IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW WATER FRAMEWORK

DIRECTIVE ON PILOT BASINS (WAFDIP)

EuropeAid/114902/D/SV/RO
RO.0107.15.02.01

TR-11

GUIDELINES FOR ACCIDENTAL WATER POLLUTION

CONTROL

ARCADIS Euroconsult (NL)

In association with:
OIEAU (FR)
MOTT MACDONALD (UK)
ECOTERRA (RO)

Author: Pierre Henry de Villeneuve

Verification:
1st Draft version:
Final version:
Contact address Romania
(Project Office)
Contact address main
contractor
David van Raalten (Project Director)
September 2004
10 March – verified 10 March 2005
The Somes branch of Apele Romane
17 Vanatorului Street
400213 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
tel/fax: +40 (0) 364 401048
Beaulieustraat 22
PO Box 441
6800 AK Arnhem, The Netherlands
tel/fax: +31 26 3577 253 / 3577 577
www.euroconsult.nl / www.arcadis-global.com
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 5
2 On-site prevention techniques............................................................................ 7
2.1 Product loading and unloading ................................................................... 8
2.2 Storage and transfer of products ................................................................ 9
2.3 Production.................................................................................................. 9
2.4 Consumption, water collection and sewage treatment plants ..................... 9
2.5 Fires ......................................................................................................... 10
3 Long and medium-term preparation to respond to accidental water pollution ... 11
3.1.1 The alert procedure in case of accidental spills................................. 12
3.1.2 Modelling possibilities to forecast the progression of the plume........ 12
3.1.3 The risks and protections to take into account : ................................ 14
3.1.4 The frame for intervention-response to accidental water pollution :... 14
3.1.5 Historical monitoring data ................................................................. 14
3.1.6 Statistical data concerning previous accidents:................................. 14
3.1.7 Plant-specific plans........................................................................... 15
4 Response in case of accidental water pollution................................................. 17
4.1 Monitoring the polluting plume.................................................................. 17
4.2 Human resources and training.................................................................. 17
4.3 Response tools and equipment ................................................................ 18
4.4 Intervention sites ...................................................................................... 19
4.4.1 Access roads.................................................................................... 19
4.4.2 Intervention platform ......................................................................... 19
4.4.3 River banks protection ...................................................................... 20
4.4.4 Power supply and lighting................................................................. 20
4.4.5 Anchorages, moorings...................................................................... 20
5 Conclusions and summary of recommendations............................................... 23
Annex 1 SUMMARY of main measures included in French legislation
concerning accidental water pollution prevention ................................................. 25
Annex 2 Prévention des pollutions accidentelles dans les industries de la
Chimie, du traitement de surface, et des stockages d’hydrocarbures, de produits
phytosanitaires..................................................................................................... 27
Annex 3 Prévention des pollutions accidentelles dans les abattoirs, les
équarissages, les laiteries, les sucreries. ............................................................. 29
Annex 4 Prévention des pollutions accidentelles dans les industries du bois,
des pâtes à papier et les papeteries..................................................................... 31

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 Annex 5 Recommendations of the International Commission for the Protection
of the Rhine (ICPR) on the Prevention of Industrial Accidents and the Safety of
Industrial Plants.................................................................................................... 33

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1 Introduction
Article 11 section 3 (l) of the WFD states, among the “basic measures”:
“any measures required to prevent significant losses of pollutants from technical
installations, and to prevent and/or to reduce the impact of accidental pollution
incidents for example as a result of floods, including through systems to detect or
give warning of such events including, in the case of accidents which could not
reasonably have been foreseen, all appropriate measures to reduce the risk to
aquatic ecosystems. “
These guidelines have been developed within the frame of the European PHARE
project Europaid/114902/DVS/RO “Implementation of the WFD on pilot basins” and
provide a synthesis of the necessary elements that constitute an accidental water
pollution policy. To develop information on specific points, some detailed guidebooks
are made available in annexes.
This description will lead to a general conclusion and a summary of
recommendations on the main possible ways of improving the situation in the
Somes-Tisa catchment area, which could be applied to most of the country.
The guidelines focus on three main and complementary aspects:
A. On-site prevention techniques
B. Long and medium-term preparation to respond to accidental water pollution
(regulations, specialized plans, reporting and registration, modelling and forecasting
the progress of an accidental spill)
C. Response in case of accidental water pollution (monitoring, human and material
resources, intervention sites, side and post crisis actions)

Intervention site in Cluj vicinity

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Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 6 of 33
2 On-site prevention techniques
Years of concerted efforts in combating chronic pollution can be brought to nothing
by accidents that cause very serious short and long-term damage to the
environment.
In the case of dissolved material spills, the available intervening measures are
usually either limited or ineffectual.
Nevertheless, often simple on-site adjustments, accompanied by a good internal
organization and training measures, make it possible to avoid such pollution. These
measures help to prevent damage to the environment and the high costs of treatment
and indemnification.
Consequently, all the ways to limit the occurrence of accidents and their effects must
be the first and main priority of authorities.
The purpose of IPPC directive 96/61/EC dated 24/09/96 is to achieve integrated
prevention and control of pollution from the main industrial and agricultural
installations. It intends notably in its article #3 that “Member States shall take the
necessary measures to provide that the competent authorities ensure that
installations are operated in such a way that all the appropriate preventive measures
are taken against pollution, in particular through application of the best available
techniques”.
The European IPPC Bureau of Seville exists to catalyse an exchange of technical
information on Best Available Techniques (BAT) under the IPPC directive, and to
create reference documents (BREFs), which must be taken into account when the
competent authorities of Member States determine conditions for IPPC permits. The
BREFs will inform the relevant decision-makers about what may be technically and
economically available to industry in order to improve their environmental
performance and consequently improve the whole environment.
Although no BREF currently exists on the horizontal subject of pollution prevention,
nevertheless some technical specifications used by French environment inspectors,
can be found in the national legislation (see below in annex 1).
However, the vast majority of the measures depend on the sector of activity of the
plants. That’s why the French Ministry of Environment, with the support of the Seine
Normandy Water Agency, published guidebooks where the measures specific to 10
main industrial branches are presented. Listed in these publications that the Seine
Normandy Water Agency kindly accepted to put at the disposal of our Romanian
partners (see below in annex 2, 3 and 4), are the following:
• The elements that might cause the accident,
• The preventive technical measures against hazardous discharges (on the
process itself, on the storage area, the cooling and drain water circuit, the
waste and waste water treatment plant, etc)
• The organisational preventive measures (hazards study, plant-specific
contingency plan, maintenance of production tools, etc).
In Romania, the preventive measures can be enforced throw the negotiation of the
emergency plans by the water inspectors from Apele Romane, but as well, the
inspectors from the Inspectorate for Environmental Protection (IPM) and those
enforcing the SEVESO directive.
As an industrial site can be simultaneously classified as IPPC, SEVESO, and
submitted to plant-specific plans for response to accidental water pollution in line with

