Sampling campaign in Slovakia

Slovakian sampling sites

Slovakia is in this study aimed at generation of data supporting validation of the MoRE model taking into account geography focusing on transboundary monitoring sites near closing profiles of rives Váh, Hron, Ipeľ, Hornád, Bodrog and Morava. There are existing long term data series for these sites but no data are yet available concerning pharmaceuticals and PFAS in water. We have decided to analyze also metals at these sampling points in order to provide at least some estimation of metals concentration for metals that could be below the LOQ using conventional analytical techniques used for monitoring and chemical status assessment. All of these rivers are influenced by all kind of industry, agriculture, infrastructural constructions, emissions of communal and industrial WWTPS and sewer systems without waste water treatment and atmospheric deposition.

Váh (Komárno) with the total catchment area of 18 769 km², sampling point is in the WB SKV0027, which is HMWB. River Váh is the biggest solely Slovak tributary of Danube and is influenced by all kinds of industry and effluents of industrial and communal WWTP, sewer systems without waste water treatment, agriculture and atmospheric deposition. WB is failing to reach good chemical status due to benzo(a)pyrene, 4-tert-octylphenol in water and Mercury and PBDE in fish. Ecological potential is bad.
Hron (Kamenica nad Hronom) is the closing profile of Hron with the total catchment area of 5465 km², sampling point is in the WB SKR0005, WB is failing to reach good chemical status caused by benzo(a)pyrene and fluorathene in water and Mercury and PBDE in fish. Ecological status is average.
Ipeľ (Salka) is closing profile of Ipeľ with the toal catchment area of 3649 km², sampling point is in the WB SKI0004, WB is failing to reach good chemical status caused by Mercury and PBDE in fish, chemical status without ubiquitous compounds is good.
Hornád (Ždaňa) is closing profile of Hornád with the total catchment area of 4414 km², sampling point is in WB SKH0004. WB is failing to reach good chemical status caused by benzo(a)pyrene in water and Mercury and PBDE in fish.
Bodrog (Streda nad bodrogom) is closing profile of Bodrog with the total catchment area of 7272 km², sampling point is in the WB SKB0001. WB is failing to reach good chemical status caused by benzo(a)pyrene in water and Mercury, PBDE and PFOS in fish.
Morava is the only river which does not originate in Slovakia. Its catchment area is 26 579,7 km² and in Slovakia its catchment area is 2282 km². The closing profile used for monitoring in this study is WB SKM0002 in Devínska Nová Ves. WB is failing to reach good chemical status due to benzo(a)pyrene in water and Mercury, PBDE and PFOS in fish.

Slovakia selected also some hot-spot sites expected to be polluted mainly by PFAS:

Military airport Sliač (Banská Bystrica) with outlet of surface runoff directly to river Hron
and military area with training site also for firefighters at Lešť with several streams merging into Plachtinský potok (Mlyn Dačov Lom).

Photomap of military area Lešť, 1 – sampling site Mlyn Dačov Lom on Plachtinský potok, 2 – firefighting training site.

Outlet of surface runoff from the Military Airport Sliač.

Slovakia chose also several waterbodies in mountains which are considered as unaffected by pollution where we want to estimate concentration of metals at lower concentration levels then those used for chemical status monitoring. In case of PFAS and pharmaceuticals we would like to proof that these sites are not polluted by unknown or unexpected diffusion pollution sources.

Ipoltica, tributary of Čierny Váh, background location.

For monitoring of waste water treatment plant effluent we chose WWTP in Hlohovec, to which the biggest pharmaceutical production plant is connected. Neither pharmaceuticals nor PHAS were analyzed at this WWTP in the past. Designed capacity of the plant is 27500 equivalent inhabitants and the average non-rainy daily inflow is 6394 m³. Discharge is into the river Váh at river kilometer 97,9.