Danube Watch 2/2019 - What's Getting Through?

Publications
a bridge over a body of water

T  his year, the fourth Joint Danube Survey (JDS4) is being undertaken with an expanded scope and new areas of testing to determine the health of the Danube River Basin. Among the many new and exciting testing parameters being implemented is the testing of water quality of inflow and outflow waste water at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) within the region. Inadequate management of municipal wastewater is one of the core problems in the Danube River Basin. The contamination of groundwater and rivers with untreated wastewater can be harmful in many ways and the long-term effects of such pollution reduce biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems and affect human water uses – especially drinking water. Microorganisms can spread disease, the decomposition of organic materials can cause oxygen depletion in rivers and lakes and toxic substances in wastewater can accumulate in living organisms.

Of the many countries within the Danube River Basin, 11 reacted positively to the idea of monitoring at wastewater treatment plants and proposed specific plants at which testing and monitoring could take place. These locations are:

  • Germany: Donauwörth
  • Austria: Linz-Asten
  • Czech Republic: Hodonin
  • Slovakia: Bratislava
  • Hungary: Gyor
  • Slovenia: Novo mesto (Ločna)
  • Croatia: Županja
  • Serbia: Šabac
  • Romania: Giurgiu
  • Bulgaria: Vratsa
  • Ukraine: Uzhgorod

Sampling took place at both inflow and affluent (already treated water) and was carried out by flow-proportional or time-proportional automatic samplers according to local conditions. Manual sampling may also be necessary in certain cases. Sampling was performed over one day to get composite samples at the WWTP for organic target parameters, heavy metals and general parameters. Once all of the necessary samples have been collected, they will be sent to JDS4-designated laboratories for in depth analysis. The raw data acquired through this process can then be compiled, analysed and the findings will be published. The specific findings will expand on previously gathered data on water quality at other wastewater treatment plants. With this data collected as part of JDS4, ICPDR can better advise countries and industry in the Danube River Basin on steps that may need to be taken to better the health of the region’s waterways. Gauging the efficiency of wastewater treatment as well as what harmful substances may be bypassing the plants’ systems is extremely important, an exciting new area of testing for ICPDR’s Joint Danube Surveys and a source of information on the quality of wastewater, particularly in terms of hazardous substances.