Wastewater in the Baltic Sea region - by Dmitry Frank-Kamenetsky, HELCOM Special Advisor

Wastewater is one of the major sources of pressures on the Baltic Sea. It is a pathway for nutrients, the main cause of eutrophication, and hazardous substances. Despite the progress we have made so far over the past decades, our sea is still heavily polluted. We still need to do more. - we
BSR WATER is a great platform for sharing knowledge about wastewater processes in the Baltic Sea region. It compiles scientific outcomes of various projects, and capitalizing on them produces outputs ready for incorporation to regional policy, including showcases and best-practices for better water management.
The BSR WATER project platform brings together a wide range of actors from the municipal to the international level to cover all sorts of water-related issues. With its focus on smart nutrient management and sludge handling, storm water management, and domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, BSR WATER effectively contributes to a Baltic Sea in a healthy state.
By uniting stakeholders from policy, academia, industry and civil society the platform developed a number of products welcomed be HELCOM countries and catering for various needs.
For example, BSR WATER has led to the development of a “Regional palette of solutions to recycle nutrients” and overview of micropollutants in wastewater treatment plants, including respective policy messages. It has also led to guidelines on integrated model for water-sludge-energy cooperation, and regional and national recommendations for integrated storm water management.
The outcomes of BSR WATER are of a particular interest to HELCOM, an active partner in the project. As a major player in the Baltic Sea environmental policy field, HELCOM is an avid consumer of policy advice based on the latest available science and concrete field experiences - as provided by BSR WATER.
Concretely, the outcomes of the platform have underpinned the development of HELCOM’s Regional Nutrient Recycling Strategy - an important tool for reducing eutrophication and promotion of circular economy.
Another direct contribution of BSR WATER was that it led to the update of the HELCOM Recommendation on urban storm water management. The Recommendation promotes sustainable solutions for preventing contamination of the aquatic environment, including by microplastics, and increasing resilience to climate change.
BSR WATER has certainly provided HELCOM with the necessary knowledge which is vital to develop solutions for a healthy Baltic Sea.