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 7 of 33

the Romanian Ministerial Order n°278 (11 April 1997), the different procedures of
examination, regulation and control should not be kept distinct and independent.
Consultations between services should be organized to coordinate their actions and
inform other administrative services when they observe a non-conformity relating to
the expertise of such services.
In addition, if a too important risk of pollution should be reduced, any opportunity to
lay down in permits and/or administrative acts the obligation to implement the
concrete corrective preventive measures, including technical specifications, should
be used.
Moreover, the prevention can be ensured in some cases even more upstream, by a
strict ban of new hazardous activities in protected areas and especially around
drinking water in-takes.
There is a tendency to pay more care to intervening measures in the case of pollution
compared to on-site measures to prevent the pollution reaching the river.
This tendency should be inversed, as one knows that when pollution reaches a
watercourse, it is in many cases impossible to intervene and the consequences are
incomparably greater than when it is treated on-site.
To define an efficient policy for the prevention of accidental water pollution, the first
step is to identify and evaluate potential sources of pollution, before identifying
suitable means of prevention. In addition, the setting up of an internal alert system,
the informing, training and organization of staff for intervening, will serve to further
prevent and limit pollution.
The following factors can be identified as the most frequent origins of accidental
water pollution.

2.1 Product loading and unloading

Product loading and unloading operations are one of the most frequent causes of
accidental pollution. In areas where liquid products are decanted, there can be leaks
or breaks in transfer pipes, overflows of reservoirs and mistakes made during the
switching of products. Some specific adjustments can be made, such as the
following:
• recuperation pans for drops under connecting sections, purges,
floodgates, etc,
• surrounding of loading and unloading areas, along with the creation of a
retention capacity for those products likely to pollute water, and the
suppression or protection of sewer man-holes directly connected to an
evacuation system ( e.g. manual and automatic floodgates or sealings),
• identification of those pipes onto which loading or unloading organs are to
be plugged, identification of reserves of absorbing products near loading
areas, filling limiters on reservoirs, level measures, etc.
It is also important to install certain procedures for loading and unloading operations,
particularly regarding the identification of products, the designation of reservoirs or
premises to receive the products (assuming that incompatibility problems have been
well studied), operation supervision, instructions relative to the possible cleanup of
tankers, etc.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 8 of 33

2.2 Storage and transfer of products
In storage areas, the main risks of accidental pollution come primarily from a loss of
resistance in the reservoir due to corrosion, shock, etc. Some specific adjustments
can be made, such as the following:
• type of reservoir and piping, implantation and upkeep:
selection of materials according to the products stored or transferred,
reservoirs and pipes buried with duplicate envelope, equipped with leak
detection with alarm transfer and cathodic protection, taking into account
the mechanical resistance of soils and natural phenomena (flood,
underground water overflows), tests and inspection,
• retention:
reliability and coating resistant to stored products, problematical of
incompatibility between products, drain floodgate (with visualization of the
opened/closed position, control of water before discharge and the
associated procedure) or sumps with pumps, leak detection,
• additional equipment:
sensors which can be linked or not to a floodgate, isolation floodgates,
emergency stops to limit the quantities of pollutants flowing, protection
against shocks, storage under shelters, etc.

2.3 Production
The design of the production area should take into account accidental water pollution
prevention. A list should be made of the incidents or production failures that could
involve discharge into the sewers or the environment, and the necessary means of
prevention should then be established.
Among the most frequent incidents are those linked to process failure, to production
incidents, to devices draining after the production has stopped, to the rejection of
expired stocks, to the incorrect following of procedures (cleaning, etc), to equipment
failures (floodgates, purge, joints, etc).
As part of the prevention plan, thought should be given to the selection of processes
and products used (e.g. replacement of liquid products by solid products, utilization of
bio-degradable or less harmful products, etc); the selection of equipment (reliability of
floodgates, etc); the knowledge of stored and used products (forms of security data,
state of stocks, etc); the elaboration of procedures and instructions, and the training
of personnel.

2.4 Consumption, water collection and sewage treatment plants

In order to monitor accidental pollution and contain it within the plant, it is necessary
to limit the flow of water carrying the pollutant.
The various kinds of water (flowing rainwater, fire extinction water, etc) collected all
over the site should be separated in order to isolate the pollution water which may
then be enclosed in one basin specifically equipped with manual or automatic
floodgates, sometimes remote-controlled or controlled by detection. Up-to-date plans
of the networks, showing section organs and exits, must be permanently available at
the site.

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Sewage treatment plants should be able to master the fluctuations of the polluting
load of effluents, to use machines and processes which are reliable and of good
quality, and should be equipped with inspection devices. They may on occasion
permit the containment of raw anomalous effluent or of insufficiently treated effluent.
In addition, it would be a good idea to make a study of spare parts, their impact on
the functioning of the plant, their cost and their availability. Finally, personnel should
be trained to do their job well and have operational instructions.

