Report: Macrozoobenthos: Weser fatigue (1975-2004)»

Since 1969, wastewater from titanium dioxide production has been discharged into the Weser fatigue. The author is Kronos Titan GmbH & Co. OHG, which obtains the white pigment titanium dioxide in its plant in Nordenham from Norwegian titanium ore (ilmenite) using sulphuric acid (sulfate process). The discharge point for waste water classified as ‘weak acid waste’ in accordance with Directive 92/112/EEC1 shall be at the bottom of the electricity at UW-km 65.8. The main components of the wastewater are sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and iron sulphate (FeSO4). In addition, various titanium compounds and traces of other metals are contained. An overview of the average net annual freight of these substances is given in Table 2. Directive 78/176 EEC2 establishes regular monitoring of the environment in the area of the initiator. Among other things, “the diversity as well as the relative and absolute population of the fauna and flora” and “the toxic metals in the water, in floating solids, in the sediments and, accumulated, in selected benhonic and pelagic organisms”. Further details on monitoring are set out in Annex II to Directive 82/883/EEC3. Biological monitoring (since 1968) and the monitoring of the enrichment of toxic metals (since 1985) is carried out by the Norderney Research Centre (now NLWKN). The results of this environmental monitoring are documented in various reports up to and including 1994 (macrozoobenthos and sediments) and 1992 (metals) (including MICHAELIS 1973, GROTJAHN & MICHAELIS 1985, Wienecke 1982, KOLBE 1997 and KOLBE 1995). In June 2005, the company bio-büro Norden was commissioned by the NLWKN — Brake Oldenburg plant to evaluate the monitoring data collected up to 2004.”