In September 2016, SIP Lvse Jiangnan Public Environment Concerned Centre (hereinafter referred to as “PECC”) received a report from residents in Beicheng Town, Danyang City, reflecting the serious water pollution in Danyang Electroplating Park.
Immediately, PECC conducted a 6-month environmental research of the Danyang Electroplating Park, collecting samples from five sites in two batches, and the third-party testing agency detected that there are heavy metals exceeded the standard. Heavy metals nickel and chromium were detected in the first sand sample and the second sample of the bottom mud, while the exceedance in the bottom mud was higher, with nickel exceeding the standard by as much as 8 times; zinc and copper both showed exceedances in the bottom mud sample (with reference to the sediment standards of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)).
Danyang City has 46 electroplating remediation enterprises stationed in Danyang Electroplating Park. The industrial wastewater of electroplating enterprises is collected and treated by He Yun Industrial Wastewater Disposal Co., Ltd. Uniformly, most of the heavy metals in the treated wastewater are removed and part of the wastewater is recycled, and the rest of the wastewater is discharged into Houxiang Wastewater Treatment Plant together with the domestic wastewater of the park to be treated, and the tailwater is discharged into the river in Taiping Danyang Electroplating Park, which is finally discharged into the Jiajiang.
After several investigations by PECC’s team, it was found that there were 5 large and small discharge outlets along the road and river on the east side of Heyun Wastewater Disposal Co., Ltd., but no pipeline sewage was found, only red and light green traces were found under the discharge outlet; The PECC’s team sampled and tested the sediment in the north channel of Heyun Wastewater Disposal Co., Ltd. The specific locations are shown in the figures below:
Figure 1: The first batch of sampling sites
Figure 2: Discharge outlet 1
Figure 3: Discharge outlet 2
Figure 4: Discharge outlet 3
Figure 5: Discharge outlet 4
Figure 6: The test of pH
Figure 7: Location map of the second batch of sampling
In addition to the five outlets, in Danyang Electroplating Park and its surrounding large enterprises and small workshops, the phenomenon of clandestine discharge can be seen everywhere.
Figure 8: The disorder discharge is frequent
Figure 9: Companies are discharging sewage into the river
Figure 10: The concealed discharge outlet is covered by dead branches, and the soil next to the visible discharge outlet has been corroded and discolored
On March 15th, 2017, PECC submitted the “Research Report on the Environment of Danyang Electroplating Improvement Park” to the environmental protection bureau.
After receiving no response from the government department for the first time, PECC issued a “Letter to Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau” through the WeChat public platform on June 2nd, 2017. PECC hopes that Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau can break the silence and give timely responses and explanations to the “Research Report on the Environment of Danyang Electroplating Improvement Park” submitted by PECC to realize a positive communication mechanism, and jointly promote the solution of environmental pollution problems in Danyang Electroplating Park, so as to achieve pollution reduction and the improvement of environmental quality.
Figure 11: An open letter to the environmental protection bureau
On the morning of June 22nd, Deputy Director Chen of Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau visited PECC and brought a written reply, and conducted on-site communication and exchanges on the “Research Report on the Environment of Danyang Electroplating Improvement Park” submitted by PECC on March 15th .
Figure 12: Deputy Director Chen of Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau and his colleagues visited PECC
Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau said: After receiving PECC’s research report in March, Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau began to investigate in April. The research found that, indeed, as stated in PECC’s research report, there was pollution in the river near the electroplating improvement park. Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau renovated the river according to the 6-point suggestion of PECC’s “Research Report on the Environment of Danyang Electroplating Improvement Park”, destroyed and banned 4 small workshops for surface treatment beside the river. At present, the construction of the pipe network of river sewage and dredging work has started, and 28 million yuan has been invested in the tail water treatment of the electroplating park and the expansion of the sewage treatment plant.
Figure 13: The written reply from Danyang Environmental Protection Bureau
On September 19th, 2017, when researchers from PECC conducted a survey near Danbei Town, Danyang City, they found that there was oil pollution and rust caused by surface treatment on a long river near Danyang Electroplating Park (near Provincial Highway 308). However, no corresponding sewage outlet was found on the day of the investigation.
Figure 14: There are oil and rust floating in the river
On December 28th, 2017, PECC’s researchers found that the water quality of the river has been basically improved during the investigation in Danyang Electroplating Park, and no sewage outlet was found.
This project is the “Sniper Battle of Water Pollution of Tai Lake” project of the East China Center of SEE.
Thanks to Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) for its financial support. The content and opinions in this article only represent the author’s personal views and have nothing to do with the position or policies of SEE.