Línea de base para evaluar el impacto de una planta de celulosa en el Río Uruguay

Abstract

In the framework of the environmental impact assessment process undertaken for the commissioning of the Kraft Botnia (currently UPM) paper mill, baseline studies were conducted between 2005 and 2007. The sampling design included three transections perpendicular to the coast line at three sites: Nuevo Berlín, Fray Bentos and Las Cañas. The work included testing of physicochemical parameters of water (nutrients, organic matter, metals, adsorbable organic compounds (AOX), dioxins and furanes), sediment organic matter and granulometry, biological studies of the planktonic, zoobenthonic and fish communities, and bioaccumulation of dioxins in fish. As an average, phosphorus in the water column presented values above those recommended by the national norms, while organic pollutants (AOX, chlorophenols, resinic acids, phytosterols, dioxins and furanes) remained below the guidance values recommended at an international level. Planktonic communities varied significantly across samplings; fish communities varied between sites and samplings, while the benthos results did not show significant space or time variations. The hag Iheringichthys labrosus has been proposed as the most suitable indicator species to be monitored, owing to its ubiquity and abundance. This paper offers an overview of the baseline assessments,highlighting the multiplicity and periodicity of the parameters collected in the course of two years.