Some 12,000 fish are being removed from the River Spöl in the Swiss National Park. This operation is necessary before cleaning up the riverbed, which was contaminated by PCBs during maintenance work in 2016. The site for the remediation work is being set up at the foot of the Punt-dal-Gall dam wall, which holds back the waters of Lake Livigno, Giacum Krüger, Director of the Engadine electricity company EKW stated on Wednesday. At the beginning of 2026, the riverbed will be cleared of the carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that pollute it. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The contamination with PCBs, chemical substances formerly contained in paint, insulation materials and plastics, occurred nine years ago during maintenance work on the dam wall. Five kilometres of the river were polluted. The river trout that live there are currently fished with nets, then transferred downstream by helicopter into special containers before being released back ...