2.5 Fires
Fires, and more precisely extinguishing agents, are frequently the cause of serious
water pollution. Those industrial sites stocking or using pollutants are increasingly
equipped with a containment basin for water (or extinguishing) agents. The sewers
network of the site can, in case of lack of space, be used for this purpose, if they are
insulated and compatible with the products flowed into them. In the event of proximity
with water (lake, river), floating dams could also be put in place.
In addition, the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine has
gathered its recommendations on the prevention of industrial accidents and the
safety of industrial plants in a well-documented booklet. The commission is
acknowledged for accepting to put at disposal its manual presented in annex 5.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 10 of 33

3 Long and medium-term preparation to respond to
accidental water pollution
Once an accident happens with an impact on the environment, the effectiveness of
an intervention is strongly dependent on the previous preparation during a calm
period.
When a crisis occurs, time plays against the effectiveness of the intervention by
enlarging the contaminated area and disseminating pollutants.
Since the end of the 90s, several new laws and regulations have been issued in
Romania to improve the effectiveness of response to accidental water pollution, in
particular:
• Article 32 of the new water law including tasks related to accidental water
pollution control
• Order n°278 (11 April 1997) including the framework methodology to
elaborate the plant-specific contingency plans
• Ministerial order defining the national and international alert system
(SAPA-ROM and CIPA-ROM)
• Covenant regarding the effect of trans-boundary industrial accidents
(2/4/2003)
• Rules regarding procedure in case of accidental pollution, and unforeseen
danger from the hydro-technical Hungarian-Romanian joint commission
At national level, the supervision is the responsibility of MoWE via ANAR. At regional
level, the intervention tasks are completed by the Regional branch (Directia Apelor)
of ANAR, which reports to Bucharest, and their sections (SGA) reporting to Cluj
branch in the case of Somes-Tisa branch. The sub-section of the branch can be used
as a stockpile and possible commandment centre in case of crisis.
In the field of preparation to response to accidental water pollution, the services of
the regional branches of ANAR are responsible for issuing and updating major
documents as Watershed Contingency Plans and reviewing Plant-Specific
Contingency Plans, including the side-tasks such as registration of relevant data.
The elaboration of response plans are the main way to prepare intervention and
indirectly, to help in identifying the preventive and protective measures to be taken.
To reach a high level of effectiveness, some of the main elements that could be
useful to include in the Watershed Contingency Plans (see below) need regular up-
dating. For example, the details of the intervener or person to alert in case of
accidental water pollution. Thus, the use of a well-defined procedure supported by
numerical transmission is advisable.
As contingency planning and intervention require a large scope of information from
different services, the adoption of a common IT reference would facilitate enormously
the data collection and up-dating work. Can be mentioned, in particular:
• a common geographical referential, to be able to feed GIS layers on the
same hydrological back-ground with related systems of localization,
including all the WFD requirements;
• a common codification of objects and data;
• a common strategy, with well defined responsible staff, for the input and
up-dating of maps, tables, objects, data, etc.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 11 of 33

Below is a non-exhaustive summary of the main information necessary to respond to
accidental water pollution that should be included in the Watershed Contingency
Plans, classified per topic:
3.1.1 The alert procedure in case of accidental spills
Despite the precautions undertaken under section A, the risk of accidental pollution
cannot be reduced to zero and a residual risk will remain.
In order to combat accidental pollution effectively it is essential that the spill is
identified and reported immediately. Two main cases can be identified:
Reporting by the polluter
Any enterprise or responsible of an polluting installation must report to the relevant
branch of Apele Romane immediately it becomes aware that there has been an
accidental release of polluting material and provide them with information of the
nature and quantities of the substances accidentally released.
Failure to do so should be an offence.
Reporting by the public
Enterprises may not always be aware immediately that an accidental release has
occurred, for example, when an underground pipe has ruptured.
In this case the first symptom may be a visible effect on the water (unusual smell or
appearance of the water or fish floating on the surface).
Members of the public should be encouraged to report unusual circumstances and
an emergency telephone number should be widely publicised in order to ensure that
no delay occurs in reporting.
3.1.2 Modelling possibilities to forecast the progression of the plume
If the amount of pollutant released is large and the pollutant is persistent and likely to
travel downstream at significant concentrations for some distance then there may be
justification for using a mathematical modelling to predict its future progress.
River Quality Modelling for Spills
The modelling of spills to watercourses provides a tool for predicting the course and
impact of a contaminant spill, which in turn enables mitigation measures to be put in
place. River water quality modelling in larger rivers requires a more complex
approach than that used in smaller rivers, but some works are done in common with
the Danube countries.
The alert network of PIACs (Principal International Alert Centres) were created in the
frame of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (12
countries are concerned) to avert member states about any pollution occurred
upstream and to insure its follow up. Linked to the network by radiocom and Internet,
every country disposes a real-time communication software (AEWS) in his national
language (due to normalised codes of recording data) and some modelling facilities
on the main rivers including River Tisza.
The model (or models) selected to model spills to water courses in these basins must
fulfil a number of basic requirements including: simulate a wide range of chemical
parameters, be compatible with the MS operation system, provide model results
suitable for planning mitigation measures, be commercially available and be within
budget available.
The range of models has been arranged in a selection matrix shown in Table 1
below.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 12 of 33

