Black Sea Basin · 3 Countries · 30 Months

Protecting the Rivers of
the Black Sea Together

Scientific monitoring, pollution reduction and ecosystem restoration on the Sakarya, Maritsa and Supsa rivers — a transnational partnership of four organisations from Türkiye, Greece and Georgia.

Sakarya River

Türkiye · SMM

Active

Evros River

Greece · DUTH

Monitoring

Supsa River

Georgia · Lanchkhuti

Active

1 / 3

Target Rivers

Three Rivers, One Framework

Consistent data production through a standardised methodology to address agricultural runoff, industrial discharges and microplastics.

Türkiye

Sakarya River

Partner: Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality (SMM)

Under industrial and agricultural pressure, this river is the site of pathogen detection, heavy metal analysis and a bioremediation pilot application.

Heavy Metals Agricultural Runoff Microplastics

Greece / Türkiye

Evros River

Partner: Democritus University (DUTH)

The project's most critical example due to its transboundary nature. The delta ecosystem, wetlands and eutrophication risk are under comprehensive monitoring.

Nutrients Industrial Discharge Pathogens

Georgia

Supsa River

Partner: Lanchkhuti Municipality

Solid waste accumulation and agricultural pollution are the main problems in this river flowing into the Black Sea. The local municipality is an active partner on the ground.

Solid Waste Agricultural Runoff Microplastics

Stakeholder Map

Who Is Involved?

Engagement intensity of stakeholders who benefit from and participate in project activities.

Local public authorities

Municipalities and regional bodies

3 municipalities · 9 regional bodies

Universities & Research

DUTH, IUC and regional institutions

2 universities · 4 research units

NGOs & Civil Society

Environmental and river protection organisations

8+ NGO participants

Farmers & Industry

Pollution source stakeholders

60+ farmers · 30 industry representatives

Educational Institutions

Schools, students, teachers

150+ students · 3 countries

General Public

Riverside communities

300+ individual target participants

Project Timeline

From Science to Action — 30 Months

Each phase builds on the scientific outputs of the previous one.

Months 1–8 · Preparation

Methodology & Capacity Development

ISO standards · 24-hour field training · sampling protocols

Months 5–20 · Monitoring

Sampling & Lab Analyses

4 seasons · pathogens, microplastics, heavy metals · scientific reports

Months 21–24 · Strategy

Action Plans & Stakeholder Engagement

Local conferences · round tables · restoration platform

Months 21–28 · Action

Clean-up, Bioremediation & Training

Diving teams · 100+ children · farmer & industry workshops

Months 29–30 · Legacy

International Conference & Regional Network

"Pure & Clean Rivers" platform · MoA signing · dissemination

Data & Monitoring

River Status Dashboard

Seasonal sample analyses are shared transparently with the public. (Sample data)

Pollution Index — Seasonal Variation

Win
24

Spr
24

Sum
24

Aut
24

Win
25

Spr
25

Sum
25

High

Medium

Improving

Within Standard

Latest Measurement — Sakarya

pH7.4 — Normal

Dissolved Oxygen8.2 mg/L

E. coliMedium Level

MicroplasticsHigh

Lead (Pb)Under Monitoring

Field Actions

Campaigns and Field Footage

River clean-up dives, shoreline events, bioremediation — all activities on record.

Sakarya, TR · June 2025

Surface skimmer clean-up on Sakarya — 6-day operation

3 Countries · Joint Event

Shoreline festival with 100+ children — art from waste

Science · Bioremediation

Constructed wetland and biofilter pilot — how does it work?

Diving Operation

Underwater clean-up dives — certified teams in the field

Scientific Outputs

Reports and Publications

Scientific output reports prepared each period are published in English and national languages.

Measurement and Monitoring Methodology Guide

D1–D2 · IUC coordination · TR / GR / GE / EN

Scientific Output Report — Sakarya River Q1–Q3

D3–D5 · Pathogen, microplastic, heavy metal analysis results

Evros River Water Quality Monitoring Report

D3–D5 · DUTH · Greece / Türkiye transboundary data

Clean-up and Restoration Action Plan — 3 Rivers

D6 · All partners · Performance indicators included

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Transparent Communication

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Obstacles and solutions shared with the public — transparency increases participation.

