École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

ENG-420 : Environmental transport phenomena

A study on the safety of bathing in the

Rhône river in July 2023
Project

Authors : C.K. Köse, J. Gasser, B. Sauvet

Teachers : B. Crouzy, F. Porte-Agel

Abstract: In this paper, the mixing of bacteria between the Arve and the Rhône in Geneva is studied,
as well as the temperature distribution. The area is modeled using SpaceClaim, meshed, then the flow
is modeled using Fluent. It is found that the river temperature remains warm enough to bathe, but
that the temperature distribution at the river section may be a source of hypothermia. The bacteria
concentration is found to be high downstream of the junction (∼10’000CFU/100ml), much higher
than the threshold value for swimming (900CFU/100ml), although the concentration is zero in the
Rhône before the intersection. These results follow the recommendations against bathing put out by
the Geneva canton. The turbulence kinetic energy is also studied, and it is found to be a factor that
can favor this mixing.

December 26, 2023

LIST OF FIGURES

Contents

List of Figures 1

1 Introduction 2

2 Problem statement 2
2.1 Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Boundary conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 E. Coli bacteria information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.4 E. Coli bacteria modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3 Meshing 4

4 Flow Simulation and results 5

4.1 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 E. Coli bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.3 Turbulence and mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

5 Conclusion 8

6 Appendix 10

List of Figures
1 General area of the Rhône and the Arve intersection in Geneva. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Mesh transition between the inputs and at the intersection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 Temperature distribution in the entire river section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4 Temperature distribution along the cross-section of the river . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5 Distribution of the E. Coli bacteria in the river section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6 Turbulence Kinetic Energy along the rivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7 Full area used in the modeling, after importation in SpaceClaim and meshing. . . . . . 10

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2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

1 Introduction
The Rhône river, in Geneva, is a tourist hot spot during the warm days of summer. Similarly
to other rivers or regions in Switzerland, people enjoy swimming and refreshing in these rivers, while
staying close to city centres. Attractive and seemingly rather safe, the matter is much more complex,
and it can be dangerous, with multiple incidents to date [1].

These accidents can be explained through the geography of the region. The Rhône comes out of
the Léman Lake, and is therefore quite warm in summer, reaching temperatures up to 25°C. After
roughly 2km flowing in Geneva, the Rhône is joined by the Arve, a river coming straight from the
French Alps, which is much colder and has a stronger current. The risk of hypothermia and drown-
ing is therefore quite high, it is generally recommended to not go beyond the intersection of the 2 rivers.

Moreover, on the 12th. of July 2023, the Arve was infected with fecal bacteria (E. Coli bacteria)
following a leak in a water treatment plant roughly 10km upstream of the Arve. The authorities, af-
ter measuring an excessive concentration of the bacteria, recommended against bathing in the river [2].

This brings to the research question of the paper:

"How risky is it to bathe in the Rhône, downstream of the intersection with the Arve,
concerning temperature change, and was the recommendation against bathing, following
the leakage of E. Coli bacteria, appropriate ?"

Naturally, the intention of the study is not to question the Geneva authorities. The focus is on
modeling, and the subject is simply chosen as a case study. More precisely, WorkBench is used to
accomplish this modeling. Firstly, SpaceClaim is used to import a pre-configured geometry of the
river intersection region, the geometry is then meshed using Fluent Meshing, and the flow is simulated
using Fluent. CFD-Post is also used for the analysis.

2 Problem statement
2.1 Geometry
Firstly, the region in question can be seen, zoomed out, in figure 1.

Figure 1: General area of the Rhône and the Arve intersection in Geneva.

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2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

While this geometry would be too large to be modeled entirely (the path from the yellow crosses
to the green cross is more than 10km), it is still important to notice the different points on it. The red
cross at the bottom right, corresponds to the E. Coli bacteria leakage start, so the water treatment
plant. The green cross on the left is the last exit for swimmers. Finally, the 2 yellow crosses correspond
to 2 measuring stations [3], which are useful to know the temperature and the flow rate for the inlet
boundary conditions. Note that another measuring station - Rhône, Chancy, aux ripes - is used for
the output boundary conditions, but is too far downstream to be presented here.
The modeled area is considerably reduced. It is assumed [4] :
• The Arve River is 70 meters wide before the intersection, so an upstream length of 5 · 70 = 350
meters is necessary.

• The Rhône River is 100 meters wide before the intersection, so an upstream length of 5·100 = 500
meters is necessary.