Table 1 Suitability of models for use in accidental pollution
Model Chemical Complex / Compatibility Suitable for Available
Parameters Intermediate MS Planning
Mitigation
Measures
PC QUASAR Ammonia, pH, Intermediate P P P
nitrate,
temperature,
E.coli, BOD,
DO,
conservative
pollutant
QUESTOR Ammonia, Intermediate P P O
ammonium pH,
nitrate,
temperature,
E.coli, BOD,
DO,
conservative
pollutant, user
defined
pollutants
ISIS Bacteria, salt, Complex P P P
temperature,
pH,Oxygen
balance,
Nitrogen cycle,
sediment
oxygen
demand,
phosphorus,
silicates, etc
SOBEK 600 Complex P P P
determinands
and many
processes
MIKE 11 Bacteria, BOD, Complex P P P
DO, ammonia,
nitrite, nitrate,
phosphate,
eutrophication,
conservative
and first order
decay
parameters

The selection process for river quality modelling for spills shows that a number of
models meet the selection criteria. PC-QUASAR models water quality and flow for
river networks and describes the changes in water quality over time, allowing tracking
of pollution pulses downstream in small to medium rivers, where it can be assumed
that any discharge acts as a plug flow. The comparison shows that all the three
complex river models considered are suitable for use as complex one-dimensional
river models. The analysis does not provide a clear leader among the one-
dimensional complex river models and, therefore, the decision must be based on
cost and familiarity with the software. PC QUASAR has already been supplied to
each basin.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 13 of 33

3.1.3 The risks and protections to take into account:
• list of persons to intervene in case of accidental water pollution;
• list of potential pollution sources, with their characteristics;
• the inflows from sewerage and rainwater network (often vectors of
pollution);
• areas and endangered sensitive uses to be protected, with their
geographic, hydro-morphologic and hydrologic background;
• detailed layout maps figuring the above mentioned objects.
3.1.4 The frame for intervention-response to accidental water pollution:
• boundary of sectors assigned for response to Apele Romane branch;
• list of names and addresses of responsible staff, authorities and
participants (internal and external);
• list of persons/entities to be notified in case of water supply restriction;
• operative plans for response to damage (human resources, response
tools, with their identification and technological instructions, disposal of
hazardous wastes collected);
• localization maps: human resources and assets, place of storage of
response tools, pre-selected intervention sites;
In addition, the following family of data will complement usefully the Watershed
Contingency plans:
3.1.5 Historical monitoring data
• indication of the area covered by the measuring-monitoring system;
• the average quality data without accidental pollution.
The usual monitoring of water quality is operated mainly by Apele Romane. The
general survey provided is useful in case of accidental pollution to have datasets
available on the “normal” or “reference” quality in similar hydrological conditions at
the nearest representative monitoring station.
Of course, this kind of general regular survey is unsuitable for detecting peculiar
conditions encountered in case of accidental pollution, which happening place and
time are unpredictable. Only alert stations with continuous measures and automatic
sampling are appropriated. Nevertheless, this kind of station is very expensive to run,
and can be justified only in a specific situation where it is crucial to get the
information of the arrival of a pollution wave upstream at a strategic point. In that
case, an external financial partnership could be sought, when a common interest
arises with an endangered user- owner. It is the case, for example in France, where
some automatic alert/monitoring stations run by the water companies, can be found
upstream of some of their water treatment plant intakes.
In case of accidental pollution, the monitoring department is due to operate a special
survey to assess the degree of environmental damage and follow the progression of
the pollution. It includes post-effects that can last for a long time, as for instance if
underground waters are concerned.
3.1.6 Statistical data concerning previous accidents:
• The log of previous pollutions, with description of damage and remedial
intervention with places and dates (from events reporting)

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 14 of 33

The use of codified information compatible with the Apele Romane information
system (and relevant GIS) is essential to be able to allow better communication,
sharing and updating of data with other databases and other participants, especially
to feed the “log of events” or “memory data base”. This data linked to the Watershed
Contingency Plans becomes part of it.
Issue statistics from these databases will give precious indications to revise the
intervention strategy at both national and regional level in the field of preparation and
response to accidental water pollution.
In addition, it would be useful for specific industrial branches or for uncommon cases
in the country to be able to consult international databases as well. Can be
mentioned, the European data base MARS (Major Accident Reporting System) with
over 450 accidents referenced and ARIA (Analysis, Research and Information on
Accidents) which is the French data base with about 22 000 accidents documented,
including about 20 % that happened abroad and were selected for their interest. Both
databases are not specific for accidents affecting water, but this topic can be
selected.
There is an obligation from the EU in the SEVESO directive to report major accidents
to MARS. Thus, for events involving water pollution, close cooperation must be
initiated between Apele Romane inspectors and the responsible for the SEVESO
directive implementation in Romania.
These databases are available on Internet at:
http://mahbsrv.jrc.it/mars/Default.html for MARS
http://aria.environnement.gouv.fr/rech_accident.jsp for ARIA
3.1.7 Plant-specific plans
These plans, required by the Romanian legislation, must include the most up-stream
measure to prevent the pollution to reach the water course and contain information
on the possible response to any pollution occurring inside the plant, i.e. :
• identification (with names and coordinates of the responsible for the
environment);
• description of the plant, with geographical and hydrological back-ground
including the endangered receiving waters;
• the main characteristics of water management of the plant (sewerage,
waste water discharge points ... );
• list and quantity of hazardous substances being used or produced by the
plant;
• the conditions and means (human and material) for alert (including
internal monitoring) and response to an accidental pollution inside the
plant;
• drawings and geographical localisation of the above objects;
• an operative plan for response to damage;
• a registration of response events in the plant (log to update).
The preparation and updating of these plans implies a communication between
administrative services and owners of the plants, thus helping to identify and lessen
the risks by relevant preventive measures and also the alert and response
procedures in case of accidental happenings.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 15 of 33

In addition, it gives an opportunity to enforce the measures described above to
prevent the occurrence of pollution.
It must be underlined that the list of plants obliged to prepare a specific plan should
be included in the Water Contingency Plan among potential pollution sources.
Accordingly, all the information included in plant-specific plans is quite useful too for
watershed contingency plan implementation. Vice-versa, the constraints of plant-
specific plans have to be transferred to the users of endangered receiving waters.
For all these reasons, it stands that Plant-Specific Contingency Plans are useful and
efficient to help in controlling accidental pollutions, through a better preparation to
response action and a progressive improvement of prevention measures and
management aspects.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 16 of 33