Seasonal access restrictions

Access to some sampling points became difficult in winter. An alternative sampling schedule was activated.

Resolved

Low stakeholder turnout

Industry representative attendance at initial workshops was below expectations. A new invitation strategy was implemented.

Improved

Cross-border data sharing

Aligning data protocols between the two countries on the Evros River took longer than expected.

Ongoing

Laboratory accreditation process

Finding an accredited laboratory service provider for the Georgian partner took time. An alternative partner was found.

Resolved

Social Media Feed

Latest posts from all platforms in a single feed.

Audio Content

Pure Rivers Podcast

All episodes are available in transcript and screen-reader-compatible formats. WCAG 2.1 AA standard. Every episode is presented with subtitles in Turkish, Greek and Georgian.

River pollution science, field experiences and policy commentary — new episode every week.

Episode 5 · Latest

Why are microplastics so dangerous? Field notes from Sakarya

Guest: Prof. Dr. Elif Yıldız · IUC

42 min

14:4242:00

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Events and Conferences

Sharing Knowledge

From local workshops to the international summit — all events organised and planned throughout the project.

International Conference

Pure and Clean Rivers — Black Sea Summit

September 2026 · Months 29–30

Sakarya, Türkiye · hosted by SMM

50+ participants, 3 countries

Action plan resultsRegional network launchMoA signing

Local Conference

Supsa River Current Status and Restoration Strategy

January 2026 · Period D6

Lanchkhuti, Georgia

50+ local stakeholders

Local Conference

Evros River — Stakeholder Strategy Workshop

February 2026 · Period D6

Xanthi, Greece · DUTH

50+ participants

Online Webinar

Monitoring and Evaluation Results — Live Broadcast

April 2026 · Period D7

Online · Zoom + YouTube Live

Unlimited participation

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Capacity Building Trainings

Knowledge Protects Rivers

From researchers to farmers, from students to public officials — all trainings organised throughout the project.

Aug 2025

Capacity Building

Research Teams Core Training — Sakarya

4 days · 24 hours · IUC coordination · In-person · Hosted by SMM

Water quality parameters Sampling techniques Lab analysis methods QA/QC procedures

9 participants · Completed

Mar 2026

Capacity Building

Local Public Authorities Workshop — 3 countries simultaneously

3 sessions × 4 hours · 5 institutions per partner

Legislation and policy Cleaner production Action plan networks

150 places · Open

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Blog

Stories from the Rivers

Scientists, local officials, field volunteers — different voices, one goal.

Featured · Stars

Beliefs of Primitive People

This post is all about rare techniques from remedial section of Vedic Astrology. A technique which calculates a Tithi (lunar date) for a house in…

seda

10 Şubat 2020 · 1 min read

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Sign

Sign of the Zodiac

seda · 1 min · 10 Şub 2020

Zodiac

Do Astrology makes Sense

seda · 1 min · 10 Şub 2020

Astrology

Astrology Science or Not?

seda · 1 min · 10 Şub 2020

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Regional Network

Pure and Clean Rivers Platform

A permanent coordination and knowledge-sharing network connecting all river protection stakeholders in the Black Sea basin. It will live on after the project ends.

Countries

Partner Types

∞

Duration

Policy development support

Project data and methodologies inform national and regional river policies.

Coordination and advisory

Network members can consult each other on pollution management and restoration.

Knowledge and good practice sharing

Monitoring data, training materials and action plans will be open to all members.

Permanent communication platform

Coordination among network members will continue after the project via the digital platform.

Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) — September 2026

By signing the MoA at the international conference, local authorities, universities, NGOs and sector bodies will become permanent members of this network.

Founding members

IUC · Türkiye SMM · Sakarya Metropolitan DUTH · Greece Lanchkhuti Mun. · Georgia Thrace Regional Authority Central Black Sea Dev. Agency Guria Region · Georgia + New members welcome

Partnership Structure