Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2016 (96. évfolyam)
2016 / 3. szám - HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT - Kerekes-Steindl Zsuzsanna: Water quality protection in Hungary - policy and status
Zsuzsanna Kerekes-Steindl: Water quality protection in Hungary - policy and status 49 in the above described manner between 1968 and 1984. New monitoring rules were established in 1985 again. This included 250 stations and the sampling frequency remained the same. Between 1994 and 2006 the MSZ 12749 national standard method contained the rules of the surface water quality network and the water quality status assessment principles. (The monitoring covered 109 rivers and the largest lakes, 240 sampling sites with 26 sample/year frequency.) 30-40 type of quality parameters (physical- chemical, biological, microbiological, heavy metals, etc.) were determined from app. 6000 samples, each year. The sampling and analytical works that time were implemented by the laboratory network of environmental inspectorates (established on the basis of the laboratories of former 12 water directorates). Some special parameters were measured by VITUKI and by the laboratories of public health authorities (e.g. microbiological parameters). According to EU Member States’ obligation, based on the earlier monitoring system, a new monitoring network had been established according to the requirements of the WFD and started the operation on 1st of January 2007. The basic principle of monitoring and status assessment, as well as details of operation and professional requirements are prescribed by the 31/2004 KvVM ministerial decree. The new network was set up to serve the three- level monitoring programs (the surveillance, operative and investigative sub-programmes), which serve different purposes. The frequency of the samplings fulfils the WFD requirements and varies by subprograms and the type of the quality parameters (from 1-12 times/year to 1- 12 times/6 years). The analysis covers all quality elements, prescribed in the WFD. The investigation of five biological elements types (phytoplankton, benthic diatoms, macrophytes, macrozoobenthon and fish fauna) provides identification of ecological status of the water bodies. Parameters supporting biological elements, the relevant physical-chemical parameters (e.g. organic compounds, nutrients, salinity, acidification, river basin specific pollutants) and hydromorphological elements are measured regularly, as well. The WFD attaches great importance to the special, anthropogenic origin chemical pollutants, approx. 45 priority substances have to be monitored regularly. Compared to surveillance monitoring the sampling frequency in the operative subprograms is lower, generally only 4 times a year, and only the indicative parameters are measured regularly. Nowadays, the quality of surface waters are checked in this system for all parameters with monthly frequency on 118 river and on 26 lake sampling sites, in the frame of 2 surveillance subprograms, and with lower frequency on 1134 sampling sites in the frame of 8 operative monitoring subprograms. In special cases (e.g. accidental water pollution events) investigative monitoring sampling programs are carried out focusing on problematic parameters. The monitoring is financed from the state budget and operated by the environmental authorities’ laboratory network (7 accredited labs), under the supervision of the minister of interior. The hydrological (quantity) monitoring are operated by the regional water directorates, ensuring data relating to water flow, water level and morphology, necessary for the ecological status assessment. Additionally, to these WFD monitoring programs there are other special monitoring subprograms in operation on the designated protected areas (e.g. bathing waters, drinking water sources, nitrate sensitive areas) and on surface waters with special importance (e.g. Upper- Danube section, Lake Balaton). In these programs other sectors are also participating (e.g. public health laboratories in bathing water monitoring). On the transboundary rivers common monitoring programs are implemented with the neighbouring countries, on the basis of the bilateral water agreements. Under the umbrella of the Danube River Protection Convention the Transnational Monitoring Network (TNMN) is in operation with co-operation of the Danube countries (14 countries). 114 sampling sites on the Danube and on the main tributaries were selected from the existing national monitoring networks. There are 15 sites in Hungary (Fig. 3). The sampling and the analytical methods are harmonised, and the laboratories are participating in a common intercalibration process, ensuring that the data from different laboratories are comparable. The assessment of data and their publication is done yearly. Additionally, in each sixth years, the Joint Danube Survey (JDS) program is organised in the frame of International Commission for the Protection of Danube River (ICPDR), when from the source (Black Forest in Germany) to the mouth (at the Black Sea in Romania) of the Danube River common sampling and common analysis works are implemented. Last time the JDS3 was implemented in 2013 with an international expert team working on a ship-laboratory. Groundwater The quality of groundwater is known partly from the regular control of the wells used for drinking water abstraction, and partly from the wells, established and used for monitoring purposes. Regular observations started around 1930 in the Danube-Tisza region, and from 1950 groundwater level observations covered the entire country. Observation of springs also started around 1950, together with karstic water level observations. Organization of the observation of deep groundwater and thermal waters was the task of the following decades. The more detailed, regular monitoring was further developed in 1970-80s with co-operation of different sectors and organisations. In the years before the EU accession the rules of monitoring was determined by the MSZ-10- 433/1984 national standard. Additionally, from 2004 general water users who abstracted more than 100 m3/day and waterworks which abstracted more than 10 mVday had to provide data about the quantity and quality of the abstracted water. On the basis of this system a new monitoring network had been established according to the requirements of WFD and the operation started on 1 January 2007, when the new surface water monitoring network started, as well. The groundwater monitoring is operated partly by
