dangerous substances in the aquatic environment of Lithuania
Prepared within the project “Screening of dangerous substances in the aquatic environment of Lithuania”
2007
Report on dangerous substances in the aquatic environment of Lithuania / 2007
Report on dangerous substances in the aquatic environment of Lithuania
Funded by:
/ Finnish Ministry of EnvironmentProduced by:
/ Zita Dudutytė, Baltic Environmental Forum/ Levonas Manusadžianas, Institute of Botany (Ecotoxicity part)
/ Rasa Ščeponavičiūtė, Center for Environmental Policy (chapters “Practices on monitoring and screening of hazardous substances in Lithuania 1992-2005” and “Quality assurance and methods used in the HS screening”)
Editorial team:
/ Environmental Protection Agency of Lithuania/ Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
Lithuanian Ministry of Environment
Report on dangerous substances in the aquatic environment of Lithuania / 2007
Content
1.Introduction
2.Legal background - existing legislation and a new framework
3.Practices of monitoring and screening of hazardous substances in Lithuania 1992-2005
4.Selection of the hazardous substances, sampling sites and matrixes
A. Selection of hazardous substances
B. Selection of the sampling sites
C. Selection of the matrixes
5.Quality assurance and methods used in the HS screening
A. Sampling and handling of samples
B. Analysis of samples
6.Results of the analysis
A. Overview of the results by substances/ groups of substances
B. Overview of the results in the receiving environment
C. Results of ecotoxicity tests
7.Potential sources of hazardous substances
8.Findings and recommendations
9.List of abbreviations
10.References......
List of Annexes
Annex I: ANNEX 1 to the Council Directive on pollution caused by discharges of certain dangerous substances(76/464/EEC)
Annex II: ANNEX VIII to Water Framework Directive
Annex III: Extract of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) - Article 16 Strategies against pollution of water
Annex IV: Annex X of Directive 2000/60/EC - List of priority substances in the field of water policy
Annex V: Environmental quality standards for priority substances and certain other pollutans
Annex VI: List of priority hazardous and hazardous substances of Lithuania
Annex VII: Overall results of the chemical analysis
Annex VIII: Results of the analysis by investigated sites
Annex IX: Results of the ecotoxicity analysis
Annex X: List of laboratories
1.Introduction
This report is the outcome of the project “Screening of Hazardous Substances in the aquatic environment of Lithuania”, which has started in October 1 2005 and continued till March of 2007. The project is funded by Finnish Ministry of Environment. The main parties involved into project implementation are Lithuanian Environmental Protection Agency, Finnish Environment Institute, Baltic Environmental Forum and Center for Environmental Policy.
The idea of the project derived from the need to comply with EU legal environmental obligations in the water sector, where a big emphasis is given to the control of pollution by hazardous substances. As EU Dangerous Substances Directive (DSD, 76/464/EEC and daughter directives) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC) states, all EU Member States have to control hazardous substances based on European wide quality standards and should aim at progressive reduction of pollution of the aquatic environment by hazardous substances and phasing out the emissions of hazardous priority substances.
However existing information on use and discharge of hazardous substances to water environment in Lithuania is very limited and more information is needed on actual concentrations in main pollution sources effluents to fulfil these legal requirements. Therefore the aforementioned project was initiated.
The main objective of the project was to investigate the occurrence of selected WFD priority substances and some other pollutants in wastewater, sewage sludge and the receiving environment (surface water and sediments) and obtain measurement data on their concentrations.
Data collection concentrated on discharges from largest urban wastewater treatment plants and selected sampling sites on transboundary rivers and in transitional waters to the Baltic Sea. All together the project covered 44 sites, where 9 hazardous substances groups were analyzed (metals, phenols and their ethoxylates, organotin compounds, brominated diphenylethers, phtalates and their ethoxylates, chlorinated parafins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, chloroorganic pesticides, pentachlorphenol and some other substances such as chlorpyrifos, cyanides, AOX at some sites) and ecotoxicity tests were performed.
By side of fulfilling the major goal of the project, the experience exchange among Lithuanian and Finnish experts working in the field took place. Experts of Environmental Protection Agency of Lithuania have visited Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) to get familiar with analytical methods and assess the possibilities to develop new method for the analysis of hazardous substances.
