Discussion Papers 1993.
Spatial Research and the Social-Political Changes 59-65. p.
THE INDUSTRY OF THE GDANSK AGGLOMERATION
59
THE INDUSTRY OF THE GDANSK
AGGLOMERATION
AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS OF THE
REGION
MALGORZATA WYSIESSKA
As a result of the intensive industrialization process in Poland after World War II, there
has been a huge devastation of environment.
In 1983, 27 areas of ecological hazard were established in Poland. One of them is the
area consisting of the Gdansk Bay, the Vistula Bay and the seaside terrains with the
Gdansk agglomeration, the Hel Peninsula and the Elblag area.  (Figure 1) The surface of
this area is 3,219 km 2  with more than 1.1 million inhabitants. The cities and communes of
this area are as follows:
cities: Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot, Braniewo, Elblag, Frombork, Hel, Jas-
tamia, Pruszcz Gdatiski, Puck, Reda, Rumia, Tolkmicko, Wejherowo,
Wladyslawowo and Zukowo;
— communes: Braniewo, Cedry Wielkie, Elblag, Frombork, Kolbudy
Gdrne, Kosakowo, Krokowa, Milejowo, Pruszcz Gdatiski, Puck, Steg-
na, Sztutowo, Tolkmicko, Wejherowo and Zukowo.
The total surface of the ecological hazard areas in Poland is 35,220 km 2, which is
11.3% of the surface of the whole country. The Gdansk hazard area covers 1% of the
territory of Poland and 9.1% of the combined surface of the Polish ecological hazard
areas.
In 1985, 120 hectometres of industrial water pollution, 81,500 tons of industrial air
pollution and 8,982,000 tons of solid waste were emitted in the Gdansk voivodship. Most
of this pollution, more than 80%, was produced in towns.  (Table 1)
Pollution is an enormous problem in the Gdansk area because of the region's functions
(industry, tourism and recreation in the Baltic coastal area) and because of the high popu-
lation density (190 persons per km 2).
More than half (50.8%) of the surface of the Gdansk ecological hazard area is occu-
pied by the Gdansk agglomeration with 987,300 inhabitants, which is 85.3% of the whole
area's population. This agglomeration comprises the next cities:
Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot, Wejherowo, Luzino, Kosakowo, Szemud, Zukowo, Kolbudy,
Pruszcz Gdanski, Cedry Wielkie, PszczOlki, Tczew and Subkowy.

Malgorzata Wysienska : The Industry of the Gdansk Agglomeration and the Environmental
Hazards of the Region. In: Spatial Research and the Social-Political Changes.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 1993. 59-65. p. Discussion Papers. Special
60
MALGORZATA WYSIENSKA
Figure 1
The Gdansk agglomeration against the background of the ecological hazard area of
Gdansk
( 2
Wetherowo
1-1
TIM n
Brorne wr
FrombT1:1111 11
Tolkrnicko
"
►
E BLAG
ti
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1
L
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2
1 — ecological hazard area; 2 — Gdansk agglomeration
In this agglomeration there are 365 industrial plants with more than 110,000 em-
ployees, comprising 2.5% of Poland's industrial earners. So the Gdalisk agglomeration is
an area of industrial concentration and a source of environmental hazards.
The highest growth of pollution emission in this area occurred in the years 1975-1980.
, (Table  2) During this period, air pollution increased from 40,100 tons in 1975 to 86,600
tons in 1980, which consisted mainly of sulphur dioxide gas and fly-ash. In 1980 the
extent of air pollution in the Gdatisk agglomeration was set at 3.8 tons per kin 2  of indus-
trial dust and 7.9 tons per km 2  of industrial gas. In the same period, as we noticed, the
amount of industrial solid waste almost doubled: it increased from 4,492,500 tons in 1975
to 8,356,200 tons in 1980, which is now stored on this 207 ha area.

