(As established in the EUSDR Action Plan 2020 (COM(2020) 59 final)
Targets
The Water Quality Priority Area (PA4) has five major objectives to follow during its work:
- Contribute to preventing and reducing water pollution from point and diffuse sources in the Danube Region, especially related to organic substances, nutrients, hazardous and emerging substances inter alia by enhancing waste water treatment and by promoting best management practices
- Contribute to protecting water resources and safeguarding drinking water supply
- Enhance conservation measures of Danube migratory fish species
- Enhance climate change adaptation measures related to water quality
- Assist in elaborating / implementing sub-basin management plans, such as Sava, Tisza and Prut sub-basins as well as a Danube Delta management plan
Actions
Above targets would be reflected by below drafted subject matters to be covered by revised and new actions:
ACTION 1: HAZARDOUS & EMERGING SUBSTANCES: Promote monitoring, prevention and reduction of water pollution deriving from hazardous and emerging substances:
- Close knowledge gaps on monitoring of hazardous and emerging substances in surface waters, biota and sediment
- Determine sources and pathways of hazardous and emerging substances emissions
- Quantify water emissions and loads
- Implement prevention and mitigation measures including a more comprehensively evaluation of measures efficiency
- Contribute to capacity building in monitoring, modelling and management of hazardous substances pollution
- Contribute to improved quality of sediments
ACTION 2: WASTE WATER: Continue boosting major investments in building, upgrading, maintaining and rehabilitating urban wastewater treatment facilities and promote alternative collection and treatment of wastewater in small rural settlements, including measures to build capacity at the regional and local level across the Danube basin
- Identify means to finance infrastructure projects especially in EU Member States that have joined after 2007 and non-EU countries
- Focus on investments in maintenance and rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure
- Enhance and disseminate knowledge on wastewater treatment technologies also considering emerging substances
- Assist in strengthening capacity at national and local administration level as well as at utility level to improve financing, operation and technology of the wastewater infrastructure and services
- Promote alternative collection and treatment of wastewater in small rural settlements, including measures to build capacity at the regional and local level
ACTION 3: WATER & AGRICULTURE: Promote prevention and reduction of diffuse pollution, promote nutrient retention, smart irrigation and water reuse, foster and develop an active process of dialogue and cooperation between authorities responsible for agriculture and environment to ensure that measures are taken to address diffuse pollution and ensure smart water use
- Decouple pollution and water scarcity from agricultural development
- Improve water demand management in agriculture by smart irrigation and water reuse in order to reduce water abstraction needs
- Make agro-environmental measures more attractive
- Provide appropriate information on modern technologies and tools to improve agricultural practices
- Promote good agricultural practices in nutrient management according to the Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC) and Water Framework Directive
- Close knowledge gaps on measures efficiency
- Raise awareness related to the link between agricultural practices, water and soil quality and biodiversity
- Promote links with Air Quality Plans and National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCPs, mandatory under NECD) to make authorities and stakeholders understand how the described measures for water and agriculture can also help to improve air quality
- Contribute to EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) national strategic plans
ACTION 4: DRINKING WATER: Promote measures aimed at reducing knowledge deficits related to protecting water resources and safeguarding drinking water supply
- Contribute to resource efficiency and encourage deliberate and effective water consumption and a water saving culture by the civil and industrial consumers
- Raise public awareness towards the environment friendly, economic, efficient and safe water uses as well as strengthening the environmental consciousness of the public using social media, information materials and targeted guidance documents
- Promote water protection and pollution reduction from the source to tap, according to the proposed revision of the Drinking Water Directive
- Ensure safe drinking water supply via water quality early warning and safeguard zones. Increase the resilience of society and water supply systems against droughts by means of stimulating investments in alternative water sources and smart grids (i.e. linking networks of water providers), and enhancing planning of water availability (i.e. with reservoirs filling plans)
ACTION 5: MIGRATORY FISH: Promote measures to enable fish migration in the Danube River basin.
- Raise broad public awareness and political commitment for the Danube sturgeons as flagship species for the Danube River basin and for the ecosystems and biodiversity of the Danube River basin as a whole
- Foster sturgeon conservation activities including protection of habitats, restoration of fish migration routes and ex-situ conservation measures
- Close knowledge gaps concerning monitoring of pressures and planning of measures for fish migration in coordination with PA 6 (Action 3)
ACTION 6: CLIMATE CHANGE: Promote measures to adapt to climate change impacts in relation to water quality and quantity.
- Implement water quality measures of the ICPDR Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change
- Promote concrete measures to control water abstraction and groundwater overexploitation
- Promote the establishment and maintenance of green infrastructure and natural water retention measures (NWRMs)
- Promote water related measures in urban planning
- Raise farmers’ and public awareness about the importance of soil moisture and soil water retention capacity in soil fertility under changing climate conditions
ACTION 7: TOOLS: Enhance cooperation, increase and exchange knowledge and secure financing to water quality measures in the Danube Region.
- Ensure active involvement of and dialogue with all stakeholders
- Strengthen territorial cooperation at different levels
- Continue to support ICPDR in further developing water information systems in the Danube Region
- Strengthen and facilitate exchange of good practice in integrated water management implementation in the Danube Basin among decision-makers at all levels and all sectors
- Identify transboundary funds, which could finance and invest in measures outlined in the joint programme
- Collect information on water related financing needs
- Ensure consideration of climate change in planning and measures
