Evaluation of pollution loads of the East Blacksea Basin

In this study, basin boundaries are determined using Geographical Information System (GIS), infrastructure status of all settlements with population greater than 2000 and all municipality (total of 208 settlements), individual industries and organized industrial areas with high pollution loads and the solid waste management status are investigated on site. In addition, information and coordinates of all discharge points of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant discharge points, deep sea wastewater discharge points and landfills and waste dumping areas are collected with field work. Information collected on site and from different provincial organizations of ministries, data collected from reports of different institutions and establishments are updated, population projections are made for 2017-2040 period, pollution loads of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) which may reach receiving water bodies are estimated. As a conclusion, 96% of point source pollution TN load is originating from municipal pollution loads, 2% from industrial and 2% from leachates from landfills. 99% of point source pollution TP load is originating from municipal pollution loads and 1% from industrial pollution loads. 35% of diffuse source pollution TN load is originating from agricultural activities, 30% from land use, 15% from livestock, 11 % from atmospheric deposition, 6% from cesspools, 3% from leachates from waste dumping areas. 33% of diffuse source pollution TP load is originating from livestock, 29% from cesspools, 20% from land use, 16 % from agricultural activities, 2% from leachates from waste dumping areas. In East Black Sea Basin, municipal pollution loads are dominant among point source pollution loads and agricultural, livestock activities and land use are dominant among diffuse source pollution loads. When TN and TP pollution loads are evaluated, point and diffuse TN loads are 17% and 83% respectively and point and diffuse TP loads are 51% and 49% respectively. The dominant TN and TP load in the basin are originating from Ordu-Giresun Rivers and Trabzon Rivers.