimed at devising a method to remove the munitions.
According to a press release, military ammunition — including outdated or surplus munitions, “problem ammunition,” or rejected batches — was dumped in lakes across the country between 1918 and 1964 as it was then believed to be a safe method of disposal.
Most of the ammo is submerged between 150 and 220 meters deep in Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and Lake Lucerne, the press release says.
Lake Neuchâtel also has around 4,500 tonnes of munitions in its waters due to years of bombing practice by the Swiss Air Force.
The department is now turning to academics and industry workers as it looks at how to carry out “environmentally friendly and safe recovery of deep lake ammunition” — which carries a risk of explosion and could also lead to pollution in the lakes.
The competition opened earlier this month, and entries can be submitted up until February 6, 2025, with winners announced in April of that year.
The winning ideas will not be thrust into action immediately, rather they will serve as a basis for further research, Armasuisse says.
Any salvage operation is expected to cost billions, the BBC reported.
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