• The Rhône River’s width varies after the intersection, but a value of 120 meters is taken (using
the Swiss Confederation map). Therefore, a downstream length of 10 · 120 = 1200 meters is
necessary.
However, to have the input boundaries closer to measuring stations and to avoid having the
input boundary in a not-straight region, an upstream distance of about 1000 meters is taken for
both inlets. For the outlet, to make sure that the solution converges, a value of 2200 meters is taken,
corresponding to the end of the first straight after the intersection. The resulting area, generated using
webplotdigitizer [5] and imported on SpaceClaim, can be seen in figure 7 in the appendix (section 6).

2.2 Boundary conditions

The boundary conditions are given by the measuring stations (Note that the temperature data is
not available for 2023, and it is assumed that the temperatures have no reason to change significantly
over a year, so the values of 2022 for the same date (12th of July) are taken):

• T empArve,in = 13.3°C • F lowrateArve,in = 112m3 /s

• T empRhone,in = 23.1°C • F lowrateRhône,in = 383m3 /s
• T empRhone,out = 21.8°C • PRhone,out = Pgauge = 0P a

Assuming a depth of 1 meter for all sections, and the widths discussed in section 2.1, the velocities
are obtained from the mass flow rates. Finally, the resulting boundary conditions are used:

• TArve,in = 13.3°C = 286.45K • VArve,in = 1.6m/s

• TRhone,in = 23.1°C = 296.25K • VRhône,in = 3.83m/s
• TRhone,out = 21.8°C = 294.95K • PRhone,out = Pgauge = 0P a

2.3 E. Coli bacteria information

Following the leakage of the water treatment plant, an abnormally high concentration of E. Coli
bacteria was measured in the Arve, just upstream of the river intersection with the Rhône. Indeed,
on the 12th of July 2023 (the day of the recommendation), a concentration of 41’000 CFU/100ml was
recorded. For 3 days, this concentration stayed almost constant (varying between 38’000 and 42’000).
The concentration then dropped to 17’000CFU/100ml on the 17th and stayed constant again until the
24th. It is only on the 25th of July that the concentration in the Arve dropped to 6700CFU/100ml.
On this day, bathing was no longer unadvised in the Rhône (as the Rhône has a much lower E. Coli

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3 MESHING

concentration, the dilution at the junction was judged enough to bring the concentration below the
threshold). The recommendation though remained for the Arve, before the junction, as the threshold
value is 900CFU/100ml. Note that the mean concentration of E. Coli over the last 2 years in the Arve
is 2200CFU/100ml, a value of 41’000 is then obviously very high1 .

2.4 E. Coli bacteria modeling

On the 12th of July, field measurements revealed 41’000 CFU/100ml for the E. Coli bacteria, in
the Arve before the junction. To model the bacteria in Fluent, the species mass fraction is needed.
Taking the value of Me.coli = 1 · 10−12 g [6], a total mass of 41′ 000 · 1 · 10−12 = 4.1 · 10−8 g is found. In
species mass fraction - taking that 100ml of water is 100g -, this corresponds to 4.1 · 10−10 g/g.

For the Rhone input, the water is assumed to have stayed of "excellent quality" between the 12th
and the 19th of July, following the AEE (European Agency for the Environment) ranking of water
quality, which accounts for less than 500CFU/100ml [7], and the water quality assessments of the
Geneva lake [8]. It is here assumed that the water quality in the Rhône before the intersection is
similar to that of the lake Geneva. Given that, in the Pâquis region (just before the intersection), the
concentration of E. Coli is 50CFU/100ml on the 19th of July2 , an input concentration of 5 · 10−13 g/g
of E. Coli in the Rhône input is taken. Note that this value, ∼1000x smaller than for the Arve is
considered too small by Fluent and is approximated with zero.

The setup for the bacteria model has been done firstly by activating the species transport in the
model. Then, to get a good approximation of the mixing between water and E. Coli, a mixture
template has been modeled. As there is no such thing as a bacteria that can be added to the mixture
on Fluent, it has been decided to represent it with nitrogen N2 . As this study focuses on the bacteria
mixing but also on the temperature mix of the two rivers after the confluence, the specific heat
coefficient of nitrogen is replaced by the specific heat coefficient of E. Coli, so that it is closer to
reality. More precisely. According to the literature, E. Coli’s unit carbon formula (UCF) is described
as CH1,918 O0.528 N0.257 P0.018 S0.006 [9] and its thermodynamic properties are calculated according to that.
Therefore, the value for N2 :
h i
J
• Cp,N 2 = 1040 kg∗K

is replaced by the one for E. Coli bacteria

h i
J
• Cp,E.Coli = 377.83 kg∗K

3 Meshing
The input sections of the river, not being the focus of the study, have a mesh size element of 15
meters, which is considered sufficient, knowing that the input sections are rather straight and align
well with the cells. The main point of interest is from the intersection until the end of the output
- where people bathe -, a face sizing with a size element of 7.5 meters is done for the rest of the
area. This way, a better accuracy for the flow solving is reached in the crucial region of the flow. It
is assumed that an inflation layer, focusing on the borders of the river, is not necessary. Tests also
revealed that an inflation layer naturally causes a drop in quality metrics, such as orthogonality or
skewness. Furthermore, while these different quality metrics were found to be almost similar between
1
The E. Coli bacteria data was made available by the cantonal office of water (OCEau) in Geneva
2
See footnote 1.

