PREFACE

 

Antecedents

On April 19, 1995 Governments of the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Hungary signed an Agreement concerning certain temporary technical measures and discharges in the Danube and Mosoni branch of the Danube[1] (Appendix A.1) - hereinafter Agreement. The Agreement prescribes the monitoring of environmental impact of realised measures, increased discharges into the Danube and Mosoni branch of the Danube, and water supply into the right side river branch system. Activities of the Nominated Monitoring Agents connected with the realisation of environmental monitoring in the influenced area are described in the Statute[2], signed on May 29, 1995 in Gabčíkovo (Appendix A.2).

On October 23, 1997 the Slovak Republic, through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, informed the Republic of Hungary of its readiness to prolong the validity of the Agreement from April 19, 1995 until an agreement on implementation of the Judgement of International Court of Justice, declared on September 25, 1997, is reached. The Republic of Hungary accepted the proposed prolongation by the Governmental Resolution of Hungarian Government from December 17, 1997.

The Slovak Party, according to the intergovernmental Agreement, has undertaken to release an annual average discharge of 400 m³s^-1 into the Danube downstream the Čunovo dam and 43 m³s^-1 into the Mosoni branch of the Danube and the right side seepage canal, depending on hydrological and technical conditions described in the Appendices No. 1 and 2 of the Agreement. The Hungarian Party, according to the Agreement, constructed a submerged weir in the common section of the Danube at rkm 1843, and put it into operation in June 1995. This weir enables supply of water (up to 250 m³s^-1) into the river branches in the Hungarian inundation area. The water discharged into the Mosoni branch of the Danube ensures the water supply of the Mosoni Danube and branches in the Hungarian flood-protected area.

According to the Article 4 of the intergovernmental Agreement the Parties are obliged to mutually exchange and evaluate data obtained by the environmental monitoring on both, Slovak and Hungarian, sides of the Danube, which are necessary to assess impacts of the increased flow rate in the Danube and the water supply on the Hungarian side. Technical details of the environmental monitoring on both sides – the determination of influenced area, the sampling and measuring points, the frequency of measurements, the list of exchanged parameters, the frequency of data exchange, etc. – are described in the Statute (Appendix A.2) and relevant documents.

Observation results and measured data in tabular and graphical forms, together with their evaluation, create the National Annual Reports prepared by the Parties themselves, according to the Article 3 of the Agreement. This Joint Annual Report was elaborated jointly and it is based on the approved and mutually exchanged National Reports.

The present report is the tenth Joint Annual Report on the environmental monitoring and gives an evaluation concerning the hydrological year 2004. The evaluation of the Slovak side is based on the data collected by the Slovak Hydro-meteorological Institute, Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Forest Research Institute, Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute, West Slovakia’s Waterworks Company, Bratislava’s Waterworks Company, Slovak Water Management Authority, Water Research Institute and Ground Water Consulting Ltd. The data exchange and the evaluation of the monitoring under the frame of the joint monitoring are co-ordinated by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the Construction and Operation of the Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Project.

The evaluation of the Hungarian side is based on the data collected by the North-Transdanubian Inspectorate for the Environment and Nature Protection and Water Management, North-Transdanubian Environment Protection and Water Management Authority, Regional Waterworks Companies, Forest Research Institute, Pannon Agricultural University, Museum of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Lóránd Science University. The data exchange and the evaluation of the monitoring are co-ordinated by the Hungarian Ministry for the Environment Protection and Water management.

Goals of the Joint Monitoring

The main goal of the Joint Slovak-Hungarian Monitoring in accordance to the intergovernmental Agreement is to observe, record and jointly evaluate quantitative and qualitative changes of surface and ground water bodies and water related natural environment in connection to the realised measures and applied water supply. The water supply into the river branches on the Hungarian side is assured by the submerged weir, which is increasing the water level in the Danube upstream of the weir.

The evaluation includes changes in the hydrological regimes of the surface and ground water, changes in the surface and ground water quality, changes in the soil moisture and changes in forestry and biota.

