Modern Water Management in the South Baltic Sea Area

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The European Water Policy and the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aim at ensuring clean waters. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) has appointed eutrophication and hazardous substances as key issues requiring action. In achieving this, the roles of local actors and citizens will be crucial. The local and regional levels are very important for the implementation of practical measures aiming at better waters. MOMENT will - based on existing experiences from EU, HELCOM, the research society, national authorities and other - develop local and regional methods for effective management of water with special focus on decreased outlets of nutrients and hazardous substances from small and diffuse sources. The project will test, demonstrate and develop knowledge about how to transform existing attainments and general environmental awareness from theory and general objectives to practical measures – developing an effective local work, including political involvement on the different levels. MOMENT has been developed as a part of the Euroregion Baltic (ERB) co-operation. It aims at improved management with water and local/regional preparedness for implementation of the WFD and BSAP. The main idea is to test and develop a model for modern water management through Water Users Partnerships (WUP), i.e. for river basin based management with strong participation from local stakeholders. Six smaller rivers in LT, PL and SE will be used as pilot areas. Each pilot area will establish a Water Users Partnership which will develop a local programme of measures for decreased outlets of nutrients and hazardous substances, and start the implementation. The pilot areas will also implement 8 selected innovative pilot measures, aiming at decreasing the outlets or combat the negative effect of the pollution. These pilot measures deal with land use (farming and forestry), waste water treatment from single houses, storm water treatment and better knowledge/communication. The results from the pilot measures will, among else, be used as input to the WUPs and local programmes of measures.MOMENT experiences will be exchanged throughout the whole project and results will be spread all over the South Baltic Area (SBA). Final outputs will be an improved and more effective water management, stronger networks and a higher political appreciation of the cross-border co-operation. Regional politicians and experts will compile and analyse the pilot area experiences and apply them on a more general and transnational level, i.e. in the perspective of ERB. Concrete conclusions and recommendations for the future water cooperation, as well as a political statement, will be presented. The results can be used for joint information and lobbying action towards EU and national authorities on environmental needs in SBA. The six pilot areas and 8 pilot measures are presented on maps in ATT 8.

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