The Living Earth Institute (LEI) in a cooperative project with the non-governmental organizations SOSNA-the Center for Sustainable Alternatives and Holocen conducted with a technical analysis of pollution in the upper Hernad River in Hungary and the lower Hornád River in the Slovak Republic. These results have been provided to the Slovak Environmental Agency, the Bodrog and Hornád River Watershed Management Company and the Slovak Hydrometerological Institute. This project was partially funded by the National Forum Foundation.
The goal of this study was to develop a recommendation for wastewater treatment to help protect the beneficial uses of the Lower Hornád River in southeastern Slovak Republic continuing as the Hernad River in northeastern Hungary. The objective of the study was to create a water quality model to help assess alternative wastewater treatment levels for the City of Košice in the Slovak Republic for protection of these rivers. Different pollution control alternatives can be assessed using the water quality model. The model was developed for use by local management authorities to plan for operational changes in wastewater treatment processes needed to protect beneficial uses in the river.
The study area covers the Lower Hornád River from the confluence with the Svinka river downstream to the mouth of the Hernad River with the Sajo River. Land cover data were obtained from the third hierarchy CORINE geographic information system coverage developed from the European Phare Project methodology. This land cover information was intersected with the subbasin delineation to allow modeling of nonpoint source phosphorus loads within each area. Significant point source discharge locations were identified on the rivers and streams in the watershed, treatment levels were estimated, and expected nutrient loads were compiled from published technical literature. A one dimensional, steady-state stream water quality model that has been widely used to determine pollutant loading and response in rivers and streams was calibrated and verified for the river watershed. The calibrated water quality model was used to determine the effect of wastewater loads from the City of Košice discharged to the Hornád River. The results show that water quality standards are met for dissolved oxygen, but not ammonia. The ammonia standard is exceeded for 47 kilometers, downstream of the Košice discharge to near the town of Vilmány in Hungary. A recommendation is made for additional wastewater treatment of the Košice effluent using ion exchange or and reverse osmosis to include additional nutrient removal based on the Environmental Program for the Danube River Basin financed by the PHARE-program of the EC-Commission.
Details can be found in the technical report (Acrobat PDF)
Steve Butkus
LEI Project Manager
info@living-earth.org