Implementation of Water Framework Directive: Methodology and Action

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Implementation of Water Framework Directive
Methodology and Action

• Boryana Georgieva Water Directorate, Bulgarian
  Ministry of Environment and Water,e-mail
  bgeorgieva_at_moew.government.bg
• Danail Spasov Water Directorate, Bulgarian
  Ministry of Environment and Water, e-mail
  spasov_at_ moew.government.bg
• Workshop Geosciences and the European Water
  Framework Directive, September 10-15th, 2003 ,
  Hannover, Germany

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Figure 1. Map of Republic of Bulgaria
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• Water Framework Directive is a Frame that covers
  very broad information and activities.
• Lots of hard work shall be done within short and
  obligatory deadlines in order to implement all
  the requirements.
• Lots of data that are available need to be
  harmonized, organized into a proper style or/and
  included in maps that helps to make the correct
  conclusions and bring us to the right measures.
• The Directive require hard work combined with
  accurate and professional activities.
• Not only Bulgarian experts but also the experts
  representatives of the EU members agree that
• It is not easy but every country shall try to
  manage in the required time.

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Bulgarian environmental legislation

• Bulgaria is moving forward in the implementation
  of WFD
• We are in the beginning but keep following the
  instructions
• We consider that the requirements of all the EU
  Directives, but the WFD, in water sector are
  fully transposed into Bulgarian legislation

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Bulgarian environmental legislation

• Several requirements of the WFD have been
  fulfilled with the Water Act currently in force
  in Bulgaria
• River Basin management
• Bulgarian water bodies are organised in four
  river basins.
•          Danube River Basin
•          Black Sea River Basin
•          East Aegean River Basin
•          West Aegean River Basin

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Bulgarian environmental legislation

• Bulgarian River Basins are managed by River
  Basins Authorities
• 4 River Basin Directorates
• 15 Regional Inspectorates of Environment and
  Water support River Basin Directorates
• 4 River Basin Councils support the River Basin
  Directorate the members are various
  stakeholders in water sector.
• River Basin Directorates are in the process of
  strengthening.
• Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water -
  existing and acting before the existence of WFD.
• River Basin Councils are in process of being
  established.

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Bulgarian environmental legislation

• Bulgaria is in the process of developing River
  Basin Management Plans.
• A tender procedure have been opened this year for
  preparation of
• terms of references
• for the River Basin Management Plans.

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Emission controls and environmental quality
standards

• Emission controls for point sources and
  environmental quality standards are developed and
  in force since the end of 2000 with
• establishing the order for permit issuing about
  waste water discharge into the water bodies in
  the Water Law
• publishing the Regulations, transposing
• the Dangerous substances Directive, and
• Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive

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In the process of implementation

• Typology, collateral delineation and further
  characterization should be done using GIS maps,
  but not on a paper copy time saving reasons.
• We use existing GIS maps and develop very small
  number of new once, but assessment of their
  accuracy and applicability is now in process.
• Source materials should be strictly assessed and
  clearly defined in the process of maps creation.
• Public information and consultations will
  partially help for identifying and agree on the
  source materials and guidelines for WFD
  implementation in Bulgaria.

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Public Participation

• We first started with several workshops, where
  the stakeholders and all interested parties were
  informed about
• the status of implementing and
• the objectives of the WFD.
• After the work meetings that have been held so
  far it was considered that Public do want to
  co-operate in the process for implementation.
• We are making efforts to assure equal access to
  the relevant information by inviting interested
  parties at such meetings.

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Public Participation

• Simultaneously under one of the international
  projects, selected experts are invited for
  practical work on the implementation of WFD.
• Using the expert judgment and the knowledge of
  the bulgarian and foreign experts, involved in
  the running projects, we get very strong feeling
  that
• the Bulgarian Ministry of the Environment and
  Water will manage to implement the WFD
  requirement, as closer as possible to the
  deadlines.

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International Research Projects

• Findings of ongoing EC research projects should
  be considered when defining types, reference
  conditions, classification process and choosing
  intercalibration sites.
• There are several EC projects that are now in
  progress on the implementation of the EU
  legislation.

