Sewage pollution of the lake in «Lisky» Park in Mykolaiv: how the incident ended

A new well, built following sewage leaks into the lake in ‘Lisky’ Park in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

The sewage pollution of the lake in Liski Park, which was recorded in the spring, has been resolved with the construction of a new well and an earthen embankment, which is intended to prevent sewage from entering the lake in the event of an accident. However, for some time the area looked rather untidy: the ground was littered with rubbish, including plastic.

This is discussed in an article by NikVesti: «Sewage leaks into the lake and a climate change indicator in Mykolaiv: the current state of Lisky Park».

It is noted that it was not the site’s managing body — the municipal enterprise «Mykolaiv Parks» — but Oleh Liventsov, an assistant to a Member of Parliament, who reported the leaks into the lake. In response to a freedom of information request, however, «Mykolaiv Parks» stated that the plot of land where the sewage was leaking is situated between the park grounds and the «Zolnyi» garage co-operative.

Sewage leaks into the lake. Photo: State Environmental Inspectorate of the South-Western District

Alla Riazhskykh, chair of the environmental committee of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, noted that Mykolaiv Parks had been asked whether they had reported the leaks into the lake to any authorities.

«There is a director responsible for the assets of the «Mykolaiv Parks» municipal enterprise. We invited them and asked whether they were aware of the situation. They were aware. And what did they do? They did nothing, because I had asked them to send letters to the water utility and «ELU Avtodorig» before we (the committee, — note) had met and before representatives of the working group were there. In other words, no one had raised this issue before then. That is wrong, in my view. There is a facility here, and it needs to be looked after,» the councillor pointed out.

The State Environmental Inspectorate of the South-Western District officially reported the water leak. On 20 April, representatives from the Department of Housing and Communal Services, the «ELU Avtodorig» municipal enterprise, the Zavodskyi District Administration, the Main Directorate of the State Geocadastre in Mykolaiv region, the water utility, Mykolaiv Parks and civil society organisations were already present at the inspection.

At that time, levels exceeding the permitted limits were recorded for suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, ammonium nitrogen, nitrates and phosphates. As the sewer manhole did not belong to any of the municipal utilities, efforts were made to identify its owner. This matter was further investigated by the Regional Council’s Environmental Committee, and subsequently by the Council on Biodiversity Conservation, Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management — also under the Regional Council. Members of the Mykolaiv City Council did not participate in the discussions.

The state of the lake in ‘Lisky’ Park. Photo: NikVesti, 17 July

The article notes that the question remains as to how much sewage had entered the lake before the matter was officially reported. On 12 June, the water utility reported that the «incident» had been resolved.

«At present, there are no leaks in this private sewerage network. In recent days, our staff, together with the network’s owners, have repaired the damaged manhole and sealed it with a thick layer of soil to prevent further leaks in the future,» the water utility’s page stated on 12 June.

In response to an information request from NikVesti, the water utility stated that the entity responsible for the gravity-fed sewerage network on Industrialna Street, from which effluent was leaking into the lake, is Eraagro Ltd.

«The discharge of wastewater from Eraagro LLC’s private sewerage network into the centralised sewerage network of the Mykolaivvodokanal Municipal Utility Company is carried out on the basis of an agreement concluded between the parties,» the water utility also stated.

A new manhole in Lisky Park. Photo: NikVesti, 17 July

The article notes that neither the water utility nor the environmental inspectorate measured how much wastewater had entered the lake. The environmental inspectorate also stated that it had not imposed any fines on the network operator.

«Whilst martial law is in force, the Inspectorate has the right to carry out unscheduled inspections of businesses only with the Ministry’s approval, should such a business be identified. Following an unscheduled inspection, those responsible are held administratively liable,» the environmental inspectorate stated.

The water utility, together with the network owners, constructed a well and covered it with soil. In response to a freedom of information request, Mykolaiv Parks reported that, following the recommendations of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, they had constructed an earthen embankment 0.5 metres high and approximately 6 metres long around the sewer manhole, to «prevent sewage from entering the park grounds».

«Daily monitoring of the current situation around the park has been introduced, carried out twice a day, to check for any hazards,» the response to the request states.

The article notes that, as of 17 July, the new sewer manhole and the area around it looked untidy. The soil used to fill the manhole and build the embankment was mixed with rubbish, including plastic. Clothes were lying nearby, which appeared to have been there for a long time.

The new manhole in ‘Lisky’ Park. Photo: NikVesti, 17 July

The new well in Lisky Park. Photo: NikVesti, 17 July

A new well in Lisky Park. Photo: NikVesti, 17 July

The Zavodskyi District Administration has clarified who is responsible for maintaining the area on the side of Industrialna Street, where the new well has been built. Pursuant to a decision by the Executive Committee, the municipal enterprise «Mykolaiv Parks» is responsible for the sanitation of the area not covered by homeowners’ associations, as well as enterprises, institutions and organisations of all forms of ownership.

«In order to maintain proper sanitary conditions in the specified area, the Zavodskyi District Administration has sent a letter to the municipal enterprise «Mykolaiv Parks» regarding the implementation of measures in accordance with the powers granted,» the Zavodskyi District Administration reported.

It should be noted that residents of Namyv have complained about a foul odour near the «Apelsin» residential complex. They discovered a ditch through which water with an unpleasant odour flows and subsequently enters the estuary. It has emerged that the cause of the sewage discharge was a fault in the water utility’s sewer main, which occurred back in mid-June. However, the sewage has not yet been pumped out.