Odra

The full version of the report can be downloaded from the website.

The Final Report, prepared by experts, contains primarily an analysis of the phenomenon against data from previous years, including an in-depth evaluation of the hydrological situation and a comparative analysis of the salinity of the River's waters against data from the last 30 years. The publication also includes data and analyses following the expert recommendations from the Preliminary Report of September 2022, such as a summary of water licences issued in the Oder River basin and an analysis of the characteristics of wastewater discharged into the River.

In the process of analysis, the experts highlighted a significant correlation between the mass bloom of 'golden algae' and the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in the water from municipal wastewater discharged into the Oder. According to scientific analyses, the availability of nutrients in the water is crucial for phytoplankton growth. According to the report, the share of municipal wastewater in annual discharges in the Oder River basin is 60% (mining accounts for 11% of the volume of wastewater discharged). Most municipal wastewater is released into the Oder River in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship.

The Final Report also includes extensive material on 'golden algae' research in the Szczecin Lagoon and the Oder Bay in the summer of 2022, which complements the Preliminary Report on the situation in the transitional waters.

Experts from the Team have significantly contributed to the development of scientific research on Prymnesium parvum, 'golden algae.' The team of scientists has determined the complete genome sequence of Prymnesium parvum isolated from the Oder River. This is the first in Europe and probably the second in the world to assemble the entire nucleotide sequence of the DNA of this organism.

The publication of the March Report does not conclude the work on investigating toxic 'golden algae' blooms, including the causes, effects and possible countermeasures. These issues are still being examined. They require extensive work by various communities, scientific entities, state administration, and government.

The Team was established in the summer of 2022 to investigate the causes of mass fish die-offs in the Oder River. In accordance with the order of the Minister of Climate and Environment, the Team comprised representatives of the Department of Environmental Instruments, the Department of Nature Protection and the Office of the Minister on the part of the Ministry of the Environment, as well as representatives of authorities and entities, viz. the General Director of Environmental Protection (acting as Team Leader), the Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection, the Chief Veterinary Officer, the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management - National Research Institute, the State Council for Environmental Protection, the Warsaw University of Technology, the Wrocław University of Technology, the University of Wrocław, the University of Warmia and Mazury, the Inland Fisheries Institute - Department of Ichthyoathology and Fish Health Protection, the Stanisław Sakowicz Inland Fisheries Institute, the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, the Central Mining Institute - Maria Goeppert Mayer Silesian Centre for Environmental Radiometry, the Lubuskie Voivodeship Veterinary Officer, the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship Veterinary Officer and the Institute of Environmental Protection - National Research Institute.