Highlights:

•    The inter-ministerial team for the Oder River met at the Government Security Centre (RCB) headquarters on 19 June 2024.
•    The team works in the format of weekly meetings on crisis management and analysis of possible systemic solutions.
•    The Inter-Ministerial Team for Emergencies and Environmental Hazards on the Oder River is formed by the Ministries of Climate and Environment, Infrastructure, Industry, State Assets,

Agriculture and Interior and Administration, with the participation of the Government Security Centre.

•    Currently, the threat of toxic blooms does not affect the current of the Oder River itself, but mainly marinas, canals, oxbow lakes and reservoirs connected to the river.
•    An active hydrological model has been launched in cooperation with the Ministries of Infrastructure and Industry to forecast the situation on the river and manage industrial discharges.
•    Automatic monitoring is being extended from 9 to 30 points on the Oder and Gliwice Canal.
•    Analyses are underway for investments in mine water desalination and increased retention.
•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment is focusing on emergency measures as well as systemic measures.  Among other things, it is trying to ensure that the amended Oder River Special Act includes provisions on facilitating investments to build post-mining water desalination infrastructure and making chloride and sulphate discharge fees more realistic and higher.

Extended information

•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment continuously monitors the situation on the Oder River, other rivers, and the Gliwice Canal as part of the adopted intervention monitoring procedure.  Experts from the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (GIOŚ), the General Directorate of Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) and the Institute of Environmental Protection (IOŚ-PIB), supervised by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, analyse the threat of occurrence and potential blooms of 'golden algae'.
•    The results of the analyses are communicated to the entities responsible for current and emergency actions on the waters, including the Polish Water and the supervising Ministry of Infrastructure, as well as the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, the RCB, and the services of the voivodes from the five riverside voivodeships.
•    The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management has developed and launched a dynamic hydrological model to forecast the situation on the Oder 3-7 days in advance and manage industrial discharges accordingly.
•    The automatic monitoring system is being developed and refined.  In April 2024, it was expanded from 9 to 30 sensors.  Data is available at: https://www.gov.pl/web/odra
•    Inter-ministerial team meetings in crisis mode once a week continue.  Based on an analysis of the current situation on the Oder River, the team makes appropriate recommendations for services.

Current situation

•    In May and June 2024, the flows of the Oder River were significantly lower than in the corresponding period in 2023. The hydrological conditions on the rivers are similar to those in 2022 when the environmental disaster occurred.  This year, 'golden algae' began to develop in the Oder, and fish die-offs occurred locally.
•    At present, the threat of toxic blooms does not affect the Oder River itself, but mainly marinas, canals, oxbow lakes and reservoirs connected to the river. In the first decade of June, the Oder River swelled, and water contaminated with 'golden algae' entered these reservoirs.
•    The situation on the Oder and in the marinas, canals, oxbow lakes and reservoirs connected to the river requires constant monitoring, field inspections and ongoing information exchange between all institutions involved at the central and regional levels.
•    The Institute of Environmental Protection teams are surveying endangered water bodies for 'golden algae' presence.
•    Since the beginning of May, a I level alert has been issued for the Oder River in the monitoring procedure of the Central Research Laboratory of GIOŚ.  At this time, no fish die-offs have been reported in the river. Environmental inspectorates and voivodeship safety and crisis management departments continuously monitor the situation.
•    Laboratory tests carried out in May 2024 found no or only trace amounts of toxins in the Oder water. The highest concentrations of 'golden alga' toxins and algal abundance were found in the waters of the Nietków marina, where dead fish appeared in June 2024.
•    Currently, the highest abundance of 'golden alga' in the Oder River remains in Bytom Odrzański, Słubice and Widuchowa.  However, the trend indicates a significant decrease in the population in the river's current (the abundance of the alga is below the warning level). The 'golden alga' disappearance has been recorded in the Gliwice Canal. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the 'golden alga' found in the Oder River originates from the Gliwice Canal: in the canal, the abundance of the alga exceeded the III level alert in May.
•    Since the beginning of June, fish die-offs due to toxic 'golden alga' blooms have occurred in the Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeships (e.g. Nietków marina, Głogów marina, Bielinek area).
•    Due to the dynamics of the situation, the Crisis Management Team of the Ministry of Climate and Environment (which had been making weekly recommendations to the services on the basis of GIOŚ monitoring since March 2024) has, since 19 June 2024, switched to the formula of weekly meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Team. It is made up of the Ministries of Climate and Environment, Infrastructure, Industry, State Assets, Agriculture and Interior and Administration.
•    Leading the way is the Ministry of Infrastructure, which is currently working on the implementation of comprehensive conservation measures for the Oder River, including the revision of water permits for industrial plants.
•    Tasks related to the review of water-legal permits and the implementation of the ongoing recommendations of the crisis management teams are carried out by the Polish Waters, the main entity responsible for water management in Poland.  Read more: https://www.gov.pl/web/wody-polskie/wody-polskie-aktywnie-przeciwdzialaja-zanieczyszczaniu-odry-i-namnazaniu-zlotej-algi.
•    The situation may change dynamically depending on weather and hydrological conditions.

Prospects for the coming seasons

•    Experts stress that the threat of toxic 'golden algae' blooms will continue to be present in the coming spring and summer seasons.
•     'Golden alga' is a single-celled alga that belongs to the invasive species. Scientists need to understand it better - researchers cannot determine precisely when and under what conditions the alga sheds its fish-lethal toxin.  And the alga only poses a threat when it produces toxins.
•    The increased salinity of the river due to groundwater discharge by mining operations favours the occurrence of the alga.  Currently, the main source of 'golden algae' is the Gliwice Canal.  The canal functions as an incubator as from it, the algal water enters the Oder.
•    To prevent toxic blooms of 'golden alga', systemic solutions are needed to reduce the salinity of the waters of the Gliwice Canal and the Oder River.
•    An inter-ministerial team is in the process of analysing system solutions.  This analysis includes measures to permanently reduce the salinity of the Oder River waters, including the desalination of mine waters by mining facilities and increasing their retention capacity.  The Ministry of Climate and Environment is seeking the amended law to include provisions to facilitate investments in building post-mining water desalination infrastructure.
•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment is meeting with mining companies' management boards to develop and implement the long-term measures mentioned above.  KGHM is planning to spend PLN 1 billion on a desalination system; the investment decision is expected to be made this year.
Scientific and expert activities
•    Polish scientific teams from the University of Gdańsk have developed a standard that allows the 'golden alga' toxin to be tested in algal cells and from the water.  This test assesses the risk of toxic blooms and mass fish die-offs.
•    A Working Group with social partners and NGOs has been launched as a platform for dialogue between key stakeholders in the context of the ecological safety of the Oder River.  The results of the Group's work will provide substantive support for the activities undertaken by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.  The Ministry is also cooperating with the social side in developing long-term solutions to improve the ecological state of the Oder.
•    In addition to remedial and systemic measures, the Ministry of Climate and Environment supervises research work with the participation of the Institute of Environmental Protection.  Apart from researching the toxicity of 'golden algae,' a team of experts is also analysing the effectiveness of a method to reduce the blooms of this alga.  In the Gliwice and Nietków Canals, tests were conducted in May and June 2024 using ammonium sulphate (which, under certain conditions, has proved effective in reducing the toxicity and abundance of 'golden alga').  Field tests with a lime silica-based formulation and ones with oxidised water are also being prepared. The tests are necessary to prepare for possible emergency measures.
•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment is in constant contact with the Czech and German sides, continuously exchanging information about the situation and analysing optimal solutions for the ecological safety of this border river.