Łódź removed from the list of Baltic Sea polluters; Wrocław and Upper Silesian cities also delisted

Łódź is no longer one of the “hot spots” on the HELCOM list – areas crucial for the pollution of the Baltic Sea – the Łódź City Hall announced on Monday. Wrocław and several cities in Upper Silesia were also removed from the list of “polluters.”

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15 april 2025   |   12:01   |   Source: PAP / Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. lodz.pl

The Łódź City Hall reported that the city was removed from the list of Baltic Sea polluters, meaning it is no longer a so-called hot spot in the periodic report by HELCOM, the Helsinki Commission (Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission). HELCOM’s hot spots are areas key to the pollution of the Baltic Sea.

The city evaluated in its statement that – this is a huge success for the city in the field of environmental protection and wastewater management, being the result of many years of investment in modern sewage infrastructure and wastewater treatment plants. –

Łódź lies on the border of the Oder and Vistula river basins. The Bzura River, flowing from northern Łódź, empties into the Vistula, while other rivers belong to the Oder basin, flowing through the Ner and Warta rivers.

– At the end of the 20th century, all industrial and domestic sewage from Łódź flowed directly into the Ner, and from there – through the Warta and Oder – straight into the Baltic Sea. Today the situation looks completely different. The modernization of wastewater treatment plants, expansion of the sewage system, sealing of the drainage system leading to the treatment plant, and public education increased ecological awareness and brought results – stated Joanna Łucka from the Łódź City Hall.

She added that the removal of Łódź from the list of Baltic Sea polluters is proof of the effectiveness of the city’s actions and a significant step in fulfilling Poland’s international commitments regarding the protection of the Baltic Sea.

According to the Łódź authorities, the most significant role in improving the quality of water discharged from the Łódź Agglomeration into the Baltic Sea was played by the construction project of the Group Wastewater Treatment Plant for the Łódź Urban Agglomeration (GOŚ ŁAM), which receives sewage from Łódź, Pabianice, Konstantynów, and the communes of Ksawerów and Nowosolna. Since 2004, GOŚ has been systematically modernized, and new technologies have further improved the quality of treated sewage discharged into the Ner.

– The removal of Łódź from the list of Baltic Sea polluters is an impulse to continue investments and pro-ecological activities, because consistent modernization of infrastructure brings results not only locally, but also affects the condition of the entire Baltic Sea ecosystem – added Joanna Łucka.

The list of Baltic Sea polluters was created in 1992. According to information posted on the HELCOM website, an international group of scientists, engineers, environmental managers, bankers, and representatives of the member countries of the Helsinki Commission identified 132 original environmental hot spots. Later, more were added, totaling 162 hot spots.

– Hot spots are sources of pollution, such as municipal facilities and industrial plants. The program also includes pollution from agricultural areas, rural settlements, and sensitive areas such as coastal lagoons and wetlands where special environmental protection measures are needed – HELCOM states on its website.

Since the first HELCOM list in 1992, the water quality in many coastal waters of the Baltic Sea has significantly improved, reflecting progress in the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater. Currently, there are 35 active hot spots on the list, six of which are in Poland. Four of them concern industrial hazards and are linked to industrial activities in Jaworzno, Czechowice-Dziedzice, Dąbrowa Górnicza, and Kraków.

The points that have been removed from the HELCOM list are so-called municipal hot spots. On a special map on the HELCOM website, Łódź is listed as removed in 2025, along with Wrocław, and Katowice with Mysłowice, Siemianowice, and Bytom.

According to the information on the website of the organization, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, also known as the Helsinki Commission, is an intergovernmental body in the Baltic Sea area. It was established in 1974 to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, and the signatories of the Helsinki Convention are Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.

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ochrona środowiska oczyszczanie ścieków morze bałtyckie łódź helcom polska

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