Malgorzata Wysienska : The Industry of the Gdansk Agglomeration and the Environmental
Hazards of the Region. In: Spatial Research and the Social-Political Changes.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 1993. 59-65. p. Discussion Papers. Special
62
MALGORZATA WYSIENSKA
It is difficult to speak about water pollution because many of the industrial plants in
the Gdansk area do not have legal permission for water emission, and therefore their
emission of liquid waste is out of control, illegal and unmeasured.
Of course, sewage poses a serious problem in the agglomeration. This is the place
where the River Vistula with a few small tributaries reaches the Baltic Sea. The River
Vistula is the biggest receiver of waste water in Poland.
According to the information obtained from the Centre of Research and Control of
Environment in Gdansk, in 1984 about 113,514,5 dam 3  of sewage per day was flowing
into the Gdansk Bay with nearly 4,000 tons of organic substances and 400 tons of nitrates
and phosphates a day. This amount of entire sewage originated from the waste water ar-
riving from:
1.
Industrial-harbour complex of Gdynia:
78.8 dam3  per day
2.
Sopot-Gdarisk urban complex:
162.6 dam 3  per day
3.
Industrial-harbour complex of Gdansk:
110.2 dam 3  per day
4.
Wejherowo-Gdynia urban complex:
50.9 dam 3  per day
5.
Liquid waste of the Rivers Motlawa and Reda:
1,656.0 dam 3  per day
6.
The water of the River Vistula from outside of the Gdansk voivodship:
111,456.0 dam 3  per day
As it can be concluded from the above, more than 98% of the waste water is not
emitted in the Gdansk area.
The condition of environment in the Gdansk agglomeration is mainly influenced by 16
industrial plants. The complex of five thermal-electric power stations is located there.
Two of them can be found in Gdansk, and three in Gdynia—altogether occupying a sur-
face of 202.7 ha. There are three big chemical plants in Gdansk: a plant of phosphatic
fertilizers (occupying a 51.3 ha territory), a refinery (on a surface of 336.4 ha) and a sul-
phur shipping agency (with a 5 ha area). Furthermore, much pollution is caused by the
four shipyards—especially the Gdansk shipyard (135.7 ha) —, the cement plant in
Wejherowo, two fat industry plants in Gdansk and Gdynia, a gas engineering plant in
. Gdansk and a sugar factory in Pruszcz Gdariski. In 1985, these plants emitted more than
77% of the total industrial sewage, 95% of the air pollution and 99.6% of the solid waste
for this area. At this point the amount of pollution reveals the same upward tendency.
(Table 3)
There are six sewage works in the area of the Gdansk agglomeration: three of them are
based on mechanical treatment and three on mechanical-biological treatment. They treat
industrial sewage as well. In 1986, the load factor of these plants was more than 100%.
The worst situation is characteristic of Gdynia where only one mechanical-biological
treatment plant operates—with more than a 194% load factor.  (Table 4)

Malgorzata Wysienska : The Industry of the Gdansk Agglomeration and the Environmental
Hazards of the Region. In: Spatial Research and the Social-Political Changes.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 1993. 59-65. p. Discussion Papers. Special
THE INDUSTRY OF THE GDANSK AGGLOMERATION
63
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Malgorzata Wysienska : The Industry of the Gdansk Agglomeration and the Environmental
Hazards of the Region. In: Spatial Research and the Social-Political Changes.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 1993. 59-65. p. Discussion Papers. Special
64
MALGORZATA WYSIEI(ISKA
Table 4
Characteristics of municipal sewage treatment plants in the Gdansk agglomeration,
1986
Amount of
Load
Reduction degree of
Type of plant
treated
factor of
pollution
sewage
plant
Biologi-
Suspension
BzT5
Media-  cal-me-
laical
3
chanical  dam /year
%
%
%
Voivodship total
6
6
79,431
--
—
—
Towns of the agglomerati-
3
3
46,569
—
—
—
on — of which
Gdadsk
1
—
24,373
155.1
52.1
23.9
—
1
3,040
104.1
67.0
30.6
—
1
18,518
134.9
62.7
58.9
Gdynia
—
1
37
194.7
26.1
19.4
Pruszcz Gdanski
1
—
601
151.8
36.1
14.9
Debogorze (Kosakowo)
1
—
25,211
88.0
53.4
31.4
There are also big solid waste storage yards in this area of the Gdansk agglomeration.
The biggest, which occupies a 34.1 ha surface, can be found in Wiglinka—close to
Pruszcz Gdaiiski, about 8 km to the East of Gdansk. It has been settled on the phospho-
gypsum coming from the Phosphatic Fertilizers Plant and having a high rate of toxicity.
Within two years the height of this storage yard will have reached 41 m.
On the terrain of the agglomeration there are three big storage yards for the flue dust
and slag produced by the heat and power generating plants. Their surfaces are 31, 50 and
120 ha, respectively. Furthermore, there are four municipal waste dumps in the agglomer-
ation serving the functions of industrial storage yards. Their territories are 54, 16, 2 and
about 1 ha.
The amount of air pollution is above standard in the 160 km 2  area of the agglomera-
tion, especially in Gdansk and Gdynia where 800,000 inhabitants live. It is caused mainly
by gases like ammonia, fluorine, benzene, chlorine, hydrogen cyanide, allergic substan-
ces, fluorine, sulphuric acid, asbestes dust etc.
Environmental devastation is, above all, due to inappropriate production technologies
and the bad organization and management of industry.
The author is going to perform research on the organization of industry in this region,
highlighting industry-environment interaction, using the method of graphs and the model
of interaction.

Malgorzata Wysienska : The Industry of the Gdansk Agglomeration and the Environmental
Hazards of the Region. In: Spatial Research and the Social-Political Changes.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 1993. 59-65. p. Discussion Papers. Special
THE INDUSTRY OF THE GDANSK AGGLOMERATION
65
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* * *
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