Tata Steel and Dow discharge toxic substances violating European water directives

The discharge of toxic substances by at least 12 major industrial companies violates European water directives. A joint investigation by Platform Investico and Het Financieele Dagblad shows that the companies concerned are discharging their toxic substances into waters that are "already heavily polluted." This includes Tata Steel, Shell, and chemical company Dow.

The 12 affected companies have outdated permits, have not conducted mandatory environmental assessments, or do not comply with water quality tests, according to FD and Investico's data analysis. On Friday, Trouw and De Groene Amsterdammer, among others, reported on the investigation. Experts warn investigators that the companies' permits are vulnerable and can be challenged in court.

For instance, Investico found that Tata Steel IJmuiden discharges so much mercury into the North Sea Canal that water quality there deteriorates. The same applies to the Rotterdam paint company Tronox on the Nieuwe Waterweg. Dow's discharges cause too much zinc to enter the Westerschelde. Nevertheless, the company received a permit from Rijkswaterstaat. Rijkswaterstaat told investigators that the permit was granted because standards were not exceeded.

Tata Steel confirmed that its current operation does not meet mercury requirements. The construction of a new plant called Combi BIO will address this, a spokesperson said.

Shell said in a response that it is working with Rijkswaterstaat to update the water permit. The tightened mercury discharge standard will be taken into account. "Once the outcome of the update process is known, we will work with the relevant authority to determine which substances need to be reduced." The petroleum company stresses that wastewater is first treated in wastewater treatment plants "that are among the best available technologies" before discharge.

Chemical company Dow said it has already made "significant efforts" to discharge as little zinc as possible into the Westerschelde and wants to make water management more sustainable. The company claimed it is conducting studies in this regard, as required by its license, and aims to be fully compliant with European water directives by 2027. "The discharge of zinc into the Westerschelde has decreased by 25 percent in the last three years. In addition, the discharge remains within the limit set in Dow's water permit.”

According to NOS, it is nothing new that the quality of water in the Netherlands has declined and has not been rated good for some time. Back in the early 2000s, the European Union was already working to introduce new regulations to protect the quality of surface water, groundwater, and nature. The aim was to ensure that water was purified in such a way that it could be used as drinking water for the population.

These regulations, known as the Water Framework Directive, require water quality to meet requirements by 2027. However, it still doesn't look like the Netherlands will be able to meet the requirements by 2027. According to NOS, the surface water in the Netherlands meets almost none of the established standards.