Nova Alumina

Above guideline value

Zvornik Industrial site Site ID: BiH-RS-7 Report date: 2025-10-23

Note. This is a preliminary assessment. The general conclusion of the report is that the location requires further detailed analysis. The data shown is not a final risk determination.

Media tested

Soil
Water
Groundwater

Summary

Nova Alumina is a large industrial complex in the Karakaj industrial zone, on the right bank of the river Drina north of Zvornik. It is an alumina (glinica) factory — the former "Birač" — with several production plants and power units, one of the biggest industrial complexes in the region. Soil testing showed that cadmium and chromium across the factory grounds, together with nickel and, in places, cobalt, zinc and lead, were above the level at which land is no longer considered clean — but no substance in the soil reached a level that would indicate a need for cleanup. In the water, lead exceeded the permitted limit in both the surface-water and the groundwater sample, while every other tested substance in the water stayed within limits.

Assessment findings

Findings of concern

In the soil, cadmium and chromium across the whole factory site, and nickel throughout the location, were above the level at which land is no longer considered clean.
Cobalt, zinc and lead were above that level at individual spots on the factory grounds, including the area next to the red mud.
In the water, lead exceeded the permitted limit in both the surface-water sample and the groundwater.

Positive findings

No tested substance in the soil reached the level indicating a need for cleanup — the most serious threshold was not exceeded anywhere at the site.
Copper, arsenic and mercury in the soil were within the prescribed limits, as were oil-related pollutants, combustion-related compounds and related volatile compounds.
Apart from lead, all tested substances in the water — metals, oil-related pollutants and combustion-related compounds — met the limits in both the surface-water and the groundwater sample.

Photo gallery

The project results have been submitted to the competent institutions as a basis for improving regulation and for strategic planning of further activities.

Legal basis

Rulebook on limit and remediation values of polluting, harmful and hazardous substances in soil (Official Gazette of RS No. 82/21)
Rulebook on the conditions for discharging wastewater into surface waters (Official Gazette of RS No. 44/01)

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