As a part of the scientific project “Emission inventory of the German Baltic Sea catchment area” several investigations of selected point source discharges as well as of important German Baltic rivers are performed. According of the HELCOM list of “priority harmful substances”  balances are derived for the annual pollution input into the Baltic Sea from Germany. The objective of the project was to determine the point source discharges into surface  waters in the whole German Baltic catchment area for 1998, in order better to fulfil the reporting requirements of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) from the German side.