PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In Greece, as around the world, groundwater systems are threatened by a combination of excessive abstraction and chemical pollution. The Asopos River Basin, in the region of Sterea Ellada, is one of the most threatened water systems (surface and groundwater) in the country. Unlimited use of water for agriculture, uncontrolled industrial activity and abstraction for drinking purposes have significantly impacted the quantity and quality of the water. Most importantly, the groundwater system of Asopos contains high concentrations of chromium and hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), which can reach levels of up to 100 microns/l. This has, understandably, caused public concern, particularly since part of the groundwater is abstracted for human consumption. The Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change has established Environment Quality Standards (EQS) for the surface water and Emission Limit Values (ELVs) for the relevant industries, but has not established respective threshold values for the groundwater. The possibility that the background level of chromium in the aforementioned groundwater system is naturally elevated (due to the area’s geochemical characteristics) makes it difficult to determine rational pollution thresholds, and to implement appropriate remediation technologies and measures.
OBJECTIVES
The overall aim of the CHARM project was to establish threshold values for chromium in the Asopos River Basin, and to address delays in the implementation of the Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC) (GWD). Innovative technologies and methods will be applied to estimate the natural background levels of chromium in the Asopos River Basin and appropriate remediation technologies will be then tested and evaluated. Specific objectives were to: evaluate the properties of the soil and the groundwater to assess their contribution to the potentially high natural background levels of chromium; develop a widely applicable and rational methodology for the determination of threshold values in accordance with the guidelines of Annex II of the GWD; identify relevant polluting activities and their loads in the area; demonstrate different technologies for the remediation of groundwater bodies with high concentrations of hexavalent chromium; and establish a Programme of Measures for the Asopos River Basin, including chromium removal technologies along with supplementary administrative and legal instruments, with the active participation of interested stakeholders.
RESULTS
The CHARM project significantly contributed to solving the problem of hexavalent chromium pollution in the Asopos River Basin. The project team identified the properties of both groundwater and soil in the area, developed a methodology for establishing threshold values for chromium, and demonstrated different technologies for the remediation of groundwater with high levels of hexavalent chromium. A detailed Programme of Measures (PoMs) for the river basin of Asopos was established, based on a long consultation process with the relevant stakeholders.
The project team defined the natural background levels of chromium in the Asopos River Basin, thereby increasing the scientific knowledge about its geological and physico-chemical characteristics (groundwater and soil) and how these contribute to background levels of chromium). With this new knowledge, the project beneficiaries proposed threshold levels for total chromium and hexavalent chromium in groundwater. A study of the extent of chromium pollution in the Asopos River Basin was completed, including the identification of the main natural and anthropogenic sources, and an estimation of the generated chromium loads and their transport in the aquatic environment. A high hexavalent chromium pollution hotspot was identified (the first found in the area), confirming the presence of severe anthropogenic pollution. Five pilot units were established and these were used to demonstrate five different innovative technologies for the remediation of chromium-polluted soil and groundwater, including the use of polyphenol-coated nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI).
The CHARM team developed a PoMs, an integrated plan based on the project's results and encompassing technical, administrative and legislative aspects, for the remediation and monitoring of the Asopos groundwater system. The Programme incorporates, for example, provisions for an environmental register of industries and an inventory of point sources of pollution, the construction of a centralised industrial waste treatment plant, a reformed environmental permitting system, and an effective environmental auditing system. The Programme of Measures was communicated to the region of Sterea Ellada and to the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy. Through the Programme, the project results are already being incorporated into the Greek legislative framework, for instance, the Ministry is revising JMD 20488/2010 “Protection of Asopos River Basin”. The first-ever groundwater remediation project in Greece has been approved through a Ministerial Decision for the remediation of the identified pollution hotspot.
The project's outcomes significantly contribute to the application of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2006/60/EC) and Groundwater Directive (GWD; 2006/118/EC) in the Asopos River Basin, though the methodology for determining threshold values of chromium that is also applicable throughout the EU. Long-term environmental benefits arise from the removal of hexavalent and total chromium from groundwater, the implementation of a monitoring programme for groundwater and surface water bodies, and positive effects on the fauna and flora of aquatic ecosystems and human health.
Long term economic benefits are expected for the area's industries using the new remediation technologies, as they contribute to the efficient treatment of industrial wastewater, and create a market for companies that will construct and install such treatment units. Municipalities and farmers will benefit from the application of low-cost groundwater treatment technologies. In the longer term, it can indirectly reduce health expenditure and increase land values.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