This report documents the results of the hazardous substances screening exercise. Furthermore it contains legal background information, description of the methods used in the screening exercise, information on potential sources of hazardous substances and their discharges to the aquatic environment.
The report is mainly targeted to the authorities that are responsible for the development and implementation of policies for hazardous substances control. It is intended to support in fulfilling reporting obligations to European Commission and HELCOM and improving existing or developing new tools and programmes for hazardous substances control and reduction in Lithuania. It can also function as a background the permitting authorities when issuing permits to the commercial/industrial entities.
2.Legal background - existing legislation and a new framework
Existing legislation
Community policy concerning dangerous substances in European waters was introduced with the Council Directive on pollution caused bydischarges of certain dangerous substances (Directive 76/464/EEC). The scope of the directive involves inland waters, internal coastal waters, territorial and ground waters. This directive established two lists of dangerous substances:
- List Icontains certain individual substances which belong to the following families and groups of substances, selected mainly on the basis of their toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation (see Annex I for whole list). 17 substances from the above presented list regulated under so-called “daughter directives” with the aim to eliminate pollution by these substances. These 5 “daughter” directives set the Community-wide specific emission limit values and quality objectives in the surface and coastal waters for the following substances:
- mercury discharges by the chloralkali electrolysis industry (82/176/EEC);
- cadmium discharges (83/513/EEC);
- mercury discharges by other sectors (84/156/EEC);
- discharges of hexachlorocyclohexane (84/491/EEC);
- discharges of certain dangerous substances (carbon tetrachloride, DDT, pentachlorphenol, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, isodrin, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, chloroform, 1,2-dichlorethane, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, trichlorobenzene) (86/280/EEC, amended by 88/347/EEC and 90/415/EEC).
- List II (under Article 7) includes:
a)other substances belonging to the categories listed in List I and for which the limit values have not been determined;
b)other substances and categories of substances having deleterious effects on the aquatic environment, which can be confined to a given area and which depend on the characteristics and location of the water into which they are discharged (see Annex I for whole list).
The Member States are required to reduce pollution by these substances. They need to identify nationally relevant substances, make emissions inventory, set up monitoring network for reporting, authorise discharges, control composition and use of substances, establish quality objectives and make information publicly available.
As part of the ongoing restructuring of the Community water policy, the Directive 76/464/EEC is now integrated in the Water Framework Directive (WFD)(2000/60/EC) and will be fully repealed on 22 December 2013. There is currently a transitional period until the year 2013. “Daughter” directives are currently in force but they will be also repealed when all provisions regarding priority substances of WFD will be in place.
New framework legislation
The Water Framework Directive (WFD)(2000/60/EC) establishes a comprehensive framework for sustainable management of European waters through the river basins approach. As part of the Directive, Article 4 sets out the environmental objectives and the deadlines by which these should be achieved. The key objective of the Directive is to achieve good chemical status for all waters by 2015. The WFD considers the objective of “good chemical surface water status” to be achieved in a water body if concentrations of pollutants do not exceed the relevant EQS established at Community level. Environmental quality standard (EQS) means “the concentration of a particular pollutant or group of pollutants in water, sediment or biota which should not be exceeded in order to protect human health and the environment” (Article 2 (35)).
Chemical pollutants of concern under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) are divided into:
- priority substances it is required to progressively reduce pollution from priority substances (by 2015);
- priority hazardous substances (sub-group included in the list of the priority substances) more stringent requirements on phasing out emissions, discharges and losses of these substances within 20 years to be applied (by 2025);
- other pollutantsthey are not in the priority substances list; they are included to maintain the regulation of the substances at Community level;
- “river basin specific substances”Member States shall set quality standards for river basin specific pollutants based on the indicative list in Annex VIII (see Annex II of this report for the whole list) and take action to meet those quality standards by 2015 as part of ecological status (Article 4, 11 and Annex V, WFD). For this purpose a programme of measures shall be in place by 2009, and become operational by 2012. This procedure will then replace Directive 76/464/EEC upon its repeal.
Article 16 of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) sets out a strategy for dealing with chemical pollution of water (see the extract from the directive in Annex III).
As a part of this strategy, on 17 July 2006, the Commission adopted a proposal for a new Directive to protect surface water from pollution:
- setting environmental quality standards for the priority substances which Member States must achieve by 2015 to ensure "good chemical surface water status";
- requiring progressive reduction of emissions, losses and discharges of all priority substances, and phase-out or cessation of emissions, losses and discharges of priority hazardous substances by 2025; an inventory of discharges, emissions and losses have to be established for the river basins to check whether the objectives of reduction or cessation are met.
