Criteria for water quality assessment between countries: how to proceed in the next few years ?

F. László

Water Resources Research Centre

Budapest, Hungary

• Water quality assessment systems were developed traditionally at national level in the past.

• The differences are significant between the national water quality assessment systems.

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

River Danube

length: 2857 km

river basin: 817 000 sq.km

countries: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine

population: 82 million

mean water discharge at the Danube Delta: 6550 m3/s

Orientation map of Danube river basin

G a b c i k o v o r e s e r v o i r G

I r o n G a t e r e s e r v o i r

D a n u b e D e l t a

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

Basic characters of the national systems

Country

Character of assessment system

Germany Concentrates on trends in water quality Austria Focuses on the ecological function of the surface water, quality

evaluation is based mainly on benthos analysis Czech Republic, Slovakia

Considers ecological quality of surface water

Hungary Focuses on chemical and physico-chemical water quality components

Slovenia Relation to water uses Romania Considers the requirements of water uses Bulgaria Point of view of ecological requirements + anthropogenic water uses

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

Similarities and differences in limit/target values

Limit/target values of oxygen regime parameters are similar in the national assessment/classification systems

Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)

I II III IV V

Austria (mountain/lowland) >7.5 >6.5 Bulgaria 6 4 2 Croatia >7 7 6 4 <3 Czech Republic >7.5 6.5 5 3 <3 Germany >8 >6 >4 <2 Hungary >7 7 6 4 <3 Romania 6 5 4 Slovakia >7 7 6 5 <3 Slovenia 8 6 4 3

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

Similarities and differences in limit/target values

Big differences in the limits for nutrients, heavy metals, organic micropollutants

Lead (g/l) I II III IV V

Austria (mountain/lowland) 8/40 Bulgaria 20 50 200 Croatia 0.1 2.0 5.0 80 >80 Czech Republic 3 8 15 30 >30 Germany 3.4 50 Hungary 5 20 50 100 >100 Romania 50 Slovakia 10 20 50 100 >100 Slovenia 50 100 >100

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

Biological aspects of water quality assessment in the Danube countries

Country Bacteriological

status/hygiene Trophic status

Saprobity Ecotoxicological effects

Austria + + + + Bulgaria + + + Croatia + + + Czech Republic + + + Germany + + + + Hungary + + + Moldova + Romania + + + Slovakia + + Slovenia + +

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

Assessment of sediment pollution

Austria No specific sediment assessment scheme for sediment quality.

For orientation, heavy metal concentrations in sediment are compared to limit values for agricultural soil.

Czech Republic

Governmental guidelines for heavy metals in sediment (originally for soils) Classes:

approximately the natural background level; between background level and important risk level; exceeding risk level of human health and environmental

danger Germany Application of standard for sludge from wastewater treatment

plants

Comparison of water quality assessment systems of the Danube countries

Assessment of sediment pollution

Hungary Application of standard for maximum allowable pollutant

concentrations in soils Application of Canadian sediment quality guideline for the

protection of aquatic organisms Romania Sediment quality surveys are evaluated according to Dutch and

Canadian guidelines Slovakia Standardized sediment sampling (ISO 5667)

Selection of determinands related to toxicity of the pollutants Evaluation of the results according to Dutch standard Guidance on risk assessment of polluted sediments

Harmonization of water quality assessment in the scope of Danube River Protection Convention

Operation of TransNational Monitoring Network (TNMN)

Objectives of TNMN:• support the assessment of water quality;• support the estimation of pollutant loads;• assist in the identification of major pollution sources

Sampling sites:• stations at or near to state border;• stations upstream of confluences of tributaries;• stations upstream of major abstraction sites for drinking water supply

Operation of TransNational Monitoring Network

List of determinands in water:

suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, alkalinity, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, organic nitrogen, ortho-phosphate, total phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulphate, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, arsenic, aluminium, BOD, COD, DOC, phenol index, anion active surfactants, petroleum hydrocarbons, AOX, lindane, pp’-DDT, atrazine, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, total coliforms, faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci, salmonella, chlorophyll-a, saprobity index

Operation of TransNational Monitoring Network

List of determinands in sediment:

organic nitrogen, total phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, arsenic, aluminium, TOC, petroleum hydrocarbons, total extractable matter, PAHs lindane, pp’-DDT, PCBs

Water Framework DirectiveBiological, chemical and physico-chemical elements for

the classification of ecological status

composition and abundance of aquatic flora;

composition and abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna;

composition, abundance and age of structure of fish fauna;

thermal conditions;

oxygenation conditions;

salinity;

acidification status;

nutrient conditions;

specific pollutants

Water Framework DirectivePriority pollutants

alachlor, anthracene, atrazine, benzene, brominated diphenylether, cadmium and its compounds, C-10-13-chloralkanes, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos, 1,2-dichlormethane,dichlorethane, di(2-ethylhexyl)phtalate, diuron, endosulfan, fluoranthene, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, hexachlorocyclohexane, isoproturon, lead and its compounds,mercury and its compounds, naphtalene, nickel and its compounds, nonylphenols, octylphenols, pentachlorobenzene, pentachlorophenol, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, simazine, tributyltin ompounds, trichlorobenzenes, trichloromethane, trifluralin

How to proceed in the near future ?

• Involve additional hydrobiological parameters (adaption or development of methods)

• Focus on priority pollutants (surveys)• Continue checking compliance of water quality

criteria of different water uses