4 Response in case of accidental water pollution
The operational response is the last indispensable way to be able to limit in some
cases (floating material in particular) the impact of an accident.
The effectiveness of this response is strongly dependent on the adaptation of the
equipment to the natural conditions of the watercourses (current, wind, type of banks,
etc) and to the characteristics of the pollutant (density, viscosity, evaporation
temperature, etc).
The number of variables is such that the previous training of the operational staff and
the organization of exercises are indispensable.
The intervention in case of accidental water pollution in Romania is supported by
Apele Romane, under the authority of the Ministry.
The local means for response belong to Apele Romane and are put into action prior
to external public means that are also provided for complementing intervention when
necessary (civil defence, army, etc).
The intervention is described in the operating plan included in the Watershed
Contingency Plan, which contains all the required information and instructions in
case of crisis (staff lists, inventory of tools and equipment with operating instructions,
potential pollution sources, water uses and areas to be protected, access and river
crossing facilities, etc).
The main factors for an intervention are:

4.1 Monitoring the polluting plume

The first stage is to identify the source and nature of the polluting substance(s) and
the size and extent of the plume. This should allow an estimate to be made of the
total amount of pollutant in the water and therefore the magnitude of the problem.
Depending on the seriousness of the risk sampling and analysis can be arranged as
the pollutant plume moves downstream and those abstracting water from the river
can be warned in advance of possible problems.

4.2 Human resources and training

Due to the operative function of Apele Romane, both for flood control and accidental
water pollution, it is doted with a large amount of staff, among which it seems quite
easy to extract the staff required in case of accidental pollution, on condition that a
sufficient number of trained specialists is kept available. Moreover, it is a fact that
flood events require more numerous staff than accidental pollution.
In addition, Apele Romane integrating most of the responsibility in the water sector,
there is a good knowledge of the river courses and water bodies and an easy link
with the monitoring department to asses the pollution events.
Despite the amount of staff, their efficiency is a key issue. To build capacities,
training and exercises are essential considering that “real” intervention should
become scarcer and is often very technical with regard to the number of variable
parameters to handle.
A training and expertise centre could be appropriated at national level to give tuition
to staff but also for testing new response technologies. “The CEDRE” (Centre of
Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution) has
this function in France for both marine and inland pollution and is involved in

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 17 of 33

research and development. An example of training provided for inland waters can be
found on their Internet site at http://www.le-cedre.fr/fr/formation/fiche04/eaux_int.pdf.
It is important to mention that training and exercise should also include operational
staff, especially those likely to intervene at pre-equipped intervention sites.

4.3 Response tools and equipment

A quick assessment of response tools and materials stores in the Somes region
shows that there is a good repartition in 23 localizations. Can be usually found,
some material to build booms with wooden sticks and straw, some absorbent,
manual tools, some working cloths and boots. More rarely, floating booms, boats, or
small tanks (from 220 l up to 2-5 m3 maximum). No oil skimmer, pumps and bigger
movable storage tanks.
It seems obvious that the current stock is ageing, almost obsolete and doesn’t offer
much possibility to combat a major pollution event. It has to be complemented,
according to the following constraints:
1. The type of tool has to be selected carefully in function of the main type of
river courses present in the area. For example, the type of boom according
to the river’s size. In some cases, the selection can be lead by the pre-
equipment of strategic intervention sites. Also, their complementarities
should be considered, such as the tank’s capacities compared with flow
rates of the pumps, or the number of pumps compared with the number of
oil skimmers, etc. In addition, the storage condition and regular
maintenance of scarcely used emergency devices is a key issue (see
below) and has to be considered in function of the available staff and
buildings.
2. The homogeneity of tools is a strong argument in order to facilitate the
maintenance and the training of staff.
3. It would be wise to have a stockpile in a central position within the Apele
Romane branch or for a group of branches, with more important equipment
to face a major pollution event. It would be wise also, to check the
possibilities in neighbouring countries as some cooperation agreement can
be reached, as is the case for marine pollution.
4. The storage and transportation conditions have to be adapted accordingly:
- not to be too far away from the intervention sites;
- allow safe storage conditions in suitable premises;
- make easy the indispensable regular maintenance by specialized
staff;
- allow flexibility of the available stock-piles to be selected and
transported for a given intervention;
To optimize the selection and dispatching of tools, a first demand coordinated
nationally seems the best way. This type of supply contract can be funded by the EU.
Considering the low level of equipment compared to the progress made on the
methodological level, a financial file should be initiated urgently at national level.
To get a better idea of the type of response tools available on the market, one can
use the non-exhaustive inventory of web sites of European manufacturers and
suppliers of oil spill response equipment managed by CEDRE on http://www.le-
cedre.fr/index_gb.html at “Inventory of response equipment manufacturers”.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 18 of 33

Specific equipment for responding to water pollution by oil is classified according to:
• booming,
• recovery (recovery barge, skimmers, pumps...),
• storage (land tank, floating tank.
Absorbents can be used, in certain conditions, against hydrocarbons and can be
found in some Romanian stockpiles. It must be said that they should be selected and
used with a lot of care and under tight control as they can very easily represent an
additional source of pollution, sometimes worse than the one they are combatting.
One remarks that most of the response tools and products are targeting oil. As a
matter of fact, floating materials are one of the rare product types -even though
frequently involved- for which a depollution is possible. With dissolved pollutants,
some defensive actions like protective measures and at least the monitoring of the
pollution can be proceed to inform the users. Nevertheless, the absence of corrective
actions shows the crucial importance of prevention.

