Operational monitoring of Glomma at Nordic Paper AS 2018

Summary

This report presents results from the monitoring of biological and chemical status in the lower part of the Glomma, in the vicinity of Nordic Paper AS. The objective of the survey was to assess the effects of the factory's effluent on the river. The factory belongs to the “land-based industry” and "production of paper and cardboard” sectors and is in the lower part of the river Glomma near Greåker in Sarpsborg municipality in Østfold. After treatment, the wastewater is discharged to the water body 002-3551-R (Glomma fra Greåker til sjøen), which is classified as having bad ecological status, with the risk of not meeting the environmental goal, of good ecological status, by 2021. Three biological quality elements, benthic macroinvertebrates, benthic algae and heterotrophic growth, were examined at five sites, two sites upstream of Nordic Paper's effluent, two downstream and one site in Visterflo / Ågårdselva, a tributary merging with the Glomma just downstream of Nordic Paper. Priority substances and river-basin specific pollutants were sampled at two sites, one upstream and one downstream of the factory's effluent. In an overall assessment of ecological status, all sites, both in 2015 and in 2018, were classified as poor or bad status according to the guidelines in “vannforskriften” (the Norwegian implementation of the Water Framework Directive). Since it was primarily macroinvertebrates and heterotrophic growth that were decisive in the classification, organic pollution and not eutrophication seems to be the main problem in the lower parts of Glomma. Both sites where priority substances were analysed were in good chemical status, well below the AAEQS. For river-basin specific pollutants (which are included in the assessment of ecological status) the concentration of zinc was above the AA-EQS at the station downstream of Nordic Paper's discharge. The elevated concentration of zinc is most likely due to the water sampling being conducted in the factory’s effluent water, as the surface discharge point is 50 m upstream. The measured concentration of zinc was higher than the regular concentration of the factory’s effluent water. Overall, this shows that the two water bodies examined do not meet the environmental goal of good ecological status, and that organic pollution is the main reason for this. At the same time, it shows that Nordic Paper's effluent is only a small part of the cause of the poor status downstream of the factory. This is because the ecological status upstream of Nordic Paper is also classified as poor status, because the area is heavily influenced by other industries and urbanized areas, with several large discharges directly to the water body. This most likely masks the effect of Nordic Paper's effluent on the ecology of the river.