Post a comment on the text below
3.4 Chemical pressures
Priority substances are or have been emitted to water bodies through a range of pathways and from a variety of sources, including industry, agriculture, transport, mining and waste disposal, as well as from our own homes. Significant levels of some priority substances have built up from historic use and this legacy pollution may persist in water bodies long after polluted discharges and inputs have ended. In addition, some priority substances occur naturally, e.g. metals and PAHs, so achieving near natural, “background” concentrations is the objective for such substances.
Chemicals used in industrial processes and products sometimes enter sewers and, via waste water treatment plants, are discharged into water bodies. Burning of fossil fuels and waste leads to emission of some hazardous substances, and subsequent deposition from the atmosphere can be a major pathway for such substances to move long distances before they enter the water environment. Pesticides used in agriculture have been widely detected in groundwater and surface water. Mining can exert locally significant pressure upon the chemical quality of water resources in parts of Europe, particularly with respect to the discharge of heavy metals. Landfill sites and contaminated land from historical industrial and military activities can be a source of pollution for the aquatic environment. Shipping, harbour and port activities, and aquaculture can lead to the emission of a variety of chemical pollutants.
You cannot post comments to this consultation because you are not authenticated. Please log in.
Previous comments
In reference to the first paragraph, in the European Union, a vast majority of aggregates extraction sites are dealing with inert materials such as sand, gravel and crushed rock, and produce inert wastes according to EU definitions and criteria included in EU Directives. The industry’s production process does not include the use of chemicals and therefore does not represent a threat for water quality. It is therefore essential to define clearly in the report what is meant by industry, mining or heavy industry.
In reference to the second paragraph: In the European Union, a vast majority of aggregates extraction sites are dealing with inert materials such as sand, gravel and crushed rock, and produce inert wastes according to EU definitions and criteria included in EU Directives. The industry’s production process and treatment plants do not include the use of chemicals as in most of the cases the processes are based on mechanical crushing, milling, grinding, and size grading, Therefore, the Aggregates Industry does not represent a threat for water quality. It is necessary to make a clear distinction between the concept of mining and quarrying, as the nature of their activities and the properties of the materials they extract are very different. It is therefore essential to define clearly in the report what is meant by heavy industry or mining. As mining sites counting for less than 5% in comparison with quarries, sand and gravel extraction sites representing 95%, it would be recommended to clearly define which measures apply to mining and which ones to the Aggregates Industry rather than addressing the entire extractive industry.
"Significant levels of some priority substances have built up from historic use and this legacy pollution may persist in water bodies long after polluted discharges and inputs have ended."
We would suggest adding here “Priority Substances like Cd, Ni, and Pb are naturally occurring trace elements, and will occur to some extent in all river basins.”
"some priority substances occur naturally, e.g. metals and PAHs, so achieving near natural, “background” concentrations is the objective for such substances."
It should be noted that natural background concentrations for metals like Ni vary across Europe by orders of magnitude based on natural geological features. Moreover, it is not an objective of the WFD to reduce emissions of naturally occurring chemicals to natural background. Cessation of emissions might be, but reduction to natural background concentrations is likely to be, at best aspirational, and at worst impossible to achieve.