4.4 Intervention sites

Interventions on improvised sites, with light equipment and traditional makeshift
booms are the common situation on small rivers and remain the best solution to face
the strong current in little brooks. But, considering the difficulties and constraints for
booming pollution on bigger rivers, pre-equipped intervention sites are a good
strategy for responding to accidental pollution by hydrocarbons or other floating
substances.
To be effective, they have to be selected according to the condition that they are well
situated from a hydraulic point of view and at the right place also (down stream of the
pollution source risk area and/or upstream of a sensitive uses area). In some cases,
dams or locks can constitute ideal intervention sites with possibilities to adjust the
water level and easy access to the works. In that case, exercise with a tracer is
necessary to confirm the possibility of intervention and bring improvements.
For small or medium size rivers, even if they are not pre-equipped, suitable sites for
light intervention can advantageously be identified beforehand and documented,
according to access and mooring possibilities. This precious information in crisis time
should be included in the watershed contingency plan.
For selecting and building intervention sites, the following points will have to be taken
into account:
4.4.1 Access roads
As far as possible, intervention sites should not be selected too far from existing
roads to reduce the cost of specific access roads.
The dimension and ductility of the access roads must allow circulation of heavy
vehicles and trailers as well as light vehicles. For example, a 3m wide and 0.30m
thick foundation, made with cement-gravel, and a double asphalt or bituminous
coating layer, is currently recommended by Paris Harbour Authority.
4.4.2 Intervention platform
The above recommendations for road embankments are similarly applicable to
platforms with the exception of surface overlay.
As these platforms are designed to temporarily stock tools polluted by hydrocarbons,
it would be better to build them in concrete.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 19 of 33

They can be used also to clean up the tools after interventions. Accordingly, they
should have a slight slope towards a gutter along the borders to a storage tank in
order to collect wastewater for later treatment and to prevent this part of the
controlled pollution from being poured back into the river.
The surface will be grooved to avoid slippery hazards.
The height of the platform above water level must be suited to oil pumping, especially
when sucking is used (which is to be preferred when oil is not separated from water
at an earlier stage, because pumping in and out would emulsify the mixture). If
available, skimmers can produce a nearly water-free oil, then pumping out from the
skimmer is possible and less restrictive as far as the pumping height is concerned.
The platform area should be divided into various zones, according to the organization
of the intervention. There should be at least a place to store and evacuate oil and
wastes, a place to store and move the tools, which are intended to go into and out of
water (booms, skimmers) and eventually a place for haulage tools.
The edge of the platform allotted to booms handling must be provided with a smooth
surfaced slope down to the river, to avoid damage when hauling or moving them and
also to facilitate their moving.
Other built slopes may be needed to put intervention boats down to the water.
4.4.3 River banks protection
Built sites may need riverbanks protection, especially where erosion effects could
damage the foot of the platform embankment or too much modify the shoreline and
bank cross section.
Among the usual techniques, it will be sought to avoid protections that could damage
the boom, where a contact is possible (sharp rocks for instance) and also those that
are not easy to clean up when polluted (especially in the confining area).
4.4.4 Power supply and lighting
Built electricity supply lines facilitate the intervention, as they avoid carrying a
generating set. But the risk of breakdown of the network must be considered, as well
as the cost of branching and special constraints in flood-prone areas. On the other
hand, a generating set has a cost too, and it must be carefully maintained. A
comparative study, including security and cost aspects, is necessary before deciding
upon the right choice.
In any case the available power must be sufficient to feed the required tools to be
used on the site.
The same way of thinking should be applied to lighting: one must choose built or
mobile devices. The risk of vandalism is also to be taken into account.
In France, the fire brigade or the army usually find it more reliable to have his or her
own mobile electricity generating set and lighting system. One noticeable exception
could be sites like navigation works or other similar sites, already secured by a
generating set, and well watched over.
4.4.5 Anchorages, moorings
Good moorings are essential for successful fixing and effectiveness of floating
booms, which are a good solution in only a specific range of cases. One of the main
limits comes from the speed of the current. Difficulties occur as the current speed
gets nearer to 1 m/s, which is, unfortunately, often the case in mountainous upstream
sub-catchment areas. In that high range of current speed, the system with the

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 20 of 33

minimum influence on the water flow, such as the permeable traditional makeshift
booms, is the solution to choose in priority.
For floating booms display, the following factors are to be considered:
General layout
The moorings must be situated on both sides of the river, with an interval, in order to
get a correct angle of the boom line with the direction of the current. This angle must
be as sharp as possible to make the oil slide along the boom towards the shore,
where it can be gathered and more easily removed. The faster the current is, the
sharper must be the angle, but the total available length of boom limits this process.
In the case of an intervention site, it is recommended to provide a 40° angle, which
will fulfil the purpose in most of the usual conditions.
One important constraint is the resistance of the moorings to support the tensile
strength required to get a correct boom line shape. Obviously, it depends on the type
of boom, its length, the current speed and the angle to the current. Usually, the
provider of the boom can supply this kind of data.
It must be kept in mind that for a successful intervention, the available length of boom
must be exactly suited to the built site. For this purpose, it is recommended to
manage to have the correct length already assembled on trailers parked at the tools
storage place. This avoids wasting time to fix the junction devices and ensures the
correct length is ready. For a similar reason, foam booms are to be preferred to
inflated ones as they are quicker to launch.
If a second boom line is intended, for a better effective rate of collecting, a second
set of moorings must be built, parallel to the upper one but not too close to it, in order
to allow the oil parts which might have gone under the first line to gather again on the
water surface.
If the river is too wide to be crossed by a single boom line, (above 100 or 120m
wide), a dipped anchorage (usually a block) near the middle of the riverbed is
necessary. The shape of the boom lines will be like a V with the point directed
upstream. This process also allows confining either one or both sides of the river,
according to the actual needs of the intervention. It also divides the stress on the
boom and thus helps getting a straight boom with the right angle. The disadvantages
are the need for either a second work site on the opposite side to remove oil and haul
the second boom or a floating oil trap in the middle of the river. Besides, for a floating
device linked to the dipped anchorage, it necessitates a sufficient capacity to support,
without sinking, the resultant of tensile stresses.
Moreover, a buoy is necessary to mark the place of the anchorage and to keep an
easy access from the surface to the anchorage line; year-to-year security of such a
device is problematic, especially during floods or on rivers open to navigation. An
alternative to the buoy is a light line connected to the main line and to a point easily
accessible on one bank.
Despite its disadvantages, the dipped anchorage for the upstream end of the boom
may be the only way on very big rivers like the Danube river, to protect one single
bank, for instance, just downstream of hazardous points or just upstream of protected
areas.
Level of mooring
Another mooring quality to seek is the possibility of adjustment to the water level, as
it is better to draw the boom horizontally as near as possible to its floating line, at
least at the final stage of its setting up, if not from the beginning of haulage. With
booms provided with incorporated cables, it allows strong tensile stress, to give a