Furthermore the proposed Directive amends Directive 2000/60/EC by updating a list of priority substances in the field of water policy - Annex X (see Annex IV of this report for the whole list).
When adopted, this Directive will also repeal the five specific “daughter” directives (82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC and 86/280/EEC as amended by Directive 88/347/EEC and 90/415/EEC) to the directive 76/464/EEC from 22 December 2012.
The proposed Directive sets environmental quality standards for surface waters of 41 dangerous chemical substances that pose a particular risk to animal and plant life in the aquatic environment and to human health. It includes:
- 33priority substances including 13 priority hazardous substances,
- 8 other pollutants (they fall under the scope of Directive 86/280/EEC and are included in List I of the Annex to Directive 76/464/EEC, they are not in the priority substances list; the environmental quality standards for these substances are included in the Commission proposal to maintain the regulation of the substances at Community level).
See Annex V of this report for the comprehensive list of EQS for priority substances and selected other pollutants.
Environmental quality standards (EQS) are differentiated for inland surface waters (rivers and lakes) and other surface waters (transitional, coastal and territorial waters). Two types of EQS are set:
- annual average concentrations for chronic effects, i.e. protection against long-term irreversible consequences;
- maximum allowable concentrations for short-term ecotoxic effects due to the direct and acute exposure.
For metals, the compliance regime is adapted by allowing Member States to take background levels and bioavailability into account. Member States shall have to use compulsory calculation methods, if set up by the Commission. EQS are also established for biota of certain selected substances. Some EQS may need to be revised shortly in the light of the outcome of ongoing risk assessments under other Community legislation (in particular an amendment of the provisional EQS for nickel and lead are likely).
The following table gives an overview on the linkage and differences of the lists of substances regulated by “old” and “new” framework directives.
Table 1. Linkage between Directive 76/464/EEC and Directive 2000/60/EC regarding lists of substances.
Dangerous Substances DirectiveDirective 76/464/EEC (DSD) / Water Framework Directive
Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD)
List I
Cd, Hg, Hexachlorobutadiene, Hexachlorocyclohexane, Hexachlorobenzene /
/ Priority hazardous substances
(Annex X) / CHEMICAL STATUS
List I
1,2-dichlorethane, Trichloromethane (Chloroform), Pentachlorphenol, Trichlorobenzene /
/ Priority substances
(Annex X)
List I
Carbontetrachloride, DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, isodrin, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene /
/ Other pollutants with specified EQS on Community level
List II
- other substances belonging to the categories listed in List I
- other substances and categories of substances having deleterious effects on the aquatic environment
- Member States’ specific substances
/ River basin specific substances
(Annex VIII) / ECOLOGICAL STATUS
3.Practices of monitoring and screening of hazardous substances in Lithuania 1992-2005
This chapter describes monitoring practices of hazardous and priority hazardous substances, which are comprised into the national lists based on the requirements of the EU Directives 2000/60/EC and 76/464/EC. A list of 74 specific pollutants (see Annex VI of this report for the complete list) was fixed in the Order of the Minister of Environment No. 624 of 21 December 2001 approving the Rules of reduction of water pollution by hazardous substances, Order of the Minister of Environment No. 623 of 21 December 2001 approving the Rules of reduction of water pollution by priority hazardous substances (updated by the order of the Minister of Environment No. 267 of 22 may 2002), replaced by Order of the Minister of Environment No. D1-236 of 17 May 2006 on Regulation on wastewater treatment).
1. Water monitoring during 1992 – 2004
The first ecological monitoring system was established in Lithuania in 1991- 1992 and it included water monitoring programme. Later on, in 1997 the first State environmental monitoring programme was prepared and approved. Both state environmental monitoring programmes included water monitoring part, comprising of rivers and lakes monitoring, Curonian lagoon and Baltic sea monitoring, as well as groundwater monitoring.
Hazardous substances analysed during 1997-2004
River water quality was assessed in 47 rivers until 2003 and in 51 river in 2004, number of lake monitoring stations varied from 7 to 13 in different years. Approximately 70 parameters were included in water monitoring programme. Hazardous or priority hazardous substances, included in the first State environmental monitoring programme are listed in the Table 2.
