Urban River Lab (URL)

We develop management strategies and techniques to improve our streams and rivers

The Urban river Lab is an outdoor laboratory adressed to the study of highly modified streams and rivers with the aim to develop innovative tools and strategies for a more efficient and sustainable management.

Within the current context of global change, human activities are a major cause of degradation of streams and rivers. The Urban River Lab (URL) is an outdoor laboratory addressed to better understand the multiple effects of human activities on streams and rivers. The multidisciplinary profiles of the URL’s team allow addressing these questions from multiple and complementary perspectives.

The URL consists of 18 channels and 12 wetlands designed for experimental practices, fed by treated water from the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant. The main objective of the URL is to develop new tools to improve the quality of streams and rivers heavily modified by human activities and face the management of freshwater resources.