HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 26/2

supersedes HELCOM Recommendation 15/2 and 19/4

Adopted 2 March 2005 having regard to Article 20, Paragraph 1 b) of the Helsinki Convention

COMPILATION OF WATERBORNE POLLUTION LOAD (PLC WATER)

THE COMMISSION,

RECALLING Paragraph 1 of Article 3 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992 (Helsinki Convention), in which the Contracting Parties undertake to prevent and eliminate pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area from all sources as well as Article 5 prevent and eliminate pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area caused by harmful substances from all sources,

RECALLING Paragraph 2 of Article 6 of the Helsinki Convention, in which the Contracting Parties undertake i.a. to co-operate in the development and adoption of specific programmes concerning emissions and inputs to water of harmful substances,

RECALLING ALSO Paragraph 2 of Article 16 of the Convention, in which the Contracting Parties undertake to provide i.a. pollution load data, as far as available,

RECALLING FURTHER Paragraph 5 of Article 3 of the Convention, in which the Contracting Parties undertake to ensure that measurements and calculation of emissions and inputs to water are carried out in a scientifically appropriate manner in order to assess the state of the marine environment and ascertain the implementation of the Convention,

NOTING the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive[1]⁾ concerning monitoring and reporting of discharges from point sources and losses from diffuse sources of nutrients and hazardous substances,

RECALLING HELCOM 2003 Ministerial Declaration (Bremen Declaration), to develop and apply:

-          ecological quality objectives with appropriate indicators of the eutrophication status which express “good quality status” as stipulated in the Water Framework Directive, but covering the whole Baltic Sea Area,

-          tools to assess the implications of different policy scenarios on inputs of nutrients into and the resulting eutrophication status of the Baltic Sea Area or sub-areas thereof,

-          means to produce topical assessment and, when necessary, timely thematic reports on special events. Such means should also address facilities for early warning, efficient and speedy reporting and exchange of data and information required for such assessments.

NOTING the continuing concern on harmful effects of pollutants in the environment and that an essential amount of various contaminants is entering the Baltic Sea via rivers, from industrial and municipal sources as well as from non-point sources in the whole Baltic Sea catchment area,

DESIRING to obtain a reliable assessment of the waterborne load of pollutants entering the Baltic Sea from the land-based sources for the concerted action to limit the pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area,

RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention that:

a)      the pollution load compilations should be carried out in accordance with the Guidelines for the Waterborne Pollution Load Compilation;

b)      the Guidelines to meet the topical requirements should be regularly evaluated and updated by experts and adopted by the responsible subsidiary body of HELCOM;

c)      the quantified waterborne total loads (from rivers, unmonitored and coastal areas as well as point sources and diffuse sources discharging directly to the Baltic Sea) of nutrients and hazardous substances are reported to HELCOM annually;

d)      the quantified waterborne total loads and other relevant information as specified in the Guidelines should be submitted by all the Contracting Parties to the Data Manager in accordance with the agreed format by the end of October following the year of data collection;

e)      the quantified waterborne discharges from point sources and losses from non-point pollution sources as well as the quantified natural background losses  into inland surface waters within the catchment area of the Baltic Sea located within the borders of the Contracting Parties are reported to HELCOM every sixth year as specified in the Guidelines starting in 2006;

f)        the quantified waterborne discharges from point sources and losses from diffuse sources into inland surface waters within the Baltic Sea catchment area of the Contracting Parties to HELCOM as specified in e) should be reported by the end of December following the year of data collection.