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This paper investigates the costs of wastewater treatment (including sludge management) within the Danube catchment countries A, CZ, SK, HU, SL, RO, BG and UA. TK is considered as well. Additionally, the paper compares the total costs of wastewater management (including sewerage) with the incomes in the different countries. The annual costs of wastewater treatment in Austria are about 30 e/p.e. y for large plants with nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In low income countries of the Danube and Black Sea catchment areas they are at a maximum 30% lower than in Austria. However, the incomes in countries like Bulgaria, Romania or Ukraine are 85% to 90% lower. The total annual costs for wastewater management (sewer development plus treatment) amount at least to 90e/p.e. y. Considering the level of income in those countries, financing of wastewater management completely by charges of the population equivalents connected is not feasible. Therefore other approaches for financing wastewater treatment are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EC member states and candidate countries are in the process of implementing the requirements of the EC Water Framework Directive 2000/60, which came into force on 22 December 2000. At the core of the Directive is an integrated approach for sustainable water management in river basin districts. The overall objective is to reach good water status for all waters by the year 2015. The challenges for countries implementing the Directive are substantial not least for the River Basin Management Authorities who will be the implementing unit at the regional level. The Black Sea River Basin Directorate in Varna is one of four Directorates established in Bulgaria in 2002 in accordance with the Bulgarian Water Act and is the regional operational unit under the Ministry of Environment and Water for the Black Sea Basin catchment area. The catchment area covers 20% of Bulgaria and 100% of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Current implementation activities in the Black Sea Basin Directorate and also at the national level are supported by the Danish EPA through its DANCEE programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water. This paper highlights the main activities and outputs of the technical and institutional undertakings in the Black Sea Basin Directorate focusing on the preparation of the River Basin Overview by Dec. 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the seasonal dynamics of nutrients and oxygen during the period 1995-1998 in comparison to the previous periods. This study is based on monthly and seasonally monitoring in the 3-20 n. m. zone along the Bulgarian Black Sea area. The investigation reveals certain shifting of seasonal maximums (minimums) and a trend of decreasing oxygen saturation, phosphorus and silicon in the last few years.

The present paper is an attempt to test the applicability of the trophic state index (TRIX) for scaling the eutrophication along the Bulgarian Black Sea coastal zone in concert with a number of chemical and biological descriptors aimed at selection of relevant indicators of marine coastal area ecological quality. The following environmental parameters have been considered: t(o), salinity, nutrients--inorganic P, N and dissolved Si, dissolved oxygen and oxygen saturation, phytoplankton--taxonomic structure, abundance and biomass, chlorophyll a, zooplankton--taxonomic structure, abundance and biomass. Principal Component Analysis was applied in order to figure out and score the most relevant combination of parameters to discriminate between sites and select representative descriptors (pressure/state) of eutrophication. The following variables are defined as relevant descriptors for classification of the sites: nutrients (N, P, Si) and their molar ratios (N:P and Si:P), the capacity of the system to produce and sustain organic matter (chlorophyll a, phytoplankton biomass), phytoplankton taxonomic dominance (Bacilariophyceae:Dinophyceae biomass ratio), grazing pressure (phytoplankton:zooplankton biomass, Bacilariophyceae:Copepoda), plankton diversity index (Hb and Ha) and the trophic state index (TRIX). The investigated sites under a different anthropogenic impact are classified according to selected descriptors and their water quality state.