The Sajo Valley's problems include very limited industrial waste- water treatment, unsewered communities, environmentally harmful animal husbandry and fertilizer use, and hundreds of illegal landfills. These problems harm the quality of both surface and ground water in the Sajo Valley and pose a long-term direct threat to the local population.

It was this area that the REC's Japanese Special Fund targeted in August 1993 in a USD 300,000 feasibility project. Its goal was to analyze the extent of contamination and to make recommendations regarding cleanup priorities in the Sajo Valley. Now, a year after beginning, the project is complete.

Researchers detected more than 800 illegal waste sites used in community, agricultural, and industrial dumping that could have harmful effects on surface and sub-surface water. A water-sampling program tested groundwater levels and made surface water, sediment, and soil-sample analyses, checking not only for traditional organic and inorganic chemicals, but also for heavy metals and organochlorine compounds.

A comprehensive final report presents the findings. It identifies key contaminant sources and prioritizes recommendations for follow-up action. Maps with data on environmental quality are included in an annex. The report was sent to all relevant Hungarian ministries and local authorities. It is available at the REC library for public use.

The Japanese Special Fund is funded by the Japanese government and works with the REC on environmental research projects in the Region. The JSF worked with CH2M Hill of the United Kingdom and with the Ecological Institute for Sustainable Development, an NGO in Miskolc, Hungary.