It Is Impossible to Assess the Impact of the Piškorica Waste Dump on Surface and Groundwater

The impact of the Piškornica waste dump on groundwater and surface water, despite constant environmental monitoring, cannot be properly assessed, and as stated by Damir Ruk from Koprivničke vode during the presentation of the water monitoring report on Monday, regardless of this, the Piškornica dump has no impact on drinking water and the Ivanščak water supply, nor on surface waters, namely the Gliboki stream.

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The impact of the Piškornica waste dump on groundwater and surface water cannot be properly assessed, among other reasons, because the measuring instruments were installed too shallowly in the early nineties and because there is no data that can be compared to the period when waste was not dumped at Piškornica, it was stated during the presentation of the report by the Working Group on the monitoring of surface and groundwater at that dump. This group includes representatives from the companies Piškornica and Koprivničke vode as well as from the Public Health Institute of Koprivnica-Križevci County.

As stated during the presentation of the report, the baseline condition is unknown, meaning there is no data on the quality of groundwater before waste began to be dumped at Piškornica, which was in 1982. Additionally, it was mentioned that for decades, not all parameters have been continuously monitored at and around the dump, which reflects the lack of alignment between legal and operational regulations. Measuring instruments were installed too shallowly, and in the space, they are arranged in such a way that sampling does not provide comparable data. They reminded that the company Piškornica took over the management of the dump from the municipal company in Koprivnica in 2015.

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Damir Ruk from Koprivničke vode stated that the Piškornica dump has no impact on drinking water and the Ivanščak water supply, nor on surface waters, namely the Gliboki stream.

Senior Environmental Protection Specialist at the Piškornica – Sanitary Landfill Nikola Martinaga reported that he will order the preparation of a proposal for further monitoring of water and soil conditions with clear guidelines on the method and frequency of sampling.

Even the current sampling we have shown variability in the values of individual parameters, said Working Group member Martinaga.

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In response to the question of whether the increase in the presence of heavy metals, such as arsenic, zinc, and iron, is a consequence of the fire at the dump, Jasna Nemčić-Jurec from the Public Health Institute of Koprivnica-Križevci County replied.

“The increase of arsenic in groundwater is evident in some periods, but this phenomenon cannot be exclusively linked to the dump. There are a number of factors that could have influenced the increase of these values, one of which could be the treatment of surrounding fields with pesticides,” said Nemčić-Jurec, adding that she doubts that extinguishing the fire and watering the dump brought heavy metals into the groundwater because the period is too short for them to reach that depth.