1. Ostend, situated in the middle of the Belgian coast, is a typical seaside resort with a population of 60,000 in the winter and up to 200,000 in summer. All sewage (to the major part raw dornestic sewage, to a lesser extent sewage of industrial origin) flows into its harbour, causing a daily in flow of ca. one part of sewage per 100 parts of harbour water. This heavy pollution load causes significant physico-chemical and biological consequences. 2. The number of "estuarine" bacteria has increased enormously due to the great daily input of organic matter. The number of coliform bacteria is high; it decreases towards the seaward entrance of the harbour. 3. The beach in the small vicinity of the harbour is polluted. 4. The harbour water contains low... |