Conceptual Modelling Serving an Integrated Environmental Approach of Jiu River Basin - Main Pressures and Impacts, Conceptual Model
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G2G.nl-short Programme, including Environmental Facility for New Member States (NMS), Candidate Countries (CC), Potential Candidate Countries (PCC) and other eligible countries REPORT no. 3. Conceptual modelling serving an integrated environmental approach of Jiu River Basin - Main Pressures and Impacts, Conceptual model - draft version 1.1 for internal use only ; working document- Integrated Solutions for Soil and Water Problems (ISSWaP) General Framework and Application to Jiu river basin in Romania Bodem+, on behalf of The Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Netherlands In cooperation with Ministry of Environment - Romania April 2010 , revision , revision Page 2 of 26 Colofon Title : Integrated Solutions for Soil and Water Problems (ISSWaP) : Conceptual Modelling and Main Pressures and Impacts for Jiu River Basin (Romania) Project number : Revision : Version 1.1 Date : 26 March 2010 Authors : Remco van Ek, Ebel Smidt, Frank Vliegenthart E-mail : Project director : Ton Honders E-mail : Client : EVD - G2G short programme Stakeholders : Ministries of Environment in Romania and the Netherlands, Public Sector and Private Sector at the Jiu River Basin , revision Page 3 of 26 Table of contents 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................5 2 Jiu River Basin ..........................................................................................................7 3 Pressures and Impacts..............................................................................................9 3.1 Open pit mining.......................................................................................................10 3.2 Power plants and other point sources......................................................................11 3.3 Fly-ash depots.........................................................................................................14 3.4 Urban areas ............................................................................................................16 3.5 Diffuse sources .......................................................................................................17 3.6 River system ...........................................................................................................18 3.7 Groundwater ...........................................................................................................18 3.8 Nature/Ecosystems .................................................................................................20 4 Conceptual model Fly-ash deposits .........................................................................21 5 Conclusions ............................................................................................................25 , revision Page 4 of 26 1 Introduction In the meeting at 12th October 2009 with the ISSWaP team and project director data collection tasks were distributed. Under the heading of ‘An Integrated Environmental Approach’ activity c2 was defined as a schematic overview of most important proc- esses, preferably with an indication on the data of the quantities involved. This note contains this overview (see figures on page 9 and 20) , and puts this overview in a sys- tematic approach of the conceptual models used in the project. It therefore bridges the data collection phase, the conceptual modeling phase and the phase of solution scop- ing. For the ISSWaP project we distinguish three levels of conceptual modelling: 1. The overall design of the project: the conceptual model behind the process is inspired by the process at work in the EU to exchange experiences with groundwa- ter and soil management in the interface between technical, organizational and po- litical developments (see amongst others Philip Quevauviller, 2008. Groundwater Science and Policy). 2. The River Basin Management Plan (RMBP) concept which is based on a com- monly accepted integrated environmental and economic approach at a European level. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Groundwater Directive (GWD) provide a conceptual model for environmental problems within a river basin. 