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 21 of 33

correct shape to the boom line, without raising it out of the water. This process can
be made easier by the use of a small boat with wet-suited staff.
Several easy built devices allow such a possibility, for instance, a driven steel tube
pile with a vertically soldered flat iron, drilled every 10 or 15 cm height, or the same
flat iron soldered on a sheet pile or along a quay or any resilient concrete work on the
river bank.
Where the only available moorings are above water level, like bitts or bollards, a way
of getting a horizontal drawing of the boom line is to use an intermediary floating
device, like a pontoon, which can also be useful to manage a skimmer and a
pumping unit.
In Hungary, a system exists using a cable, tightened between the two banks above
the water level to hitch the floating barrier like a curtain. This process allows getting a
boom with a suitable shape (straight line with the same angle than the aerial cable)
without excessive horizontal tensile stress on the boom.
Nevertheless, this system is interesting only on rivers which current speeds do not
often exceed 0.7 m/s. As a matter of fact, for higher speeds, the drawing effort, which
is partly vertical because of the hitching above the boom, tends to pull it up above the
water level at the expense of effectiveness. Moreover, the watercourse should not be
too wide because the tensile stress and the deflection of the aerial cable would then
become excessive.
Winch
While hauling one end of the boom to the upstream mooring is not too difficult as
long as its other end is free, at least one rope winch is necessary, to draw this end to
the downstream mooring. An electric winch can be preferred to a manual one, but the
break down risk is higher with an electric one and it is heavier to carry.
For large rivers, the winch must be firmly settled to a built place on the bank site. If it
is localised on the platform or too high above the water level, it still can be used to
haul the boom line end to the required point of the shore but a second “final” mooring
line must be secured to this low level point and then releasing the winch line will
allow the boom to take its correct position and shape on the water surface.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 22 of 33

5 Conclusions and summary of recommendations
The integration of numerous related necessary tasks within Apele Romane, such as
monitoring, flood control intervention, water works operation, is a great advantage as
concerns intervention in case of accidental water pollution, as it allows detailed
knowledge of the rivers (quality, hydrology, potential intervention sites, water works,
etc).
Thanks to this knowledge, some good progress has been made regarding the long-
term preparation to respond to accidental water pollution, with the preparation of
detailed Watershed Contingency Plans and Plant-Specific Contingency Plans.
To best benefit from this important structural advantage and this preparation, the
systematically collection and use of feedback experience and the organization of
practical exercises at important pre-determined potential intervention sites (listed in
the watershed contingency plans) is very important.
In some cases, it should reveal that a satisfactory response depends on many
practical details that can only be learned by experience.
Nevertheless, from the quick assessment of the response tools available compared
with the potential risks to be faced by the Somes Apele Romane branch, it appears
that the equipment needs to be modernized. It was noticed that no skimmer or
pumping capacity associated with adapted large capacity tanks to temporarily retain
the polluted waters seemed to be available. That situation renders the region
including the downstream area still very vulnerable and prone to pollution with
floating material as, for example, was the case in 1995 when there was an important
oil spill on Barcau river.
For booming, the traditional techniques with sticks and straw is very well adapted to
small rivers with strong currents that can be found often in an upstream basin like
Somes. On the other hand, for larger watercourses with a current below 1 m/s,
floating booms are an indispensable tool.
Even if this aspect was not closely looked at during the short visit, it should be
emphasized that an intervention includes the elimination of the pollution collected in
an adapted way. So, it is necessary to intervene as close as possible to the spill, to
optimize the quantity of pollutant collected versus water. In addition, an intervention
close to the pollution source increases the pollution collected thanks to better
treatment effectiveness, and decreases as well, the important cost represented by
waste treatment in specialized plants.
That’s an additional reason why development of on-site prevention with the use of
the most up-stream preventive measures should be the administration’s first priority.
This task, contrary to intervention, is divided between several institutions in Romania.
As an industrial site can simultaneously be classified as IPPC, SEVESO, and
submitted to plant-specific plans for response to accidental water pollution, the
different procedures of examination, regulation and control should not be kept distinct
and independent.
Plant-specific Plans could provide -in addition to authorizations required by IPPC and
SEVESO directives- a good support to enforce prevention, as they contain most of
the required up-dated information concerning accidental pollution control. Moreover,
their issuing and up-dating imply a common reflection between administrative bodies,
plants owners and water users which, always, is a good opportunity for
improvements. In all this procedure, any opportunity to lay down in permits and/or
administrative acts, solid preventive measures to reduce the risk of pollution and the
impacts, including technical specifications should be used. In addition, strong juridical

