Odra

Highlights:

•    On 19 June 2024, the inter-ministerial team on the Oder met at the headquarters of the Government Security Centre (RCB).
•    The team works in the format of weekly meetings on crisis management and the analysis of possible system 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.
•    In cooperation with the ministries of infrastructure and industry, an active hydrological model was launched to forecast the river situation and manage industrial discharges.
•    Automatic monitoring is being extended from 9 to 30 points on the Oder and Gliwice Canal.
•    Analyses are underway to determine investments in mine water desalination and retention enhancement.
•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment focuses not only on emergency measures but also on systemic ones. Among other things, it is pushing for provisions to be included in the amended Oder River Act to facilitate investment in the construction of post-mining water desalination infrastructure and to make chloride and sulphate discharge fees more realistic and higher.

Extended information

•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment continuously monitors the situation on the Oder and other rivers, as well as on the Gliwice Canal, within the framework of the adopted emergency monitoring procedure. Experts from the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (GIOŚ), the General Directorate of Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) and the Institute for Environmental Protection (IOŚ-PIB), supervised by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, are analysing the threat posed by the occurrence and potential blooms of the 'golden algae.'
•    The results of the analyses are communicated to the entities responsible for current and emergency operations 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 of 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.
•    An automated monitoring system is being developed and refined. In April 2024, it was expanded from nine to 30 sensors. Data is available at: https://www.gov.pl/web/odra
•    Inter-ministerial team meetings in crisis mode once a week continue. The team, based on an analysis of the current situation on the Oder, makes appropriate recommendations for the services.

Current situation

•    In May and June 2024, the flows of the River Oder were significantly lower than in the corresponding period in 2023, and the hydrological conditions on the rivers were similar to those in 2022 when the environmental disaster occurred. This year, 'golden algae' started to develop in the Oder, and there were fish die-offs locally.
•    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. In the first decade of June, the Oder River flooded, 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 visits and ongoing exchange of information between all institutions involved at the central and regional levels.
•    Teams from the Institute of Environmental Protection are currently surveying endangered water bodies for the presence of 'golden algae.'
•    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 the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection. No fish die-offs were reported in the river during this time. Environmental inspections and voivodeship safety and crisis management departments constantly monitor .
•    Laboratory tests carried out in May 2024 found no or only trace amounts of toxins in the Oder water. The highest concentrations of 'golden algae' toxins and algal abundance were found in the waters of the Nietków marina, where dead fish appeared in June 2024.
•    At present, the highest abundance of 'golden algae' in the Oder River remains in Bytom Odrzański, Słubice and Widuchowa. However, the trend shows a significant decrease in the population in the river current (the abundance of algae is below the warning level). The disappearance of 'golden algae' has been reported in the Gliwice Canal. At the same time, it is worth noting that the 'golden alga' that is found in the Oder River comes from the Gliwice Canal: in the canal, the abundance of the alga exceeded the 3rd threat level in May.
•    Since the beginning of June, fish die-offs have occurred in the Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeships (e.g. Nietków marina, Głogów marina, Bielinek area) as a result of toxic 'golden algae' blooms.
•    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 based on GIOŚ monitoring since March 2024) switched to a formula of weekly meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Team from 19 June 2024. 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, including amendments to the regulations on water permits for industrial plants.
•    Tasks related to the review of water rights permits and the implementation of the ongoing recommendations of the crisis management teams are carried out by the Polish Waters, which is 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, that 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.
•    The 'golden alga' is a single-celled alga that belongs to the invasive species. It needs to be better understood by scientists, who cannot precisely determine when and under what conditions the alga sheds the fish-fatal toxin. And this algae only poses a threat when it produces toxins.
•    The increased salinity of the river favours the occurrence of algae as a result of the discharge of underground water by mining operations.  Currently, the main source of 'golden algae' is the Gliwice Canal. The canal functions as an incubator – from it, the algae water enters the Oder.
•    To prevent toxic blooms of 'golden algae', 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, among other things, measures to permanently reduce the salinity of the waters of the River Oder, including desalination of mine waters by mining plants and increasing the retention capacity of these plants. The Ministry of Climate and Environment also seeks to include provisions in the amended law to facilitate investments to build post-mining water desalination infrastructure.
•    The Ministry of Climate and Environment management holds meetings with the management boards of mining companies to develop and implement the above-mentioned long-term measures.  KGHM plans to spend PLN 1bn on a desalination system; the investment decision is expected to be made this year.

Scientific and expert activities

•    Polish research teams from the University of Gdańsk have developed a standard that makes it possible to study the 'golden alga' toxin in algal cells and from water. This test is used to assess the risk of toxic blooms and mass fish die-offs.
•    A Working Group with social partners and NGOs was launched as a platform for dialogue between the main stakeholders in the context of the environmental safety of the Oder River. The results of the Group's work will provide substantive support for the Ministry of Climate and Environment activities. The Ministry is also working with the public to develop long-term solutions to improve the ecological status of the Oder.
•    In addition to remedial and systemic measures, the Ministry of Climate and Environment also oversees research work, with the involvement of the Institute of Environmental Protection. Alongside research into the toxicity of the 'golden alga', a team of experts is also looking at the effectiveness of a method to reduce blooms of this alga. In the Gliwice and Nietków Canal, 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 algae'). Field tests with a lime silica-based formulation and tests with oxidised water are also being prepared. The tests are necessary because of the preparation for possible emergency actions.
•    The Ministry of Climate and the Environment is in constant contact with the Czech and German sides, continuously exchanging information on the situation and analysing optimal solutions for the ecological safety of this border river.