Presented by János Fehér h. Associate Professor Chairman & General Director of VITUKI CONSULT Zrt on behalf of European Environmental Agency’s European Topic Centre on Water Presented at the Black Sea – Danube Regional Conference on Nutrient Pollution Control in Chisinau, Moldova – October 2006

1. Source apportionment of nitrogen andSource apportionment of nitrogen and
phosphorous inputs into thephosphorous inputs into the
aquatic environment - An EEAaquatic environment - An EEA
assessmentassessment
presented bypresented by
János FehérJános Fehér h. Associate Professorh. Associate Professor
Chairman & General Director of VITUKI CONSULT ZrtChairman & General Director of VITUKI CONSULT Zrt
on behalf ofon behalf of
European Environmental Agency’s European Topic Centre on WaterEuropean Environmental Agency’s European Topic Centre on Water

2. OVERVIEWOVERVIEW
• European Environmental AgencEuropean Environmental Agencyy’s’s
missionmission
• AboutAbout the studthe studyy
• CConcept of source apportionmentoncept of source apportionment
• Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale
• What is needed in the future?What is needed in the future?

3. EEuropean Environmental Agencyuropean Environmental Agency
• Political Mandate:
“To provide the Commission and Member States with
objective, reliable and comparable information on the
state of the environment.”
• Mission:
“Through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant
and reliable information to policy making agents and
the public, the EEA aims to help achieve significant
and measurable improvement to Europe’s
environment.”

4. EEuropean Environmental Agencyuropean Environmental Agency
• Established in 1990 by EU Council Regulation
• Located in Copenhagen
•Tasks of the EEA:
• Help the Community and member countries make informed decisions
• Become an independent analyst, assessor and information provider
• Build bridges between science and policy
• Coordinate the European environment information and observation
network (Eionet)
• to support policy processes and inform the public

5. EEA Member CountriesEEA Member Countries

6. EEuropean Environmental Agencyuropean Environmental Agency
THE NETWORK (EIONET)
The network embodies the EEA, which co-ordinates
the whole, together with a range of partner
organisations as follows:
NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS
NATIONAL REFERENCE CENTRES
EUROPEAN TOPIC CENTRES
• Air and climate change
• Biological diversity
• Resource and waste management
• Terrestrial environment
• WaterWater (rivers, lakes, groundwater, marine and coastal)
EEA
NRC NRC NRC NRC
NFP
ETCs

7. EEuropean Environmental Agencyuropean Environmental Agency
PRODUCTS
EEA 5-year state and outlook reports
EEA Signals
EEA Reports
EEA Briefings
EEA Technical reports
EEA Fact sheets (total: 37, water: 9)
EEA Multimedia publications
Information services on the internet

8. About the studyAbout the study
Project period 2004 - 2005
National Environmental Research Institute (NERI), Denmark
Jens Bogestrand – coordinator,
Peter Kristensen and Brian Kronvand.
Niels Thyssen, EEA proejct manager
and contributions from ETC Water partner institutes.
The study delivered as far as it was possible updated information on
the source apportionment of the total load of nitrogen (N) and
phosphorus (P) to the aquatic environment on a large scale
country,
large river basins,
seas
from the following sectors:
agriculture, industry, scattered dwellings,
waste water treatment plants and
the background contribution.

9. About the studyAbout the study
Activities
Information inventoryInformation inventory
International organisations such as transboundary river
commissions (e.g. Rhine and Danube) and Sea Conventions
(e.g. Helcom Baltic Sea Load Compilation).
National (e.g. state of the environment chapters).and regional
studies (such as German Länder and French River Basins
Authorities),
Studies and research. Many studies and research activities have
in the recent years focused on aspects relevant for this study.
ComparCompareded methodsmethods
AnalyseAnalysedd regional differences in relation to driving forces andregional differences in relation to driving forces and
pressurespressures
ProduceProducedd a reporta report

10. Concept of source apportiomentConcept of source apportioment
Point sources : Urban waste water; industry discharges; fish farms;
Diffuse sources: Background load (natural land (e.g. forest); load from
agriculture; load from scattered dwelling; (stormwater outfall);
atmospheric deposition.
Load oriented approach
Diffuse sources = CatchmentMeasured load river station- Point SourcesMeasured load +
(retention)
Source oriented approach
Total sources = Point SourcesMeasured/estimated load + Diffuse Sourcesestimated
load
For example, Diffuse sources estimated from
Background sources: export coefficients from undisturbed
catchments
Agricultural catchments: export coefficients from catchments with
similar agricultural characteristics.

