High-level workshop “Action across sectors and borders for a sustainable future of the Drina River Basin”

Organized by UNECE with support from the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea

29th October 201988 Rooms Hotel, Belgrade, Serbia

Monitoring of water resources and information exchange in transboundary cooperation

Jelena Vićanović, PI "Vode Srpske" Zoran Stojanovic, State HMS of SerbiaDragan Radojevic, Geological Survey of Montenegro

Snezana Vinterfeld, WMI

Prepared by:

Content

I. IntroductionII. Review of monitoring and information

exchange in transboundary cooperation between the Drina River riparian countries

III. Mapping of guidance available to support information exchange on transboundary waters

IV. Analysis of the information exchangeV. Information exchange and

recommendations for the improvement of monitoring cooperation and needs

Geographic characterization

The Drina River (346 km)➢ Black Sea ➢ Danube River Basin➢ right tributary of the Sava River

Surface area of 19.946 km2

• Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska (RS) and Federation of B&H (FBiH)

• Republic of Serbia• Montenegro

(Albania <1% of the DRB)

II. Review of monitoring and information exchange in transboundary cooperation between the Drina River riparian countries

Item Serbia MontenegroBiH

DRBD of RS DRBD of FBiH

Basin area (km2) 6,002 6,219 6,242 840

Basin area % 30.5 31.6 31.7 4.2

% of the territory covered by the

basin7.7 45.0 25.7 3.2

Ministries

MAFWMMEPSEPA

Water DirectorateMIA

MARDDirectorate for

WRMMAFW of RS MAWF of FBiH

MOFTER

Electric Power Industry EPI of Serbia EPCG Electric Power Industry

of Republika SrpskaElectric PowerIndustry of BiH

Public companies State HMS of SerbiaSrbijavode

HMSSGSS

Republic HMS RSPI "Vode Srpske”

Federal HMSWASRD

Quality elements in line with WFD

Republic of Serbia

BiHMontenegro

DRBD RS DRBD FBiHNo. of monitoring locations/SWBs 4 (1- TNMN) 18 (2—TNMN) 8 estimated No. 9

Sampling frequency ✓ + ✓ + ✓ +

Biological QEsBenthic macroinvertebrates + + + +Phytoplankton + + + +Phytobenthos + + + +Macrophytes - - - -Fish - - - -General Ph-Ch parameters + + + +General Ph-Ch parameters-TNMN + + + +Specific substances + + + +

Hydromorphological alterations-

not fully with WFD

- - not fully with WFD

Priority substances + (28/45)

+(21/45)

+(21/45)

-estimated 45

from 2019

Sediment QM 2 - - -

Monitoring networks, practices and management of monitoring data in DRB

HS monitoring Network

Serbia- 10 HS

10 HS DRBD RS & 2 HS DRBD FBiHTotal BiH – 12 HS

Montenegro – 12 HS

Ground WBs Monitoring Network

Serbia- 13 GWBs MS

Montenegro - GWBsmonitoring network in developing phase

BiH - GWBsmonitoring network in developing phase

Wastewater quality monitoring DRB

Main sources of pollution

Untreated urban WW Treated/Untreated industrial WW

Agriculture

Landfills (Wild)

(Hazardous Substances)

(Hazardous Substances, Nutrients, SS )

(Heavy metals, Hazardous

Substances, SS )

(Nutrients,Organic pollution,

Hazardous Substances)

Current WW/effluents monitoring programmes do not provide all relevant data for quality assessment

Water quality assessment legislative in DRB countries

Republic of SerbiaBiH

MontenegroFBiH Republika Srpska

ES for SWBs and EP for HMWBs is classified based on Ph-Ch and MB indicators

Classes I to V (High to Poor)ChS is categorized as good or not achieved good status, based on the content of priority, priority hazardous and other pollutants.

Overall status/potential is assesed by the worst quality element.

Since 2014, classification harmonized with EU Directives.

Overall status/potential is assesed by the worst quality element.

Not completely harmonized with the WFD and EU directives.

Classes I to V (High to Poor)based on BQEs, PHCh, Ch, MB and HYMO parameters.

Overall status/potential is assesed by the worst quality element.

Not completely harmonized with the WFD and EU directives.

