The small picturesque tributary on the outskirts of the village of Ledegem, some 15 miles east of Ypres, has been described by Belgian media this week as the most polluted stream in Europe following a report published in the Science of The Total Environment journal. In a survey of 29 small waterways in 10 European countries, a sample from the Wulfdambeek was found to contain 70 hazardous pesticides – 38 weed killers, 10 insecticides, 21 fungal killers, one protector against herbicides and residues of acetylsalicylic acid, an aspirin used in veterinary medicine. The research found more than 100 pesticides and 21 drugs of which a quarter are banned.
— source theguardian.com | 12 Apr 2019