11. Concept of source apportiomentConcept of source apportioment
Source-oriented approach:
Inputs into inland surface waters within a river catchment area of monitored
rivers, unmonitored catchment areas and coastal zones from
Total load at the lowest monitoring station in the river catchment
area and from unmonitored catchment areas
Load-oriented approach:
Separation of the load measured/estimated into the source categories
point sources diffuse sources natural background losses
point sources diffuse sources natural background losses
Retention in inland surface waters within the catchment areas and coastal areas
Point (and
diffuse)
sources
discharging
directly
into the sea
Total load to the maritime area

12. Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale
Some examples:Some examples:
- Coastal and marine areas- Coastal and marine areas (Baltic Sea, North Sea, Danube(Baltic Sea, North Sea, Danube
Basin) – split of point source dischargesBasin) – split of point source discharges
-- Source apportionment annual load of nitrogen (A) and
phosphorus (B)in large river catchments
- Geographical differencies:
a) Nitrogen load in selected regions and catchments
b) Phosphorus load in selected regions and catchments
- The estimated input of totalThe estimated input of total N and PN and P into the Black Sinto the Black Seaea

13. TableTable 1a1a: Percentage split of point source discharges to the Baltic, 2000: Percentage split of point source discharges to the Baltic, 2000 [kg[kg/ha/y/ha/y]]
Nitrogen Phosphorus
Inland waters Direct Inland waters Direct
Municipal wastewater 84 82 85 81
Industry 15 15 14 14
Fish farms 1 3 1 4
Source: Helcom (2004).
TableTable 11 b: Percentage split of point source discharges to the North Sea, 2000b: Percentage split of point source discharges to the North Sea, 2000 [kg[kg/ha/y/ha/y]]
Nitrogen Phosphorus
Sewage treatment works 75 68
Households not connected 10 15
Industry 14 16
Aquaculture 1 1
Source: OSPAR (2003).
TableTable 11 c: Percentage split of point source discharges to the Danube basin, 1996/97c: Percentage split of point source discharges to the Danube basin, 1996/97
NitrogenNitrogen PhosphorusPhosphorus
Municipal point sourcesMunicipal point sources 7373 7878
Industrial point sourcesIndustrial point sources 1919 1515
Agricultural point sourcesAgricultural point sources 88 77
Source:Source: UNDP/GEF (1999).UNDP/GEF (1999).

14. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
D
augava
A
xiosD
anubeV
istula
O
dra
P
o
E
lbe
W
eser
R
hine
E
m
s
Kg/hatotalnitrogen
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Nsurplus(kg/ha)
Point sources
Agriculture
Background
N surplus
Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
D
augava
A
xiosV
istulaD
anube
O
dra
P
o
E
lbe
W
eser
R
hine
E
m
s
Kg/hatotalphosphorus
Point sources
Agriculture
Background
A B
Source apportionment annual load of nitrogen (A) and phosphorus (B)
in large river catchments

15. Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale
Source apportionment of nitrogen load in selected regions andSource apportionment of nitrogen load in selected regions and
catchmentscatchments [kg[kg/ha/ha]]

16. Source apportionment ofSource apportionment of phosphorusphosphorus load in selected regions andload in selected regions and
catchmentscatchments [kg[kg/ha/ha]]
Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale

17. Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale
The estimated input of total nitrogen into the Black SeaThe estimated input of total nitrogen into the Black Sea (1 000 t per year)(1 000 t per year)
CountryCountry DomesticDomestic IndustrialIndustrial RiverineRiverine SubtotalSubtotal
BulgariaBulgaria 2.52.5 71.071.0 19.219.2 92.792.7
GeorgiaGeorgia 1.61.6 0.00.0 0.00.0 1.61.6
RomaniaRomania 0.90.9 44.444.4 132.0132.0 177.3177.3
Russian FederationRussian Federation 0.40.4 0.00.0 62.362.3 62.762.7
TurkeyTurkey 5.45.4 0.60.6 32.032.0 38.038.0
UkraineUkraine 9.59.5 31.031.0 36.336.3 76.876.8
Other countriesOther countries 198.3198.3
SubtotalSubtotal 20.320.3 146.9146.9 281.8281.8 647.3647.3
Source: Black Sea Commission (2002).

18. Assessment at European scaleAssessment at European scale
The estimated input of totalThe estimated input of total phosphorusphosphorus into the Black Seainto the Black Sea (1 000 t per year)(1 000 t per year)
Source: Black Sea Commission (2002).
CountryCountry DomesticDomestic IndustrialIndustrial RiverineRiverine SubtotalSubtotal
BulgariaBulgaria 0.70.7 0.00.0 1.91.9 2.62.6
GeorgiaGeorgia 0.40.4 0.00.0 0.00.0 0.40.4
RomaniaRomania 0.30.3 0.30.3 11.011.0 11.611.6
Russian FederationRussian Federation 0.50.5 0.00.0 6.16.1 6.66.6
TurkeyTurkey 2.22.2 0.10.1 3.63.6 5.95.9
UkraineUkraine 2.62.6 1.71.7 5.75.7 9.99.9
Other countriesOther countries 13.613.6
SubtotalSubtotal 6.76.7 2.02.0 28.228.2 50.550.5

19. What is needed in the future?What is needed in the future?
• Results from source apportionment studies are important in the policy
formation process and in monitoring the implementation of policies and
the effective measures.
•A European-wide source apportioment of nutrient loads could be carried out
applying a relevant source apportionment tool at regular intervals (3-5 years
using the Eionet-water network).
• Statistical model should be developed and calibrated for diffuse nutrient
losses. Such statistical models should be developed for different regions in
Europe and calibrated for present-day conditions regarding nutrient surplus
and agricultural practices.
This will erquire extention of Eionet-water database with
- annual nutrient discharges
- annual nutrient retention data
- average groundwater residence times in hydrogeological regions
- infromation on agricultural practicies (soil type, land use, topography, etc.)

20. Thank you for your attantion!Thank you for your attantion!