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4 FLOW SIMULATION AND RESULTS

different methods, namely triangle, multizone, and quadrilateral methods, the latter is used to align
the cells with the edges of the rivers.

The resulting mesh can be seen in figure 1 in the appendix (section 6), and a close-up centered
on the intersection, which allows seeing the transition from 15 meters of cells to 7.5 meters of cells, is
shown in figure 2

Figure 2: Mesh transition between the inputs and at the intersection

A check on the mesh quality metrics is done, and the following values are found :

• ARmax = 1.942

• Skewnessmax = 0.487

• Orthogonalitymin = 0.786

Values that are considered good enough to go on with the flow simulation.

4 Flow Simulation and results

For the flow simulation, all residuals are set to 1e-5, the initialization is computed from the Rhône
inlet and the solution converges after 454 time steps. A steady state simulation is chosen because
the results wanted are not in the transient phase. Indeed, to answer the question of whether it is
recommended or not to swim in the river it is not required to explain how the mixing is done from
the initial state with no bacteria to the final state with the needed outcomes. With this, a look at the
different results can be taken.

4.1 Temperature
Firstly, the temperature in the river is assessed, to check whether the warnings discussed in the
introduction 1 are relevant. The temperature distribution for the entire section is shown in figure 3.

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4 FLOW SIMULATION AND RESULTS

Figure 3: Temperature distribution in the entire river section

The warm Rhône water "takes the advantage" over the cold water coming from the Arve, but there
is a certain impact on the average temperature from the intersection and onward. To better visualize
this, the temperature distribution along the river cross-section directly after the intersection and at
the outlet is shown in figure 4

(a) Directly after the intersection (b) At the outlet

Figure 4: Temperature distribution along the cross-section of the river

The distributions are very different, with a much steeper slope at the intersection. In this section,
a person swimming could easily find himself in waters at 296K (or 23°C) and, the moment after, in
water at 286K (or 13°C), so a drop of 10°C, which could eventually lead to hypothermia.

further downstream, the temperature distribution is smoother, and a total difference of only 5°C
is reached. Therefore, the risk of hypothermia is probably higher right after the junction.

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4 FLOW SIMULATION AND RESULTS

Using CFD-Post, a look is taken at the average temperatures at these two sections, and the
following values are found :

• Tavg,inter = 291.77K = 18.6°C

• Tavg,out = 293.72K = 20.57°C

From this, it becomes evident that the average temperature is warm enough for anyone to bathe.
The difference between one side of the river and the other side seems to be the bigger problem.

4.2 E. Coli bacteria

In figure 5, the distribution of the E. Coli bacteria is shown.

Figure 5: Distribution of the E. Coli bacteria in the river section

Here again, the waters from the Rhône (in blue in figure 5) seem to be more present than the
red, polluted waters. The average concentration is the point of interest. Using CFD-Post again, the
average concentrations are found to be :

• Ce.coli,inter = 1.88 · 10−10 g/g

• Ce.coli,out = 1.05 · 10−10 g/g

It is clear here that, while the Rhône waters take the advantage when it comes to temperature as seen
previously, the fact that the E. Coli concentration was so high in the Arve results in a rather high
concentration at the junction too. Going back to comparable units, this represents:

• Ce.coli,inter = 18′ 788CF U/100ml

• Ce.coli,out = 10′ 500CF U/100ml

These values seem to be in accordance with the warnings put out on the 12th of July, being well
over 900CFU/100ml.

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5 CONCLUSION

4.3 Turbulence and mixing

Turbulence is characterized by chaotic changes in the flow velocity and pressure. As it is known
to increase the mixing and transport rates, it is interesting in our study to look at it more closely.

Figure 6: Turbulence Kinetic Energy along the rivers

Figure 6 shows the turbulence kinetic energy distribution. Right at the confluence of the Rhône
and the Arve, kinetic turbulence energy strongly develops due to the contact between the two rivers
with different speeds and temperatures. This turbulence grows stronger as the two flows interact with
each other, letting the bacteria contained in the Arve be mixed more rapidly.

