The critical condition of the discharge pipe of the treatment plant near the "Zlatna Ribka" campsite forced the local authorities in Sozopol to seek state funding. According to official information disseminated by the Bulgarian National Television (bntnews.bg), the mayor of the Municipality of Sozopol Tihomir Yanakiev confirmed that the administration will officially refer the MRDPW, the MEW and the Burgas Regional Government. The reason is the lack of municipal funds for the costly reconstruction of the underwater infrastructure.
The problems with the discharge near Sozopol and the court saga
The compromised facility is part of the key sewage system “Sozopol – Chernomorets – Ravadinovo“. The problems with it date back years, as sonar scans of the Center for Underwater Archaeology registered serious sagging of the pipes during construction. Scientists then raised the alarm that the stabilizing anchors were light, and the project was not in accordance with the temperature and wave regime of the Black Sea.
In an attempt to protect the public interest, the Municipality of Sozopol is conducting a 6-year lawsuit against the consortium that built the deep-sea outlet. A month ago, the court issued a final decision that completely exempts the contractor from warranty liability, transferring the financial burden to the municipality.
Safety and water quality measures
After the last bending of the pipe above the sea surface, the Executive Agency “Maritime Administration“ and the State “Port Infrastructure“ took immediate action to secure shipping in the area. This was confirmed in an official statement by the Ministry of Transport, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio (bnrnews.bg).
The Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water (RIOSV) in Burgas carried out extraordinary inspections of the “Sozopol“ Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). According to data from the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (bta.bg), the physicochemical analyses of the water samples taken meet all environmental standards. Currently, there is no pollution of the seawater on “Zlatna Ribka“ beach, but the risk of new accidents on the compromised pipeline remains high.