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 the 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 Resolution of Hungarian Government from December 17, 1997.

On April 25, 2007 the Nominated Monitoring Agents agreed on Statute modification (Appendix A.3). The agreed modification reflects changes in water quality monitoring according to Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and defines changes in time schedule for elaboration of National and Joint Reports. There were also agreed changes in monitoring sites, observed parameters and frequency of measurements.

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, both discharges 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 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 – determination of the influenced area, 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 Annual Reports.

The present report is the thirteenth Joint Annual Report on the environmental monitoring and gives an evaluation concerning the hydrological year 2007. The evaluation of 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, National Forest Centre, 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 monitoring under the frame of 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 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 monitoring are co-ordinated by the Hungarian Ministry for the Environment Protection and Water management. 

Goals of 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 dependent natural environment in connection to the realised measures and water supply. The water supply into the river branches on the Hungarian side is assured by the bottom 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 forest stands 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 on environmental changes in the influenced area of the respective Parties. The basic condition of data exchange is usage of equal or similar 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 2007 

Monitoring activities in the hydrological year 2007 on both sides were carried out in accordance to the intergovernmental Agreement and the Statute modified on April 25, 2007. These consist of surface and ground water regime observations, surface- and ground- water quality monitoring, and measurements of soil moisture content, forest monitoring, fauna and flora observations.

National Annual Reports on environment monitoring in 2007 were mutually exchanged on June 27, 2008 in Gabčíkovo. The approval and signing of the Joint Annual Report on environment monitoring in 2006 was done on December 17, 2007 in Gabčíkovo. During the hydrological year 2007 new methods of sampling and analyses of surface water started to be introduced in connection with ongoing implementation of Water Framework Directive. The evaluation methodology is still under development. The other activities remained unchanged.

Concerning the changes approved in the modified Statute, it have to be stated that not every changes could be realised in during the year 2007, so some of them will be introduced in the following year. From the evaluation point of view years 2007 and 2008 have to be considered as transitional.

Fulfilment of recommendations in Joint Annual Report 2006 

1.    Monitoring in 2008 will be carried out according to the Statute on the activities of the Monitoring Agents modified in May 2007. According to the modified Statute greater accent is put on the Water Framework Directive in the frame of surface and ground water quality monitoring. The monitoring, including its evaluation, in the year 2007 should be considered as transitional.

Monitoring in 2008 have been carried out according to the modified Statute on the activities of the Monitoring Agents. Greater accent have been put on the Water Framework Directive in the frame of surface and ground water quality monitoring. The evaluation of the monitoring carried out in the year 2007 is considered as transitional.

2.    In connection with changes in methodology in water quality monitoring an overall evaluation of the preceding period is recommended.

Overall evaluation of the surface water quality monitoring of the preceding period has not been done yet. The Slovak Party still considers the overall evaluation as needed.

3.    The Slovak Party repeatedly propose an extension concerning the agreed period for data exchange by at least 10 years backwards (at least since 1982). The actual period of mutual data exchange is represented by period starting in October 1992. The extension should relate to all existing data for monitoring sites, plots, areas and parameters actually included in the frame of Joint monitoring according to the 1995's intergovernmental Agreement.

The data exchange for the extended period (backwards from 1992) has already started by exchanging an overview of data available. The exchange of data itself will be finished by the end of year 2008.

4.    When an extension in data exchange period is agreed an overall evaluation of ground water levels in the influenced area based on the comparison of pre-dam and post-dam periods is recommended.

The overall evaluation of groundwater levels in the influenced area, based on comparison of pre-dam and post-dam periods will create a part of National and Joint Reports on the Environment Monitoring in 2008.

5.    The Parties propose to make an overview of evaluation methods accepted in both countries in connection with the Water Framework Directive.

The evaluation methods within the Water Framework Directive were not finished yet. As soon as the finalized versions will be available an overview will be made in the frame of Joint Monitoring.

---