Abstract

Turkey’s environmental pollution control strategies will contribute to the protection of the Black Sea water quality. Key pollution problems are eutrophication and non-point source (NPS) pollution. The Black Sea Trans boundary Analysis Project 2007 Report is the main source of this project in which the author of this paper was one of the contributors as expert. The aim is to analyze the current environmental situation in the provinces of Turkey that border the Black Sea and underline the most critical problems regarding pollution in the Black Sea. The results of this study show that the inadequate municipal discharge, lack of the treatment practices and poor wastewater infrastructure in Trabzon, Samsun, and Zonguldak provinces lead to eutrophication. NPS pollution is mostly due to agriculture and industry. The copper industry is the major industrial polluter in the region. Toxic chemical emission from industrial facilities is one of the leading environmental problems in the region.

Keywords: The black sea; Environmental; Eutrophication; Non-point source pollution; Turkey