An improved system for monitoring and assessment of pollution loads from the Russian part of the Baltic Sea catchment for HELCOM purposes : RusNIP II. Implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) in the Russian Federation

• The Ministers of the Environment from the Baltic Sea Countries and the High Representative of the European Commission in November 2007, within the framework of HELCOM, adopted the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) concerning the Baltic Proper, the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Finland. The goal of the action plan is to achieve good environmental status by 2021. The action plan consists of around 150 different activities in four main segments; eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and nature conservation including fisheries, and maritime activities. At the Ministerial Meeting in Moscow 2010 it was recognised that there is a need to support activities agreed in the BSAP and to follow up the implementation of the Russian NIP with regard to e.g. the eutrophication and hazardous substances segments (mainly heavy metals) and to do that it is most important to have reliable monitoring and assessment.In the Copenhagen Ministerial Meeting 2013 the ministers decided on further actions and recommendations adding to the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan including updated country-allocated nutrient reduction targets (CART). It further agreed to monitor and evaluate regularly the progress in implementing the measures to reduce the nutrient inputs and to develop and deliver operational assessments of pressures of e.g. nutrient and hazardous substances inputs (PLCs). In the review of the fifth Pollution Load Compilation (PLC 5.5) for the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting the PLC data sets were updated and for several countries also corrected and gap-filled. The Russian data were partly estimated due to serious gaps and uncertainties in data reported from the Russian Federation. The present document is a report from a joint co-operation project between Sweden and the Russian Federation “Capacity for Compliance with Baltic Sea Action Plan”, named RusNIP II. The aim of the activities in RusNIP II is to contribute to the harmonisation of assessment methods in the Russian catchment area of the Baltic Sea in order to produce comparable and reliable data on pollution loads, mainly nutrients and selected hazardous substances. Such data are needed for use within HELCOM PLC assessments and the follow-up of measures taken to fulfil the BSAP requirements concerning nutrient reduction targets (CART). The project started in 2012, but the RusNIP II project has awaited the outcome of the EU BaltHazAR project before starting some of the RusNIP activities in order not to do any double work. The BaltHazAR II project was finalized 30 June 2012At the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting it was decided on new nutrient reduction targets for all HELCOM countries including both waterborne and airborne inputs to the Baltic Sea. Based on these figures new input targets (Maximum Allowable Inputs, or MAI) for waterborne nitrogen and phosphorus to sub-basins from Russia were calculated in order to estimate the distance o targets and the reductions required. Reduction targets for Russia are especially strict for phosphorus, and inputs has to be reduced by 50–60 % both for Gulf of Finland and Baltic Proper, as compared with the mean load during 1997–2003. For nitrogen a reduction of 11 % is required for Gulf of Finland and 19 % for Baltic Proper.Nitrogen waterborne load from Russia to Gulf of Finland is at present about 70,000 tons per year and it has not changed much during the period 1994 – 2010. The distance to target during 2008–2010 is about 5,000 ton/yr. For phosphorus a considerable reduction has occurred since 2005–2006, corresponding to about 1,500 tons of P/yr. or about half-way to the input target. The load development to the Baltic Sea from Kaliningrad area is uncertain due to lack of data.A main task of the project has been to assess if the Russian monitoring and assessment system can deliver data and information to HELCOM, in compliance with HELCOM PLC requirements. The overall conclusion is that this is not the case. Russia has not yet fulfilled the HELCOM requirements for annual reporting of PLC data. The main gaps are: a) loads from point sources are given in aggregated form, b) not all obligatory parameters are measured in monitored river, c) unmonitored areas are not reported. In perennial reportings (every 6 years) Russia has reported discharges from coastal point sources and the total riverine inputs, but no source apportionment of inland nutrient sources has been performed. The project has identified three main reasons for the above mentioned deficiencies: The first is that the organisational structure for collecting and compiling data for HELCOM PLC is very complicated and includes a large number of communication steps, from the regional up to the federal level. To simplify and improve the efficiency of data collection and reporting it is proposed that the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation develops and approves legal documents that establish obligations for executors at all levels with regard to participation and submission of data and information to the Helsinki Commission on a regular basis. A second reason is insufficient funding. It is necessary to allocate additional funding from the federal budget, as well as to make necessary changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation. The latter refers specifically to regulatory documents and /or regulations that defines how the flow of information and timing regarding submission of the data to HELCOM, and specify the responsibilities of all levels of performers. A third reason is a lack of methodological basis and responsible authorities for the calculation and assessment of loads from unmonitored areas, diffuse sources, background load and retention. Such a basis is needed in order to be able to make complete source apportionments of loads from the Russian part of the Baltic Sea catchment rivers to the relevant Baltic Sea sub-basins. The project proposes several new methods in this respect. In order to be able to regularly perform calculations of source apportionment of nitrogen and phosphorus loads to the Baltic Sea, it is recommendable to use numerical models. A system for regular data collection, as part of the state monitoring, is needed to supply the models with indata and to update this information regularly. Specifically, we propose that the FyrisNP, or a similar model, should be set up for long-term use in all monitored rivers; Neva (downstream Ladoga), Luga, Narva and Pregolya. For Narva River this issue must be negotiated with Estonia. However, many of the challenges concerning river monitoring have been dealt with successfully. From now on Russia is able to fulfill HELCOM requirements for monitored rivers. Russia has also taken part in an inter-calibration exercise on chemical analyses of wastewater and river water within the HELCOM PLC 6 project.Within the project we have worked with test cases for modelling using the Swedish FyrisNP model and the Russian ILLM model. Advantages and disadvantages with these two numerical models were identified as well as information needed in order to use the models. A three day training course on the FyrisNP model was arranged at SLU, Uppsala in May 2012. In the course 12 Russian experts from authorities and institutions were present. Before the training course started a number of manuals were made available in Russian language. Further, the project has formulated a number of more detailed conclusions and recommendations in order to improve monitoring and assessments of pollution load from the Russian catchment area of the Baltic Sea. The different reports elaborated within the project have been discussed in working group meetings with responsible authorities and institutions which have given valuable comments and amendments to the final report and its annexes.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

rap (ämneskategori)