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Phare Twinning project 2000

• One of them is Phare Twinning project 2000 for
• Implementation of WFD, Relative to Drinking Water
  and Bathing Water, Fish and Shellfish Water as
  well as Dangerous Substances Directives.
• Consultants of this projects are colleagues from
  France and Germany. Under this project a pilot
  typology of surface water bodies and GIS maps are
  in process of development for the pilot River
  Ogosta in the Danube River Basin and for Burgas
  lakes in the Black Sea River Basin.

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DANCEE Project

• Another running project is the international
  project on
• Implementation of WFD in Bulgaria, focused on
  Black Sea Basin,
• which is funded by Danish Cooperation for
  Assistance to Eastern Europe (DANCEE).
• Consultants under this project are mainly Danish
  experts and luckily one expert from Great
  Britain, which is involved in development of the
  guidance documents to the WFD.
• The project is running with very close
  co-operation between the government authorities
  and the public (interested stakeholders).
• There are working groups that meet regularly and
  assess the results at that stage.

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Figure 2. Location of Ogosta River and Bourgas
Bay sub-basins
The Ogosta River and Bourgas Bay sub-basins were
chosen for developing and testing the methodology
for characterising surface water bodies in
Bulgaria. So far there were defined 8 types of
the surface water. According to the assessment
of the experts in this project these two pilots
should give the global view of the types in
Bulgaria.
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DANCEE Project and Twining 2000

• These sub-basins were chosen based on the
  assumption
• The sites represent the range of water body
  types, present in Bulgaria (for the purposes of
  providing sites for the draft intercalibration
  register)
• the relevant information is already gathered

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Process for selecting river types

• The Ogosta River
• Preliminary typology - based on System A using
  the following factors
• Strahler Stream order (1-4)
•          Size (catchment area)
•          Small (10-100km²)
•          Medium (gt100-1000km²)
• Altitude and,
•          Lowland (lt200m)
•          Foothills (200-800m)
•          Mountains (gt800m)
• Geology
•          Calcareous
•          Siliceous.
• The combination of these factors has resulted in
  7 typology regions (Table 4.1, Figures 4.2 and
  4.3).

Figure 3. Typological river regions for the
Ogosta River
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DANCEE ProjectProcess for selecting river types
Ssmall, M medium, l lowland, hfoothills,
mmhigh, Cacalcareous, Sisiliceous Table 1.
Preliminary river types for the Ogosta River
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DANCEE ProjectProcess for selecting river types
Cacalcareous, Sisiliceous Figure 4. Diagram
showing preliminary types for the Ogosta River
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DANCEE ProjectProcess for selecting river types

• The Bourgas Bay area
• Preliminary river typology for the Bourgas Bay
  sub-basin
• System A using the same factors as for Ogosta
  River sub-basin.
• The combination of these factors has resulted in
  4 typological regions (Figures 7 and 8). Three of
  these types (Types 1, 5 and 7) correspond to
  types already identified in the Ogosta River
  sub-basin. Only one additional type (type 0) was
  identified in the Bourgas Bay sub-basin.

• Figure 5. Typological river regions for the
  Bourgas Bay sub-basin.

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DANCEE ProjectProcess for selecting river types

• Figure 6. Diagram showing preliminary river types
  for the Bourgas Bay sub-basin.

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GW-bodies Dutch project

• Another running project is
• Strengthening of the Capacity and Enhancement of
  the National Groundwater Monitoring System in
  Bulgaria towards Implementation of WFD
• Consultants under this project are Dutch experts.
• The objectives of the project are assessment of
  existing and developing new GIS maps,
  strengthening of the groundwater monitoring
  system and training staff for implementation of
  Annex II and V of the WFD in the field of
  groundwater monitoring

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Figure 7. Boundaries of identified ground water
bodies of Republic of Bulgaria
Initial characterization of the ground water
bodies in the Executive Environment Agency (ExEA)
on the basis of hydrological and geological
characteristics (Figure 7) 155 groundwater
bodies in Bulgaria have been identified The
above mentioned GWB are delineated on the GIS map
in Scale 1500 000
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Delimitation of GW-bodiesDutch project