3. The conceptual model used to describe the environmental effects of fly-ash dumps with emphasis on how to effectively monitor and study the processes at stake focusing at the effects on the groundwater. This note further focuses on the second and third type of conceptual model. The River Basin Management Plan (RMBP) is based on a commonly accepted inte- grated environmental and economic approach at a European level. The WFD provides a conceptual model for environmental problems within a river basin. As far as we have understood the present version of the Jiu RBMP contains at this moment only little in- formation on the effects of the mining industry and power plants on the water systems (and ecosystems). Hence, the aim of our project should be to prepare information in such way the problem will be included in the next version of the RBMP. This should be achieved before the next implementation period 2015-2021. All measures that could be implemented earlier are welcomed, but we better can be realistic and be happy if more research can be done between 2010 and 2013, having the plans ready by 2013-2014. However if we can clarify that real risks exist it will be more easy to get things higher on the political agenda. From the point of view of River Basin Management the coal mines and power plants are causing a number of risks: , revision Page 5 of 26 Introduction 1. large scale and local changes in the quantitative water regime; 2. large scale and local changes in the qualitative water regime (possibly concerning radioactivity, heavy metals, sulphates, acidity etc.); 3. health risks related to dust originating from the mines, the sterile dumps, the power plants and the fly-ash depots either directly inhaled by humans and live- stock or entering the soil and taken up by plants or entering water wells or the riv- ers; 4. health risks related to the leakage of water from the ash depots; 5. ecological risks caused by the processes described under 1 to 3; 6. risks related to failure of protection dams at the ash depots. Especially risks 1, 2, 4 and 5 are related to the WFD and relevant to be quantified in the RBMP. Setup of a good and accurate conceptual model is important to fully understand the problems in the area (see EU CIS Guidance on Risk Assessment and the Use of Con- ceptual Models for Groundwater, final draft, 2010). The fly-ash depots are expected to have an impact on the groundwater quality. Both the WFD and the GWD requires no deterioration of the groundwater bodies. Main pollution sources (point- and diffuse sources) are expected to be included in the RBMP and should be described. , revision Page 6 of 26 2 Jiu River Basin Romania, a country of 237,391 km2 and over 21,794,793 inhabitants, is almost entirely situated within the Danube Basin (97.4%). The Romanian section represents 29% of the surface area of the whole Basin, with 37.7% of the river flowing through its territory. The Romanian (and also Ukrainian) Danube is the end carrier of all wastewater dis- charges from upstream countries to the Black Sea. A large number of upper and middle water courses are situated on the Romanian terri- tory and the Tisa, Prut and Danube Rivers are forming parts of Romanian border. Wa- ter resources from the in-land rivers are about 40 billions m3 which represents 20% out of Danube River water resources. Figure 2.1 Danube River Basin District , revision Page 7 of 26 Jiu River Basin Romania is divided into 12 sub River basins or hydrographic basins. A hydrographic basin is the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet. Jiu River Basin is one of them, see table below fora n overview of all hydrographic basins in Romania. Nr.crt. Basins / Areas Surface (Km2) % from Romania surface 1. Somes - Tisa 22.380 9,42 2. Crisuri 14.860 6,30 3. Mures 28.022 11,80 4. Banat 18.611 7,84 5. Jiu 16.734 7,05 6. Olt 24.050 10,13 7. Arges Vedea 22.039 9,28 8. Ialomita Buzau 22.289 9,40 9. Siret 28.678 12,08 10. Prut 20.328 8,56 11. Dobrogea Litoral 12.615 5,31 12. Danube, Delta, coastal waters 8.011 - TOTAL Romania 237.391 100 Figure 2.2 Hydrographic basins of Romania , revision Page 8 of 26 3 Pressures and Impacts This chapter will describe important “Pressures and Impacts” of the Jiu Hydrographic basin, based on the data collected within the project. Figure 3.1 gives an overview of the most important “Pressures and Impacts” of the conceptual model. Figure 3.1 Main Pressures for Jiu River Basin (red box = pressures, blue+green box = impacts) In the conceptual model we distinguished 8 main Pressures and Impacts, which are: 1. Open pit mining: dust, radioactivity (?), groundwater pumping, instable sterile de- posits 2. Power plants/industrial zones: air and ground pollution with a variety of substances, point sources 3. Fly-ash depots: dust, groundwater pollution, water logging 4. Urban area: untreated waste water, polluted drinking water 5. Agricultural area: fertilizers and pesticides, diffuse pollution sources 6. River system: siltation, disordered water balance, municipal and industrial wastewa- ter 7. Groundwater / wells: different types of pollution 8. Nature/Ecosystems: disorder, threat of quality , revision Page 9 of 26 Pressures and Impacts All “Pressures and Impacts” will be described briefly in following sections.