Table 2. Hazardous and priority hazardous substances assessed in Lithuanian rivers and lakes during 1997-2004.
Group / Matrixes / Parameter / Frequency / Monitoring sitesHeavy metals / Surface waters;
Bottom sediments / Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, Hg, Cd / 4 times/year in rivers
2 times/year in lakes / 40-50 river monitoring stations
7-9 lake stations
Phenols / Surface waters;
Bottom sediments / Pentachlorphenol / 2-4 times/year / 20-40 river monitoring stations
Pesticides / Surface waters;
Bottom sediments / DDT, polychlorbiphenyl, hexachlorocyclohexanes (,,), simazine, lindane, atrazine / 2-4 times/yearin rivers
2 times/year in lakes / 20-40 river monitoring stations
7-9 lake stations
Water quality with regard to hazardous substances during 1997- 2004
Metals
- Five metals: zinc, copper, chromium, lead and nickel were monitored throughout the period of 1995-2003. During this period average annual concentrations of heavy metals in all the rivers except of Kulpė river were similar and did not exceed the annual average maximum allowable concentrations (AA-MAC).
- Only in 2002 concentrations increased insignificantly, and concentration of lead in Nemunas below Smalininkai and Sidabra river at the border exceeded AA-MAC. The increase of concentrations of heavy metals was caused by the decreased of water flow in rivers, point sources of pollution and transboundary pollution.
- In river Kulpė AA-MAC of Cr and Ni were exceeded a number of times during 9 years.
- In 2003 there were few cases when concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni and Pb exceeded AA-MAC. Higher concentrations of these metals occurred in rivers Nemunėlis, Kulpė, Šventoji, Jūra, Buka and Birvėta.
- In 2003 Kulpė remained to be polluted by nickel and chromium, what can be explained by the point sources of pollution, situated along the upper part of the river.
- In 2004 concentrations of heavy metals in the rivers not exceeded AA-MAC with some exceptions. In Nevėžis river average annual concentration of lead was 6,1 μg/l. In Kulpė river concentrations of nickel and chromium, similarly to previous years, were higher than in other rivers and were close to AA-MAC. Chromium concentrations in this river ranged from 7,4 μg/l to 7,9 μg/l, Ni – from 7,7 μg/l to 9,6 μg/l.
Pesticides
- Simazine was once detected in Nemunas river (1,15 μg/l) and exceeded AA-MAC (1g/l).
- Lindane was detected in Nemunas, Lokysta and Nemunėlis water, where concentrations ranged from 0,01 μg/l to 0,06 μg/l.
- Lindane was detected in bottom sediments in 4 rivers - Neris, Jūra, Laukesa and Daugyvenė, where concentrations varied from 0,004 mg/kg to 1.000 mg/kg. There was only one lake Lūkšto, were lindane was detected in bottom sediments (0,002 mg/kg).
- DDT was detected 23 times in 15 rivers, where concentrations varied from 0,01 μg/l to 0,96 μg/l.
- In bottom sediments DDT was detected in 6 rivers (Žeimena, Tatula, Šešupė, Daugyvenė, Nevėžis and Bartuva), here concentrations of DDT varied from 0,0003 μg/kg to 0,010 mg/kg. DDT in bottom sediments in lakes was detected in Šventas, Lūkštas and Vištytis.
- DDE – was detected 31 times in 17 rivers, where concentrations ranged from 0,005 mg/kg to 0,120 mg/kg.
Phenols
- Pentachlorphenol was detected in 9 rivers (Nemunas, Šešupė, Šventoji, venta, Mūša, Sidabra, Nemunėlis, Lėvuo, Birveta) where concentrations varied from 0,01 μg/l to 0,4 μg/l, and in two lakes (Tauragnų and Žuvinto).
Other hazardous substances included in the monitoring programme in rivers were detected rarely or never.
2. Water monitoring after 2004
Since 2005 water quality in Lithuanian rivers and lakes is being monitored according to a new State environmental monitoring programme for 2005-2010. The new water monitoring programme was prepared according to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).
Water monitoring programme like the previous one, includes rivers and lakes monitoring, Curonian lagoon and Baltic sea monitoring and the groundwater monitoring. The monitoring programme is further subdivided into reference monitoring, operational monitoring and surveillance monitoring.