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 23 of 33

measures should be adopted for protected areas and especially around drinking
water catchments in order to prevent settling of new hazardous activities
endangering water supply.
To have a comprehensive prevention policy, experience shows that the
administration’s actions should not only be directed toward industrial activities, but
also to main agglomerations and their waste water sewage systems, which can
cause damage in case of breakdown or storm discharges. Also, the sewer networks
are, in many cases, the final vector of pollution from various origins to the water
courses.
Lastly, the control of the transportation sector and particularly navigation, is essential.
For international navigation regulations, the Danube Commission based in Budapest
is competent for fixing preventive recommendations. To transform these
recommendations into rules uniformly applicable to all countries, as is the case for
the Rhine, some political impetus is needed to revise the Belgrade Convention. For
example, to reduce the number of accidents in this sector, some of which were not
accidental but intentional discharges like boat hold oil residues, the Rhine
Commission got very good results by setting up strict declaration rules for waste
follow-up, together with an information system on practicalities for a correct waste
collection and treatment and the financial incentives involved.
It should be mentioned that Romania has some seashores that must be protected
also from pollution including the Danube delta reserve, in connection with its
navigable river network situated in a zone with intensive ship and tanker traffic.
These mobile sources of pollution represent a high risk of accidental water pollution
that requires a specific control and intervention strategy. Even if this question is not
relevant for upstream sub-catchment areas such as Somes and Arges, it has to be
integrated into the Romanian national strategy.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 24 of 33

ANNEX 1 SUMMARY OF MAIN MEASURES INCLUDED IN
FRENCH LEGISLATION CONCERNING
ACCIDENTAL WATER POLLUTION
PREVENTION

Concerning accidental water pollution prevention, the directives imposed for

industrial and agricultural plants are mainly the following:
• placement under retention of all liquids in storage that are likely to cause
water (or soil) pollution, and of loading and unloading areas of tankers, in
the following cases:
- general case: the volume of the retention is equal to 100% of the
capacity of the largest reservoir, or 50% of the total capacity of
associated reservoirs,
- particular case: containers with a capacity equal or lower than 250
litres (the volume of the retention is equal to 50% of the total
capacity of casks in the case of flammable liquids, 20% of the
capacity in other cases, and in all cases, 800 litres minimum, or to
the equivalent of the total capacity when it is under 800 litres.
The capacity of retention, and its sealing device (which must be kept
closed), must be suited to the products and resistant to the physical and
chemical action of fluids.
Reservoirs or containers containing incompatible products must not share
the same retention.
• precautions for use during transport of products within the site, to avoid
accidental packing (stowage, etc).
• storage and manipulation of harmful products or pollutants (solid or liquid)
within close-fitting areas designed for the recovery of leakages and
running water (notably for wastes).
• sanitation network separation (sanitary water, rain water, water liable to
pollution, industrial water) and installation of manual or automatic
floodgates (monitored for instance by detectors) or of inflatable sealing
devices before discharge into the environment or to sewage treatment
plants.
• installation of anti-return valves on water feeding for workshops (notably in
case of dilution of toxic material i.e. in surface treatment plants, timber
preservation industry, exploitations using phyto-sanitary treatment,…).
• containment of fire extinction water (and more generally any agents used
for extinction), notably in the case of storage of very toxic or toxic
components or of phyto-sanitary products (but also, and increasingly, in
the case of other plants), according to the following calculations (on which
the fire brigade is generally consulted):
- volume determined according to safety report (required for all new
implantations classified as those needing authorisation – whether
SEVESO classified or not, – or in the case of significant
modification). This would consist mainly of rating, according to the
use, quantity and nature of stored products, the debit of the
extinction agent and its application time.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 25 of 33

 - in the absence of the above, a pre-determined value of 5 m3/ton of
stored products might be taken.
• confinement basin with a capacity to retain the first flood of rainwater
(when the flowing of this water upon roofs, storage areas, roads, parking
areas, etc, is likely to present a pollution risk).
The dimensions of the basin are calculated, based on rainfall depth
related to the statistics observed in the area.

The notion of first flood of rainwater must be defined in the impact study
(which is required for all new implantations classified as those needing
authorisation or in the case of significant modification). If information is
lacking, a duration of a 24-hour period will be observed to quantify the first
flood of rainwater.

This containment volume, like the containment basin of fire extinction

water, must be available under all circumstances (notably in the event of
disaster or storms, the site activity might be restarted only after draining
the basin. This can be done after analysing the water quality and on-site
treatment or elimination in a waste treatment plant of effluents).

Numerous other measures can be imposed on a case-by-case basis, with reference

to the conclusions of the impact study. The guides presented bellow give precise
indications in function of the specific industrial branches.

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 26 of 33

ANNEX 2 PRÉVENTION DES POLLUTIONS
ACCIDENTELLES DANS LES INDUSTRIES DE
LA CHIMIE, DU TRAITEMENT DE SURFACE, ET
DES STOCKAGES D’HYDROCARBURES, DE
PRODUITS PHYTOSANITAIRES
Available in French on Internet at:
http://213.186.39.110/eaufrance/francais/etudes/pdf/etude_41.pdf

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 27 of 33

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 28 of 33
ANNEX 3 PRÉVENTION DES POLLUTIONS
ACCIDENTELLES DANS LES ABATTOIRS, LES
ÉQUARISSAGES, LES LAITERIES, LES
SUCRERIES.
Available in French on Internet at:
http://213.186.39.110/eaufrance/francais/etudes/pdf/etude_42.pdf

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 29 of 33

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 30 of 33
ANNEX 4 PRÉVENTION DES POLLUTIONS
ACCIDENTELLES DANS LES INDUSTRIES DU
BOIS, DES PÂTES À PAPIER ET LES
PAPETERIES
Available in French on Internet at:
http://213.186.39.110/eaufrance/francais/etudes/pdf/etude_43.pdf

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 31 of 33

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 32 of 33
ANNEX 5 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE
RHINE (ICPR) ON THE PREVENTION OF
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND THE SAFETY OF
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS.
Available in French and German on Internet at:
http://www.iksr.org/FR/bilder/pdf/empfehlungen_f.pdf

Guidelines for accidental water pollution control Page 33 of 33