Toxicity of waste dump leachates and sugar factory effluents and their impact on groundwater and surface water quality in the Opole Province in Poland

Abstract

A battery of Toxkit microbiotests with 4 aquatic species from different trophic levels has been used to evaluate the toxicity of 2 types of point source pollution in the Voivoidship of Opole in Poland: percolating waters from drainage systems of 4 municipal waste dumps and the effluents of a sugar factory. In addition, the toxicity of groundwaters from 2 wells near 2 waste dumps was also assessed. All the drainage waters of the waste dumps and the groundwaters near one dump (an unprotected landfill) showed toxic effects on all the test species, for samples taken in spring as well as in autumn. The well water of the (more recent) waste dump of the City of Opole in turn did not show any toxicity. The sugar factory effluents were very toxic to the test biota, but a water sample taken in the River Nysa at 800 mf from the discharge outlet did not show any toxicity.