Findings from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering reveal the scale of an ecological disaster on Bilajska Street. 'Forever chemicals' found, and Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić states: 'Lika is contaminated in that area.'
More than 370 pages of documentation from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Zagreb have, for the first time, painted a detailed picture of the scale of an environmental time bomb at the site of a former industrial complex on Bilajska Street in Gospić. The findings, released to the public at the request of Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić, confirm the presence of vast quantities of illegally dumped waste, including hazardous substances that threaten the groundwater of the Lika region.
Turudić did not hide his concern. "The findings are not great," he said, adding that "Lika is contaminated in that area." The documentation will serve as key evidence in the investigation led by USKOK against Josip Šincek and Monika Šincek, along with their associates, who are suspected of organized illegal dumping of plastic and other waste containing harmful substances.
Experts documented two large accumulations, so-called 'black heaps,' on the unpaved area behind the buildings. The larger one spans 1,855 square meters, with an estimated volume of 9,101.78 cubic meters. The second, smaller heap contains about 313 cubic meters of waste over an area of 166 square meters. Analysis revealed that secondary processed technogenic waste with a polymer fraction-various types of plastic and microplastics-dominates, along with the presence of heavy metals. Due to its hazardous properties, experts insist that this material must only be disposed of at a hazardous waste landfill.
An even more alarming finding concerns the plateau where waste is not only dumped but also buried in the soil. The affected area is estimated at 12,800 square meters. Geophysical surveys have shown that the average depth of buried waste ranges between four and five meters, with the shallowest zones at one meter and the deepest at eight meters. According to estimates, the site could contain up to 64,000 cubic meters, or more than 37,000 tons, of heterogeneous material. This is a layered mass of plastic-organic fractions and construction components for which samples have confirmed the hazardous property HP14, i.e., ecotoxicity.
Soil analysis confirmed significant chemical loading. Extreme concentrations of heavy metals were measured: up to 9,946 milligrams of copper per kilogram of soil, up to 1,051 milligrams of lead, and up to 317 milligrams of antimony. Experts note that these values far exceed typical natural levels and indicate the presence of electronic and metal waste. During the investigation, 94 waste samples and 99 physicochemical and microbiological samples were taken, and the removal of vegetation over nearly 18,000 square meters has led to the irreversible destruction of habitats.
A key piece of data from the supplementary expert report concerns groundwater. In the downstream piezometer B-1, the total concentration of PFAS compounds, so-called 'forever chemicals,' was measured at 200.5 nanograms per liter. This value is twice the reference limit of 100 nanograms applied to water intended for human consumption. In another downstream piezometer, 7.1 nanograms per liter was measured, while the upstream reference location showed no contamination. The spatial distribution confirms the local impact of improperly disposed waste on groundwater quality.
Although the nearest public drinking water sources, Mrđenovac and Divoselo, are not hydrogeologically connected to the site, experts warn of a high likelihood of further damage. A particular risk is posed by the karst underground, whose fissured structure allows rapid spread of contamination. The assessment is that the current threat to groundwater is "moderate to increased," but only complete waste removal and professional remediation will prevent PFAS compounds, which persist in the environment for decades, from becoming a permanent source of risk for the Lika region.
