Sediments in the Labe/Elbe-watershed still contain large amounts of contaminants. When these sediments are resuspended and transported downstream, they potentially endanger river basin objectives. Watershed-based solutions, aiming at measures to control these secondary sources in the main river and the sub-catchments, need to focus on those regions which contribute most to the risks for different ecosystem services.In a benchstudy on behalf of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and supported by the Elbe River Community (FGG), a conceptual approach was followed that aimed at quantifying the contribution of the different sub-catchments to the contaminant load, putting ecosystem services at risk. These subcatchments were identified as the Czech Republic with regard to PCB, HCB, and DDX, while the areas of risk for heavy metals, HCH and dioxins lie in the German watershed (Mulde and Saale-River). Within the identified regions/sub-catchments, „areas of risk“from which the contamination originated, were indicated where measures would be most effective. Possible measures to counteract the current risks were described.