Memo of RedCore DG 4-2015
Tuesday, 14 April 2015 at HELCOM Secretariat, Helsinki, Finland
Participants: Lars M. Svendsen (DK, Chair), Lars Sonesten (SE), Dietmar Koch (DE), Peeter Ennet (EE), Seppo Knuuttila (FI), Pekka Kotilainen (PLC-Water Data Manager) and Minna Pyhälä (Secretariat)
- Adoption of the agenda
The meeting adopted the proposed agenda.
- Information from the Secretariat and the participants
Minna informed that she will be leaving HELCOM for new professional opportunities. She will working until the end of May and therefore will be present at the meeting of PRESSURE 2-2015 and PLC-6 project workshops and meetings.
The meeting took note that the current contract with SYKE for PLC-water database management expires in June 2015 and new contracts for the continued development and managements of the database with SYKE and BNI will be elaborated before the summer. The meeting acknowledged that 2015-2016 should be seen as a transition period for the PLC-Water data management due to e.g. ongoing work to finalize the new PLC water database, validation and documentation of data and metadata migration to the new database, and plans to operationalize the processing of PLC data for MAI-CART follow-up assessments.
- Status of 2013 PLC data reporting (Pekka)
Finland is currently submitting their 2013 PLC data, and once that has been received, then all CPs have reported their data, but the coverage of the reporting (of different sources and parameters) haven’t been inspected yet.
The meeting took note of the number of errors and severe errors in the uploaded data identified by the quality zero controlled when uploading the templates – in many cases resulting for the categorization of some fields as mandatory. It was appreciated that the error messages specify the exact place where the error exists.The error definitions have been revised in the application in order to get more reasonable reports. Now the categories are: number of severe errors,number of errors, number of warnings, number of missing required values.
Russia has not used the latest version of the template.
Polandhas not reported their data using the upload tool since they reported their data using the old reporting templates in the end of 2014. The Data Manager will transfer Russian and Polish data to the new templates and upload the files by using the web application.
At the moment it is not yet possible to carry out further stages of QA and verification of the data since there is no connection between the reporting application and the database itself yet (2013 data have not been transferred to the new PLC database). The advanced QA stages (1 & 2) should be created as soon as possible.
The meeting requested the data manager to be in touch with Contracting Parties as there are critical gaps and errors (e.g. in coordinates or areas) that need to be clarified or if there are missing data on total nitrogen, total phosphorus and water flow.
The meeting was of the view that it is important to keep up the momentum for compiling the 2013 data and pointed out the need to get a compilation of the 2013 results latest during the summer, so that the gap filling and endorsement of the data set can be carried out before normalization of statistical analyses are carried out (with this aim to update at least the MAI assessment by HOD in December 2015).
The meeting noted that the current bottleneck is the connection of the templates to the database and invited BNI to provide an estimate of when the connection would be ready so that the QA 1&2 can be implemented. The QA1&2 should also be created. The meeting also recalled that the deadline for 2014 data reporting is approaching and it is therefore important to resolve this bottleneck as soon as possible. The meeting agreed on the need to have a roadmap for implementing the PLUS work and getting a complete data set without data gaps ready for further assessment and that this should be discussed at RedCore GD 5-2015 and presented to the PRESSURE-2 Meeting.
The meeting considered alternative options for compiling the data and whether the 2013 results could be compiled via the templates, if the data is not accessible via the database when needed. The meeting stressed that the most important data in an updated dataset are the total N and P inputs and water flow, and therefore Pekka is invited to clarify with Contracting Parties.
4. Status on the preparation of two workshops in May 2015
Invitations to both workshops were sent out on Friday 10.4.
Transboundary inputs WS:
- Send a personal invitation to Belarus
- Germany is invited to consider funding the participation of Markus Venohr
- Russia is considering sending a representative of their transboundary river basin commissions to give a presentation. Nevertheless, it would be valuable to get also a presentation from Natalia Oblomkova, especially on the actual data on transboundary inputs in the Rivers Daugava and Nemunas.
5. Draft strategic document on PLC activities and deliverables
The meeting considered the draft elaborated by Secretariat and felt that it provides a very good overview.
The meeting noted that the annual actual waterborne input data (published in a Baltic Sea Environment Fact Sheet, BSEFS) should be possible to release before summer (i.e. 2014 data in summer of 2016), the atmospheric BSEFS in September/October and that the MAI-CART assessment can be updated in the end of the year once waterborne and airborne inputs data are combined and additional data processing and assessments carried out.
The meeting members can provide possible additional concrete comments to Minna by 10 am Finnish time on Wednesday 15.4.2015. The document will be summited on Wednesday to the meeting of Pressure 2-2015 for commenting and endorsement.
6. Finalization (any open issues) of the PLC-6 guidelines, and how to report status on the guidelines toPRESSURE 2-2015
The meeting to note of the latest updates to the PLC-6 guidelines, included updated figures in Chapter 2 provided by DCE.
The meeting discussed the list of methods and provided feedback and clarifications to open issues raised by the data manager. Lars M.S. will update/review the list with flow and load methods.
