Water from the dairy polluted Zeta

The Danilovgrad company "Šimšić Montemilk Lazine" significantly destroyed the natural values ​​in the Nature Park "Dolina rijeke Zeta" by releasing waste water and directly physically influenced and led to negative changes, even causing the disappearance of wildlife.

This, among other things, is stated in the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which he heads Milan Gazdić.

The Agency points out that the location where the damage occurred is a Natura 2000 habitat - nature park "Dolina rijeke Zeta" II protection zone, the town of Kosići in the area of ​​the municipality of Danilovgrad.

"The Environmental Protection Agency has come to the conclusion that the Operator, through continuous long-term actions and activities in the II protection zone of the nature park 'Dolina rijeke Zeta', has directly physically influenced and led to negative changes that are manifested through the fragmentation of Natura 2000 habitats with large amounts waste water, certain types of plants, fish and crustaceans, as well as the disturbance of regional characteristics, i.e. changes in the very bed of the Zeta River, which may result in the disappearance of the living world that inhabits the recipient in question, i.e. the achievement or maintenance of a favorable status of protected species and natural habitats" , it says in the decision that the Agency made on October 27.

The agency initiated the procedure ex officio.

"Based on report number 01-2241/1 of the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology, the Agency is aware that a sample of wastewater from the Lazina Dairy, which operates within the company 'Šimšić Montmilk' - Danilovgrad, was taken from the outlet pipe from where it goes into the natural recipient - the Zeta River, sampled on 22.07.2022/09.25/09.40. in the period from XNUMX:XNUMX to XNUMX:XNUMX does not correspond to the conditions of the Rulebook on quality and sanitary-technical conditions for the discharge of waste water, the method and procedure of testing the quality of waste water and the content of the established quality of waste water", the EPA decision says.

Taking this into account, and the fact that the location of the discharge of polluting substances into surface waters is located within the boundaries of the "Rijeka Zeta" Nature Park, and that, according to the EPA, the company from Danilovgrad has a recorded history of activities of discharge of waste water whose chemical composition does not correspond to the conditions prescribed by the rulebook, and that their constant release can lead to the devastation of the location, the Agency has officially initiated the procedure to determine the damage to the environment. At the beginning of August, the Agency informed the competent inspection about everything.

Acting in order to determine the facts and circumstances that the mentioned waste water discharged from the Lazine Dairy, which operates within the company 'Šimšić Montmilk' - Danilovgrad, may represent activities and activities that pose a risk to human health and/or the environment, the Agency by decision number 03-UPI-1148/2 dated August 03.08.2022, XNUMX. formed an expert team with the task of determining whether there has been damage or an immediate threat of damage recognized by the Law", says the decision signed by EPA director Milan Gazdić.

The agency also asked the company from Danilovgrad to make a statement about the allegations and established facts.

"In a letter dated 19/09, the operator stated that the established allegations do not stand for several reasons, namely: that the said sampling, carried out by the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology, was not carried out correctly, i.e. in accordance with the Institute's Instructions for sampling from rivers and streams for standardization..., that the authorized representatives of Mljekara Lazina were not informed about the sampling in question; that the Operator is not allowed to participate in the proceedings in question", the decision reads.

At the end of September, the agency sent a letter to the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology - Department for Water Quality, in which it requested an official statement on the method of treatment and sampling of the wastewater of the Lazina Dairy, which operates within the company "Šimšić Montmilk", sampled on July 22.

"In the Institute's statement from October 06, it is stated that the Institute's laboratory is responsible for monitoring the quality of surface water, and is accredited according to the MEST EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 Standard and meets the requirements of the competence of the laboratory for testing, and that the methods of sampling surface and wastewater accredited, as well as that all the work of the Water Testing Laboratory of the Institute of Hydrometerology is carried out professionally in accordance with the rules of the profession and science, in accordance with the regulations that regulate this field of work", the decision stated.

In that document, the Agency states that they determined the damage to the environment based on the available documentation that was obtained during the examination procedure - the Report of HMZCG on water quality testing, the Report of the Administration for Inspection Affairs - Department for Water Management Inspection, the Report of the Expert Commission, the Statement of the Institute for Hydrometeorology and seismology.

The company from Danilovgrad was ordered to carry out all the necessary preventive technical measures at its own expense, with the aim of minimizing the impact of turbidity and pollution of the waters of the Zeta River, in order to reduce them to the limit prescribed values.

"That is, to the smallest possible extent, until the realization of the construction project for the waste water treatment plant, for the construction of which the Operator obtained environmental consent from the Secretariat for Planning and Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection, Municipality of Danilovgrad," the decision reads.

The company from Danilovgrad was also ordered, at its own expense, in accordance with the Law on Water, to install a device for measuring the amount of waste water discharged into the river at the outlet of the Lazina dairy into the Zeta river.

The Danilovgrad company also undertakes to prepare and submit to the Agency for approval a proposal for remediation measures due to the damage caused to the environment.

"Šimšić Montemilk" is obliged to provide the Agency within 30 days from the receipt of the decision with information on the implemented actions and activities related to the implementation of preventive measures and the installation of devices for measuring waste water discharge.

Within 45 days, the Danilovgrad company should submit a proposal for remediation measures to the Agency for approval.