• There are determined 3 types of groundwater
  bodies porous, carst and fissured according to
  EUROWATERNET
• Under Dutch project on the implementation of WFD
  for groundwater is forthcoming the verifying and
  refining of the identified bodies
• The characterisation of GW bodies have been made
  according to EUROWATERNET requirements and format

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International Projects

• Of course the work is very flexible and until the
  end of the year these conclusions could be
  updated.
• The analysis and river basin management plans
  according to the EU WFD is required from the
  River Basin Directorates and that is why close
  cooperation and involvement of experts from the
  River Basin Directorates in this project is
  assured.

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Figure 9. Danube River Basin with nitrate content
in groundwater
Description of GW-bodies
Qualitative status of the environment, including
of the groundwater in the different bodies is
reported quarterly and annually in line with the
requirements of EUROWATERNET on 4 parameters for
every one of the four River Basins - ammonium,
nitrates, nitrites and dissolved oxygen.
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Figure 8. GW monitoring network in the frame of
the MoEW
Quality and quantity data are available from the
existing monitoring network under the management
of the MoEW, shown on Figure 8. As a result from
the intercalibration process, measures for
extension of the monitoring network will be
undertaken, making efforts to reach the deadlines
of WFD Enhancement of the National groundwater
monitoring system in Bulgaria towards
implementation of WFD will be suggested under the
Dutch project
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Figure 10. GW Risk level assessment from the
biggest municipal waste landfills in Bulgaria
Consider to diffusive sources of pollution the
GIS map with land use in Scale 1100 000 is
developed in ExEA, and there are available
monitoring data for polluter contents caused by
agriculture. Point sources of pollution is
visualized on the GIS map, showing the biggest
municipal waste landfills in Bulgaria. There was
prepared assessment of the risk level for GW
minimum, mean and maximum values. At present a
similar project on industrial waste landfills is
carried out.
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Register of the Protected Areas

• The register of the Protected Areas required
  under Article 6 is still in development.
• The programme for the Register of permits for
  water use or use of water bodies is tested so far
  and it is expected finalizing at the beginning of
  the next year.
• 38 nutrient-sensitive areas fro the hole country
  are defined with an Order of the Minister of
  Environment and Water, including the hole Danube
  River Basin and Black Sea River Basin.

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Conclusions

• We use data that are available for
  implementation. Data are here and now lots of
  hard work follows to be done, adapted methodology
  is coming soon.
• Register of protected areas is in development
  step by step.
• We were not able to meet the deadline 1st of
  August for sending metadata. The time period was
  quite short . As it is extended now, we are
  working on.

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Conclusions

• Not quite accurate GIS maps to provide morphology
  and geology of the water bodies beds are
  available.
• Public give consultations on identifying water
  bodies types.
• Public do want to co-operate and we are making
  efforts to assure equal access to the relevant
  information.

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References

• EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and
  guidelines for implementation
• German Guidance Document for the implementation
  of the EC Water Framework Directive, Working
  paper, LAWA committees, 30.04.2003.
• Summary of the results under the Dutch project
  Strengthening of the capacity and enhancement of
  the National groundwater monitoring system in
  Bulgaria towards implementation of WFD
• Summary of the results under the Phare Twinning
  project 2000 for Implementation of WFD Relative
  to Drinking Water and Bathing Water, Fish and
  Shellfish Water as well as Dangerous Substances
  Directives.
• Summary of the results under the Danish project
  Implementation of WFD
• Summary of the project fiche Institutional
  Strengthening of the River Basin Authorities in
  Bulgaria for Implementation of the EU Water
  Framework Directive in the Danube River Basin
  (pilot River Basin and sub-River Basins).
• Summary of the project fiche Support of the
  Accession Programme to the Ministry of
  Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of
  Environment and Water in the sphere of
  Agroecology.
• Summary of final report for Phare Twinning
  project 1998 Transposition of the EU Directives
  dealing with Urban Wastewater discharges,
  Dangerous Substances and Permit issuing.

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Boryana Georgieva and Danail SpasovBulgaria
Thank you for the attention