Operating and prospective vulnerable drinking water Operating and prospective vulnerable drinking water
Black Sea
HUNGARY
IMPLEMENTING THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE Protection of vulnerable groundwater resources in Hungary
László Kóthay1
Statement
Key Conclusions & Recommendations
• Water is not a commercial product like any other but rather a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.
• The purpose of the EU Directive is to establish a framework for protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater.
• The mission of the Trans-Tisza Region Environmental and Water Directoratein the scope of the WFD is the prevention of aquatic ecosystems deterioration, long-term protection of available water resources, protection enhancement of the aquatic environment, progressive reduction of pollution of surface and groundwater and achievement of the „good water status” by 2015.
• Hungary is situated within the drainage basin of the River Danube, in the lowest part of the Carpathian Basin.
• Except cooling water, 2/3 of the total use is from groundwater.
• 95 % of the drinking water is from groundwater.
Governance Perspective & Management Relationships
Difficulties of protecting programmes
• Groundwater resources are available almost
everywhere.
• Thick alluvial deposits in the major part of the country.
• Karstic aquifers in the mountainous regions.
Pollution sources
•Nobody knows the numbers of pollution
• No information on the behavior of pollutant matter in soil, unsaturated zone and groundwater
• No information on hydrogeological processes
• Delay to get information about present day’s polluters and contamination processes
Innovations
• Characterize sensitive groundwater resources
• Prepare action programmes to characterize sensitive groundwater resources
• Establish the characterization timetable
• Identify vulnerable groundwater resources
• Continue protection programmes for unused sensitive groundwater resources
Action programmes in Hungary
Why protect groundwater sources andresources?
During the period of waterworks building, the safety of drinking water supply was not taken into consideration. 65% of drinking water demand is exploited from sensitive or vulnerable groundwater sources.
Over 500 public waterworks have obtained drinking water from sensitive or vulnerable groundwater sources.
1 Director, Trans-Tisza Region Environmental and Water Directorate, Debrecen, Hungary 5 different protection zones:
Inner zone: 20 days travel time Outer zone: 6 months travel time
“A” hydrogeological zone: 5 years travel time
“B” hydrogeological zone: 50 years travel time
“C” hydrogeological zone means the whole catchment area
Methodology:
Delineate protection areas
• Inventory pollution sources
• Design and implement monitoring systems
• Determine hydrogeological protection areas
• Carry out assessment and prognosis
• Propose measures for safe water supply
• Do cost /benefit analyses on alternatives
• Initiate decision making steps
• Make official resolutions on protected areas
• Implement of the selected alternative
• Safeguard settings
Difficulties of protecting programmes Pollution sources Action programmes in Hungary
• Drinking water source protection is not finished with the status-evaluation and with the establishment of the monitoring system and protection zones.
• Investments can be financially supported from different sources:
- municipal investments in sewerage and waste management,
- targeted and addressed central subsidies by the ISPA and other EU sources, - agro-environmental supporting systems, etc.
• All of society should be involved both in their way of thinking and in their everyday practice.
• All stakeholders are to care about their water resources with great emphasis given to public involvement.
Range of arsenic contamination Danube River Basin
18 countries
Ground water Aquifers
Groundwater protection programme
• Without protection, these groundwater resources may be contaminated.
• Present contaminations of groundwater resources are growing.
• Remediation is not practical and is very expensive.
• Prevention is better and cheaper
Aquifer / Country Setting & Characteristics – Groundwater Users and Uses
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