It is interesting to compare figure 5 to figure 6, as it represents this high correlation between

turbulence and mixing of the species in the water well. Indeed, the mixing region of E. Coli after the
junction has the same shape as the area where the turbulence is the highest. The same observation
can be made by looking at figure 3. After the first turn, even if the turbulence kinetic energy with the
highest value is gone, one can see that its average value has significantly increased. It is expected to
decrease slowly while going downstream until it reaches the initial value.

5 Conclusion
In conclusion, the comprehensive investigation into the safety of bathing in the Rhône River during
July 2023 has provided a nuanced understanding of the environmental factors influencing this popu-
lar recreational activity. The amalgamation of temperature analysis, E. Coli bacteria concentration
assessments, and turbulence dynamics have yielded critical insights that merit careful consideration.

The examination of temperature distributions along the river section highlighted a pronounced
temperature disparity at the confluence of the Rhône and Arve rivers. This thermal heterogeneity
poses a notable risk of hypothermia for individuals engaging in water activities immediately down-
stream of the intersection. The average temperatures at this critical sections was found to be 18.6°C,
not necessarily indicating the potential for abrupt temperature changes that could impact the safety
of swimmers.

EPFL 8 Master Spring 2023

5 CONCLUSION

The evaluation of E. Coli bacteria concentrations revealed a concerning contamination event in

the Arve, originating from a water treatment plant leakage. The persistence of elevated bacterial
concentrations at the confluence and downstream in the Rhône underscores the potential health haz-
ards associated with water activities in this region. The average concentrations at these sections were
found to be 18′ 788CF U/100ml and 10′ 500CF U/100ml at the intersection and further downstream
respectively, significantly exceeding the recommended threshold of 900CF U/100ml for safe swimming.

The turbulence kinetic energy analysis emphasized the pivotal role of turbulent flows in facilitating
the mixing of water masses and, consequently, bacterial dispersion. The intricate interplay between
turbulence, temperature variations, and bacterial concentrations underscores the complex nature of
environmental transport phenomena in this specific river junction.

In light of these findings, the recommendations against bathing issued by the Geneva authorities
on July 12, 2023, appear well-founded. Immediate areas surrounding the confluence present height-
ened risks, necessitating caution and adherence to safety guidelines. Continued monitoring, coupled
with targeted preventive measures, is imperative to ensure the well-being of individuals partaking in
water-related activities in the Rhône River.

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6 APPENDIX

6 Appendix

Figure 7: Full area used in the modeling, after importation in SpaceClaim and meshing.

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REFERENCES

References
[1] David Ramseyer. “Les noyades s’accumulent dans le lac et dans le Rhône”. In: 20 Minutes (2023).
url: https://www.20min.ch/fr/story/les-noyades-saccumulent-dans-le-lac-et-dans-
le-rhone-847950205748.
[2] Office cantonal de l’eau (OCEau). La baignade est provisoirement déconseillée dans l’Arve et le
Rhône après la Jonction. url: https://www.ge.ch/document/baignade-est-provisoirement-
deconseillee-dans-arve-rhone-apres-jonction. visited on 12.12.2023.
[3] Office fédéral de l’environnement OFEV. Température de l’eau. url: https://www.hydrodaten.
admin.ch/fr/seen-und-fluesse/messstationen-temperatur. visited on 12.12.2023.
[4] Jake Farlow. Extending the Inlets and Outlets for a CFD Simulation. url: https : / / www .
simscale . com / knowledge - base / extending - the - inlets - and - outlets - for - a - cfd -
simulation/. visited on 12.12.2023.
[5] Ankit Rohatgi. WebPlotDigitizer. url: https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer.
[6] An Chi Guo et al. “ECMDB: The E. coli Metabolome Database”. In: Nucleic Acids Research
41.D1 (Oct. 2012), pp. D625–D630. issn: 0305-1048. doi: 10.1093/nar/gks992. eprint: https:
//academic.oup.com/nar/article- pdf/41/D1/D625/3732442/gks992.pdf. url: https:
//doi.org/10.1093/nar/gks992.
[7] Office fédéral de l’environnement OFEV. “Evaluation des eaux de baignade”. In: L’environnement
pratique UV-1310-F (2013). url: https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/fr/home/themes/eaux/
publications/publications-eaux/evaluation-eaux-baignade.html.
[8] Commission internationale pour la protection des eaux du Léman - CIPEL. Carte des plages. url:
https://www.cipel.org/carte-des-plages/.
[9] Marko Popovic et al. “Elemental composition, heat capacity from 2 to 300 K and derived thermo-
dynamic functions of 5 microorganism species”. In: Journal of Biotechnology 331 (2021), pp. 99–
107. issn: 0168-1656. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.03.006. url: https:
//www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016816562100078X.

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