The goal of mutual data exchange is to provide information on monitoring results, on progress of parameters included in the data exchange, and environmental changes on the influenced area of the respective Parties. The basic condition of data exchange is the use of equal or compatible methods of measurements and analysis and the application of agreed interpretation methods.

The final goal of the Joint Annual Report is to submit joint evaluation of monitoring results and joint recommendations for monitoring improvement and environment protection activities to the respective governments.

Joint monitoring activities in the year 2004

Monitoring activities in the hydrological year 2004 on both sides were carried out in accordance to the intergovernmental Agreement and the Statute. These consist of surface and ground water regime observations, surface- and ground water quality monitoring, measurements of soil moisture content, forest monitoring, fauna and flora observations.

National Annual Reports on environment monitoring in 2003 were mutually exchanged on June 16, 2004 in Budapest. The approval and signing of the Joint Annual Report on environment monitoring in 2003 was done on July 12, 2004 in Budapest. During the hydrological year 2004 negotiations were held on joint water quality evaluation and data harmonization. Comparing to the previous year there were one well (No. 116) for drinking water supply at Kalinkovo water source replaced by another one (No. 119) due to technical reasons. No other changes in observation object composition occurred. In comparison to the previous year the Slovak Party introduced a complementary observation of flying imagines of Odonata, Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera. No other changes were registered in observation or evaluation methods.

At selected profiles the Parties carried out joint surface water discharge measurements. The other activities remained unchanged.

Fulfilment of recommendations in the Joint Annual Report 2003

1.    Definition of the term “flood” for evaluation purposes of the water amount discharged to the Danube old riverbed according to the Agreement 1995

• the term “flood” will be used in connection with announcement of the I. degree of flood prevention activity, which corresponds to the flow rate of 6000 m³s^-1 at Bratislava-Devín gauging station in agreement with the operational manual of the Gabčíkovo hydropower structure.

• the definition of the “high water” is be based on 99 % flow rate of the highest yearly discharges in last 103 years, what in the Gabčíkovo region corresponds to the approximate flow rate of 3000 m³s^-1.

• in connection with the evaluation of water amount discharged into the Danube old riverbed it is proposed to use the “flood wave” term instead of the term “flood”. As a flow rate crucial for decision if the water amount over 600 m³s^-1 will be or will not be took into account at annual average discharge calculation 5400 m³s^-1 is proposed. When flow rate lower than 5400 m³s^-1 is registered at Bratislava-Devín gauging station the water amount exceeding 600 m³s^-1 discharged into the Danube old riverbed will be included in the annual average discharge calculation. When flow rate higher than 5400 m³s^-1 is registered at Bratislava-Devín gauging station the water amount exceeding 600 m³s^-1 discharged into the Danube old riverbed would not be included in the annual average discharge calculation.

2.    Unified sediment quality evaluation

Both Parties held expert negotiations, where they agreed, that since 2005 at sediment quality evaluation the “Canadian Sediment Quality Guideline for the protection of Aquatic Life” from 1999, revised in 2002 will be used.

3.    Drinking water table modification according to the newly accepted standard in both countries

The table given in Part 4 “Ground Water Quality” was modified taking into account the new standards for drinking water quality accepted in both countries. (Ordinance of the Ministry for Public Health of the Slovak Republic No. 151/2004 from January 26, 2004; Ordinance of the Government of Hungary No. 201/2001 (IX.25), from September 25, 2001)

4.    Approximation of the EU legislation – biological parameters

Specific lists of biological parameters for evaluation of ecological status have not been compiled yet in both countries. Adaptation of the joint monitoring to these parameters will be done immediately when these lists will be finished at the level of individual countries. The biological evaluation of the surface water quality at present is based on evaluation of saprobic indexes of biosestón, macrozoobenthos and periphyton.

5.    Observation of flying imagines of dragonflies, caddisflies and mayflies (Odonata, Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera)

The Slovak Party during the year 2004 introduced a complementary observation of flying imagines of dragonflies, caddisflies and mayflies. These observations will create an amendment to the monitoring of larvae living in the water. However he flying imagines observation cannot be ensured on the required level due to personal capacity problems, so they will be used as an informational amendment to the larvae monitoring.

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