CONTROL OF THE NUTRIENT POLLUTION DISCHARGE FROM THE VISTULA RIVER BASIN IN POLAND

This paper is based on a pre-feasibility study of the Vistula River Ba sin and Baltic Coast of Poland, financed by the World Bank and prepare d by the SWECO-COWI consult - VKI Vistula Joint Venture in association with the Polish consulting companies Hydroproject and Stolica. The ob jective of the study has been to prepare a priority action programme t o pre-feasibility level to control and reduce the present pollution of the Baltic Sea from the Vistula River Basin and Baltic Coast of Polan d in line with the 1990 Baltic Sea Declaration, This includes a target objective of the adoption of measures by the countries in the region to reduce the 1987 emission levels by 50 percent by 1995. The municipa l wastewater from about 1/3 of the population in Poland is not treated at all, and most of the existing treatment is of low efficiency. Also most of the industrial plants have high pollution discharge loads. Ni trogen runoff is the most obvious problem from the agriculture. The ye arly discharge of nitrogen to the Baltic Sea is in the order of magnit ude 100,000 tons. Phosphorus is also discharged in large quantities, a s most of the sewage treatment plants are not constructed for chemical or biological phosphorus removal. Actions proposed for implementation to the year 2000 are described, primarily for protection of the Balti c Sea. These actions include mainly treatment plants for removal of ph osphorus, nitrogen and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), but also heavy metals and persistent organic substances. All major polluting industr ies should also take steps in order not to exceed accepted pollution l evels, Finally, economic instruments and investment programmes are dis cussed.