Newsletter 6: WPT3 Report

Developed Management plans for dealing with groundwater contamination

A Management plan is a sustainable and realistic plan for sustainably improving the groundwater quality in the future. It consists of three basic elements: (i) description of flow and contaminant situation and related processes; (ii) definition of target values to be kept or achieved in the future and (iii) definition of necessary measures in soil and groundwater to achieve the targets. Its implementation is secured through early involvement of the responsible authorities and their contribution to the development of the management plan. For that purpose, key stakeholders (landowners, polluters, residents, consultants, etc.) have to be involved, as well.

The Management plans in the AMIIGA project were developed for seven pilot areas in six Central European countries: Zadar (Croatia), Ljubljana-Ig (Slovenia), Milan and Parma (Italy), Novy Bydzov (Czech Republic), Jaworzno (Poland) and Stuttgart (Germany). Diverse local conditions, such as hydrogeological situation, groundwater use, type of contamination, target values, goals, legal frameworks, responsibilities, are influencing the development of each Management plan. Despite those diversities, the Management plan has been proved an appropriate and flexible tool for planning, coordinating and implementing necessary measures for large-scale groundwater contamination.

Based on gained knowledge and experience from all seven Management plan developments, a shared Management strategy to deal with groundwater contamination is developed. The Management strategy is a guidance for setting up Management plans and initiation of its implementation. It comprises legal framework, elements of Management plan, procedure, definition of targets, involvement of stakeholders and examples of realization (good practices and obstacles with their ways of solution).

A Management plan is a valuable tool that gives authorities a good basis for the future work in protection of groundwater.