Classification according to permissible values of Ph-Ch and BQE depending on the purpose of the water usage:- Water that can be used for drinking and food production(Classes A, A1, A2 and A3)- Water for fish and shellproduction (Classes S, W and C)- Bathing water (Classes K1 and K2)

Water quality categorization:Class I: A1, S, K1Class II: A2, K2, CClass III: A3Not completely harmonized with the WFD and EU directives.

Ecological status assessment in DRB

Chemical status assessment in DRB

Confidence very low to medium

III. Mapping of guidance available to support information exchange on transboundary waters

• Guidelines on Monitoring and Assessment of Transboundary Rivers

• Guidelines on Monitoring and Assessment of Transboundary Groundwaters

• Strategies for monitoring and assessment of transboundary rivers, lakes and groundwaters

• Good practice for monitoring and assessment of transboundary rivers, lakes and groundwaters

• Reports of the Drina countries submitted for the reporting under the Water Convention

• WMO Manuals and Guidelines

• Guidance No. 19 Guidance on surface water chemical monitoring under the WFD

• Guidance No. 21 Guidance for reporting under the WFD.

➢ Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes & Protocol on Water and Health

➢Danube River Protection Convention - (ICPDR), (Republic of Serbia-2003, BiH-2005 and Montenegro-2008)

➢ Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin - (ISRBC)(Serbia and BiH as Parties, MNE has signed a MoU on cooperation with ISRBC)

IV. An analysis of information exchange

In the framework of the ICPDR – there is the IMGIS EG, develops and operates the Danube GIS – TransNationalMonitoringNetwork (TNMN), refers to WQ data

In the framework of the ISRBC– existing Sava HIS (refers to Hydro&Meteo data)

In bilateral cooperation – should be established

V. Recommendations for improvement of monitoring cooperation and needs

Conclusion 1 - Monitoring water quality- Lacking data on SWBs and GWBs quality status - Requirement of key indicators for linking the WBs status to SPS - Reliable data on the emission of HS is missing- Lacking monitoring data on nutrients and HS with the aim of prioritizing WWM and SWM

in TB cooperation

Conclusion 2 - Further development of monitoring systems– The riparian countries would benefit from experiencing sharing and agreeing

on methodology. – Monitoring of GWBs in TBAs should be improved and further developed. – Improve data quality management, harmonize standards and indicators used.

Conclusion 3 - Develop the frameworks and procedures for data exchange and harmonization of approaches at a bilateral

level– Exchange of water quality data at the Sava Basin level is not covered. – The legal and institutional framework at the bilateral level is still developing, but strengthening it

would support tackling specific issues and exchanging data on them, especially while Montenegro is not a Party to the ISRBC.

Conclusion 4 - Operationalizing Qualitative and Quantitative sediment monitoring with a harmonized approach

– A common interest of all countries in DRB is establishing a coordinated sediment monitoring system, based on coordinated monitoring programs in riparian countries, having a common or at least comparable methodology, instruments and techniques.

– The development of the future sediment monitoring network while taking into account the general map of erosion and deposition sites identified in the Project.

Recommendation 1 – To further strengthen the formal and procedural basis for monitoring cooperation

– Extending participation in the data exchange in the regional framework– Continuing the negotiation on bilateral agreements– Agreeing on standard test methods and developing respective protocols – Establishing regular meetings to help ensure the exchange and harmonization of results

Recommendation 2 – Monitoring water quality and status of waters– Improving data regarding water quality and ensuring their comparability across borders– Using existing studies of pressures and risks for identification of priority indicators for

specific locations and river sections. – Continuation of monitoring harmonization and assessment methods, building on

experience of the TNMN. – Undertaking regular participation in PT and AQC exercises, including the ICPDR; – Organising Intercalibration

Recommendation 4 – To identify and agree progressively on priorities for transboundary monitoring and assessment to strategically develop monitoring cooperation– On the basis of SWMIs and key pressure sources, establishing a list of monitoring parameters and

frequency of sampling for monitoring of pollutants. – Establishing a bilateral investigative monitoring of SWBs and GWB. – Establishing transboundary monitoring at jointly agreed priority locations– Applying the guidance developed under the Water Convention for joint priority setting and

establishing monitoring.

Recommendation 3 –To identify and register pollution sources, hazardous substances in particular

– Developing registers of environmentally significant releases and transfers of pollutants with the aim of providing reliable data on the emission of HS (e.g. by linking to operating licenses)

– Establishing transboundary sharing of experience– Completing data on the production of HS in industry and data on the consumption of certain

products used in agriculture– Developing data management to move towards integrated environmental information.

Thank you