Untreated sewage leaks into Ludza River after sewer pipe rupture

A sewer pipe has burst in Felicianova, in Cibla parish of Ludza municipality in eastern Latvia, and untreated wastewater has reached the Ludza River. The State Environmental Service (VVD), the body that oversees compliance with environmental protection rules, received a complaint about the leak. It notified the municipality and demanded that the failure be fixed without delay so that no more untreated sewage enters the environment. The effect on the river will be assessed once analysis results are available.

What the municipality and the service are doing

The municipality is currently shutting off the damaged section of pipeline and checking the technical condition of a reserve pipeline. If that cannot be used either, the wastewater will be collected and removed by sewage trucks.

To establish how the incident has affected the water quality of the Ludza River, VVD will take both water and wastewater samples. Based on the results, the service will assess possible environmental damage and decide on further measures.

Possible risks

Untreated sewage entering a river can endanger the organisms living in it. The European Environment Agency explains that organic pollution can reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in water and change the species composition of aquatic life. This happens because microorganisms consume oxygen as they break down organic matter. If consumption exceeds replenishment, fish and other aquatic animals may suffer oxygen shortage, and in cases of severe pollution they may die.

Wastewater can also bring excess nitrogen and phosphorus into the water, promoting overgrowth and algal blooms, as well as pathogens that worsen sanitary water quality. These general risks are also noted by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

What remains unknown

There is currently no basis to claim that such consequences have already occurred in the Ludza River. The VVD statement gives neither the volume of the leaked wastewater nor the duration of the leak, and no fish deaths have been reported. The service will assess the specific impact of this incident after the sample analyses.