It was agreed that wastewater treatment method categories of MWWTPs and Industries for periodic reporting will be: Untreated (U), Primary (P), Secondary (S) and Tertiary (T), not known (N). Further it was proposed that the supplementary methods to be used are:
0, 1-7 (not known, 1 - additional Nremoval, 2 - additional P removal, 3 - UV-disinfection, 4 - Chlorination, 5 - Sand filtration, 6 - Micro-/ultrafiltration, 7 - Other method (to be specified), and a combination of the supplementary methods could be used, e.g., 125 (additional N and P removal and sand filtration).
The methods of calculation/estimating the loads of monitored/unmonitored and transboundary catchments are as proposed, but the methods of flows should be provided.
The methods estimating the loads of aquaculture are as provided in thePLC-6 guidelines.
Due to the fact that the methods estimating/calculating of losses, retention, natural background loads and the loads by source (load orientated approach) are complex and variable, it was decided to use for all the sources a common ‘A country specific method’ which should be described.
The meeting recalled that the guidelines have been adopted in principle by HOD 47-2014 and the PLC-6 7-2014 mandated the Project Manager and Germany to finalize the guideline in terms of updating the information on reporting of industrial point sources.
The meeting took note of the updated draft Annex 3 with instruction for periodic reporting and agreed that the annex should not repeat information already provided in other parts of the guidelines. Lars M.S. and Dietmar will review the Annex in detail, but if other Contracting Parties have any comments, they should provide them to Pekka by 24 April 2015.
The meeting was of the opinion that the Annex should not contain contacts details for specific persons and requested the Secretariat to establish a fixed HELCOM PLC email address () which could be redirected to the Data Manager and other relevant PLC contacts.The other relevant contacts should be listed later. The list of contacts in the beginning of the Annex 3 should be removed.
7. PLC-6 assessment
Need to discuss at PLC-6 meeting in May 2015 which background information (e.g. land use, soil types,statistics of animal farms, use of fertilizer, etc.) are needed for the assessment, also for supporting the assessment of the effectiveness of measures and further reduction potential. Seppo and Lars M.S. make a list with ideas and proposal before the PLC-6 8-2015 meeting. The background information should be collected by Contracting Parties by the end of 2015, so that this background information section for the PLC-6 report can be drafted already during the end of 2015/beginning of 2016 before the main PLC-6 assessment work begins.
Lars M.S. will aim to send out a draft outline of the contents of the PLC-6 assessment before the PLC-6 8-2015 meeting. It should be structured in a way that it could be published as an e-book. The use of e-book formatting could be tested with the CART follow-up assessment.
The main risk for delays in completing the PLC-6 assessment is timely availability of data.
The meeting discussed the possibility to include heavy metals in PLC-6 assessment and agreed to make a pilot assessment (on chapter) using that data which is available to provide an overview of methodologies used for assessment and to evaluate possible trends or patterns. Lars Sonesten will make a questionnaire to get an understanding on the sampling and analytical methods used for the metals (total concentration, acid soluble, dissolved etc.).
8. Follow-up of nutrient reduction scheme
The Meeting took note that the web-based draft CART follow-up assessment will be updated with some tables and figures which have been updated by Lars M.S.
It will not be possible to have a complete assessment ready in time for Pressure 2, but the main results will be available, and examples of the main country by basins combinations. The meeting agreed that the more technical tables should be included as links to Excel tables, rather than as long, complicated tables on the web-page. Bo and Lars are invited to provide Minna with the necessary Excel files.
A document with a link to the hidden report on the HELCOM website will be submitted to Pressure 2-2014 during next week so that Contracting Parties have time to review it, with a note that it is a work in progress and the “in depth information” section will be further developed as possible.
9. Information on status of PLUS project
Most of the technical issues related to the database have been resolved, but now BNI is working on mapping the web application template to the database (cf. agenda item 3). The meeting emphasized the importance of finalizing this task as soon as possible.
The PLUS team will have a Skype meeting in week 17 and should discuss whether there are any obstacles or technical issues that need to be clarified. The meeting is also invited to discuss the roadmap for getting a PLC data sets (cf. agenda item 3).
10. Other issues we want to raise/discuss at PRESSURE 2-2015
The following documents will be submitted on Wednesday 15.4.2015:
- Progress of PLC-6 project
- Progress with PLUS project
- PLC strategic paper
Documents to be submitted during week 17:
- Intro document on revision of PLC related recommendations
- Intro to web-based CART follow-up assessment and update as far a possible the web-based version of the assessment
- [Document on project proposal for operationalizing data processing for MAI-CART assessments]
To be presented at the meeting
- status of PLC data reporting
- Roadmap for getting a complete PLC data set without data gaps ready for further assessment (to be finalized at RedCore DG meeting 5 May 2015
11. Confirming next REDCORE DG meeting(s)
- 5 May 2015 in Tallinn (back-to-back with PRESSURE 2-2015), timing: 11:00 - 17:00, at the premises of the Ministry of the Environment
- 22 May 2015 in Uppsala (back-to-back with PLC-6 8-2015), timing: 9:00 – 16:30, at SLU