Grabovica: Arsenic 4x Higher, Nickel at 139 Micrograms
President of Dubrovnik SDP Anita Bonačić Obradović presented Eurofins laboratory findings and demanded publication of nine-year groundwater monitoring beneath the Grabovica landfill.
President of Dubrovnik SDP Anita Bonačić Obradović presented Eurofins laboratory findings and demanded publication of nine-year groundwater monitoring beneath the Grabovica landfill.
The president of the Dubrovnik SDP and city councilor, Anita Bonačić Obradović, leveled serious accusations against Mayor Mato Franković on Wednesday, August 19, claiming that the public had been denied information about groundwater pollution beneath the Grabovica landfill for nearly three years. At a press conference, she presented analytical reports from 2023 and 2024, which she said she had received anonymously.
The findings are the result of an analysis commissioned by the city-owned company Čistoća from the accredited laboratory Eurofins. According to Bonačić Obradović, the laboratory described water from a depth of 183 meters as "very turbid water, dark brown in color, with a noticeable odor."
Bonačić Obradović highlighted three key values: arsenic was four times above the permitted level, nickel-which should not be present at all-was measured at 139 micrograms, and organic pollution was 400 times higher than what is considered healthy for groundwater. "These are not my data; these are analytical reports from an accredited laboratory," she emphasized.
She also responded to earlier criticisms from Mayor Franković, who had claimed she was comparing the figures against the wrong thresholds. "I must say I was even too lenient," she said. She stressed that Grabovica has been proven, through tracer testing, to be connected to the Ombla spring.
Bonačić Obradović checked the public records at the Ministry and found that Grabovica has only one permit, from 2016, while other landfills have a series of permits. "The documentation shows that only one piezometer is analyzed. And the column that is completely empty is the one where it should state whether the water is safe or not," she said.
She directed her harshest accusation at the mayor: "These findings have been known for three years, and the public hasn't heard a word. Mato Franković has clearly hidden these findings from the public, and that is not acceptable."
Bonačić Obradović made three specific demands. The first is an analysis of PFAS at three locations at the Ombla spring, including sites before and after the water treatment plant. The second is an answer as to whether the second phase of the treatment plant with activated carbon has been completed, and if so, when, or if not, why not. The third is the publication of the complete groundwater monitoring data for Grabovica for all nine years, within seven days.
"Until Grabovica is closed, we won't achieve anything. We can talk all we want, but cleaning up the consequences at the end of the system is not the solution," she warned, adding that the mayor had promised to close the landfill six times. She also mentioned the protective liners installed in 2019 and raised questions about Grabovica's capacity and the disposal of asbestos.
Bonačić Obradović further clarified the request for PFAS analysis, explaining that these are so-called "forever chemicals" that are very difficult to break down in the environment. According to her request, analyses should be conducted at three key locations: at the Grabovica landfill, at the source of the Ombla River, and at the water treatment plant in Komolac. She also asked the city administration to answer whether the second phase of the treatment plant, which includes ultrafiltration and activated carbon, has been implemented, as such technology can help in the event of forever chemicals. If the second phase is complete, the SDP wants to know when it was done; if not, the public should be given an explanation as to why the work was not carried out.
A specific question concerns the future of the landfill itself. Bonačić Obradović reminded that Mayor Franković had announced the closure of Grabovica on several occasions, but it has not yet happened. "What is the current capacity of Grabovica? Will it be full by the end of the year, and where will Dubrovnik's waste go after that? Citizens deserve answers to all these questions," she said.
Bonačić Obradović emphasized that she is not claiming the water residents drink is unsafe, but she believes the findings require an urgent response. "So that we don't end up in a situation like Gospić, I think this is in time-to see what's happening," she said. She added that she did not interpret the figures as a layperson but sought expert interpretation.
She concluded: "Drinking water is not a matter of politics. I would first like us to prove that the water is safe, and leave the bickering aside. Pollution doesn't ask if you're left or right; our children will ask us what we did about it."
When asked about the environmental permit issued for Trebinje Airport, Bonačić Obradović called it "a catastrophe because it is an area five kilometers away from Dubrovnik's drinking water source, and this is no longer a local matter."
