The Mykolaiv eco-inspection is unsure why the water in the Southern Bug River has turned red.

The Nikolaev eco-inspection is unaware of the reason behind the reddish water in the Southern Bug River.

According to water samples taken from the Southern Bug River, no traces of sewage discharges were found. The ecological inspection claims they do not know why the water in the river has turned red. Regarding the small fountains that emerged from under the water near the Namyv area, approximately 10-15 meters from the shore by the "Cowboy" café, inspectors believe that this phenomenon "should be studied by scientists."

This was communicated to the correspondent of “Novosti-N” by Konstantin Zinkin, the acting head of the instrumental-laboratory control department of the State Ecological Inspection in the Nikolaev region.

According to the specialist, after news broke about the reddish-brown water in the Southern Bug near the "Cowboy" café, he personally visited the site to collect water samples. He confirmed that the water exhibited an unusual color and that two small fountains were clearly visible near the shore. However, Konstantin Zinkin stated that no substances characteristic of sewage discharges were found in the water.

- Last Friday, after the media reported the situation at Namyv, I went there personally. Yes, the water is reddish-brown. And something was bubbling in the water. I collected samples and sent them to our instrumental-laboratory control department. They conducted analyses, and the results showed no exceedances of any pollutants. So, as it was written that these were untreated wastewater from the sewage pumping station or something else—I believe that is not the case. This is not sewage because there are no characteristic pollutants that we tested for. If there had been sewage in the water, certain exceedances would have been observed. In our case, these indicators were much lower than the standards for surface water bodies, - said the inspector.

He also noted that he visited the Namyv beach on Saturday and found that the sand outside the tidal zone had a purple hue. Additionally, he mentioned that a similar incident was recorded last year, but in both cases, this phenomenon posed no danger to the environment.

- I was there on Saturday in the same spot and saw that the sand outside the tidal zone has a slightly purple color. It isn’t in stripes; it looks like something natural. Last year, around the same time, there was a similar situation in a different location. We also received reports that the water had an unusual red color, and we took samples, but no exceedances were found. There was also brightly purple sand there. So I believe this might be some natural phenomenon. On Saturday, I traveled from Namyv to the seaport—the water generally has that reddish-brown color. Perhaps it’s some algae; there can be many assumptions, - said Konstantin Zinkin.

The ecological inspection also stated that, according to their data, there are no centralized discharges in this area.

- In this location, based on the information we have, there are no centralized discharges. There are no enterprises at all, except for the sewage pumping station (KNS), but KNS is what pumps wastewater to the treatment facilities of "Nikolaevvodokanal", - said Konstantin Zinkin.

He further stated that at the water collection site, he did not detect any fecal odor. However, our correspondents, receiving complaints from our readers, visited the Namyv beach and confirmed the presence of an unpleasant smell. Additionally, according to the specialist, if fecal contamination had occurred, the water would have a different color.

- There was no fecal smell, other than the usual one; I can assert this as I was there personally. If it had been feces, the water would have a different color; they are typically murky white or white-green. And if it had come from those fountains, it would have been visible as it dispersed in the water. If it’s something unnatural, it rises to the surface and spreads. But there were just two bubbling fountains, - said Konstantin Zinkin.

The ecological inspection does not intend to investigate the reasons for the color change in the water or the mystery of the underwater fountains.

- But this is only out of curiosity; if there are no changes in the water body, then there is no reason to pursue this. If there were any consequences for the environment, it would be necessary, but we don’t have such capabilities. And if there was pollution, we should identify the source, but if there is no pollution, it turns into mere interest. This might be of interest to scientific organizations; you can reach out to them—there is a marine research institute in Odessa; perhaps they would find it interesting, - summarized Konstantin Zinkin.

In 2018, the pollution level of the river near Namyv was almost 5000 times higher due to sewage discharges. Furthermore, in 2019, four fountains emerged from under the water near the "Cowboy" bar. The water around the discharges became murky, and the characteristic smell left no doubt about what was being dumped into the river.