Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2016 (96. évfolyam)

2016 / 3. szám - HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT - Kerekes-Steindl Zsuzsanna: Water quality protection in Hungary - policy and status

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Hungarian Journal of Hydrology Vol. 96. No. 3. 2016.

In 1995, new acts entered into force on the field of water management and environmental protection, and on their basis the lower level legislation was updated, as well. The „Environmental Protection Act” (53/1995 Act) laid down the basic principles of protection of all environmental elements on the basis of applying uniformly based environmental quality objectives, and the „polluter pay”, „prevention of pollution”, „principle of precautions”, „environmental liability” and “cost recovery” principles. It strengthened the protection of the designated areas. For all environmental elements (water, air, soil, etc.) the same permitting and controlling principles were introduced into legislation. The definitions of im- mission and emission limit values, and the responsibilities and duties of the different actors in the environmental protection processes were also defined by the act. The principles of the „Water Management Law” (57/1995 Act) established the further development of the lower level legislation relating to the different water uses, to the permitting system, to determine the tasks and responsibilities relating to water supply and wastewater collection and treatment, flood and inland water protection. The Act ensured special protection for drinking water sources, and one of its later modification introduced the river basin management planning process into the water management practice.

In 1997 new governmental decree (No. 123/1997) came into force on special protection of groundwater resources used for exploited or designated drinking water sources. The decree prescribed the rules of designation of protection zones on the designated drinking water source areas. Protection again pollution of other groundwater aquifers (lying outside of these protected areas, and covering approx. 95% of the country territory) became possible on the basis of the environmental act. Based on it, the general rules for the protection of groundwater against contaminations were set up in a new Governmental Decree (No. 33/2000) and the detailed legislation in ministerial decrees in 2000. The regulation covered the protection of soil, as one of the environmental elements, too. The decree introduced the obligation of detailed investigation in case of earlier polluted areas to ensure, that the appropriate remedial measures can be determined. In addition, since early 2000s, water conservation requirements of groundwater have also been gradually included into legislation of other sectors (e.g. waste management, industrial, agricultural, mining regulations). This made it possible that the whole regulation could gradually cover all kind of activities, associated with point and diffuse pollution sources.

Hungary joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. One of the preconditions of the accession on the field of environmental protection was the transposition of the whole community legislation (“acquis communautaire”) into the Hungarian law. Despite the fact, that the national environmental legislation that time was quite modem in Hungary, and many of its elements were already transparent with the EU regulation, during the 2000-2004 period huge amount of further legislation and capacity building activities had to be taken for the total transposition, even on the field of water protection. More, than 20

modified or new legislation entered into force on the water management field, which established further improvement of the quality of water resources in Hungary.

New environmental quality standards were introduced relating to the chemical quality of waters, including those priority substances, which were especially harmful to aquatic ecosystems and to human health. Relating to the quality of drinking waters, bathing waters and further requirements of different types of protected areas new limit values were determined also in the national law, based on the EU prescriptions. National action programs started on the field of urban (communal) wastewater collection and treatment, on the proper handling of wastewater sludge. For decreasing the nitrogen and pesticide pollutions from agricultural activities, relevant legislation was set up also. The authority control system was strengthened by introduction of the integrated pollution prevention control (IPPC) principle, taking into account the protection of all environmental elements in one permitting procedure. It accelerated the process, that larger industrial installations, wastewater treatment plants, waste landfills, etc., emitting higher amount of pollution into the environment, should meet the expectations of pollution prevention principle. The introduction of this legislation helped to replay the earlier typical "end of pipe" approach with applying more efficient approach of prevention in practice.

In the development process of water quality protection legislation in Hungary, one of the most significant steps was the transposition of the common EU water policy strategy into the national legislation. The 2000/60/EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) was adopted in July 2000. The WFD introduced a comprehensive and coherent regulatory scheme in practice, envisaged sustainable water policy and management, requiring co-operation and coordination on water management issues among countries, sharing common international river basins. This complex regulation integrated the protection of surface waters and groundwater, the natural and artificial water bodies, handling both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The environmental objective of the framework directive is to reach and ensure the “good ecological” and “good chemical” status of surface waters, and the “good chemical” and “good quantitative” status of groundwater by 2015, but not later than 2027. To achieve these goals an integrated approach is required, involving all relevant sectors, harmonising planning and implementation of program of measures. The effective participation of the public and stakeholders in these processes also one of the new elements of the legislation. Transposition of the WFD into the national legislation entailed updating the previous water protection legislation. The rules of river basin management planning process were transposed into the national legislation with a new Governmental Decree (No. 221/2004).

In summary, today rules for surface water protection are prescribed by the Governmental Decree No. 220/2004 and groundwater protection by the Governmental Decree No. 219/2004. The legislation is based on the general rules of the environmental and water management acts.