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 51 principles of qualification, the relevant environmental quality standards and the characteristics of types. Further details of methodologies can be found in the river basin management plans documentation. The ecological and chemical status of surface waters are determined during status assessment by the principle of WFD and on their basis the so called integrated status is assessed (Fig.5). The „one out -all out” principle has to be applied, so the integrated water status is determined by the worse. The classification of the ecological status is determined in form of „ecological quality ratio” (EQR), by 5-grade scale (high, good, moderate, poor, bad). The actual status has to be compared to the type-specific reference condition, which means, the influences are regarded as quasi- free from anthropogenic pollution. (In case of artificial and heavily modified natural water bodies the basis of the assessment is the „good ecological potential”, which means the best available water quality, besides maintaining the functions of water body.) During the assessment of ecological status not only the biological elements (phytoplankton, phytobenthos, macrophytes, macrozoobenthos and fish fauna), but all other parameters supporting the biological elements have to be taken into consideration. For the qualification of biological, physical- chemical and hydro-morphological parameters environmental quality standards were set up on national level, for each type or for groups of types of waters. The status assessment is based on the annual average data. Figure 4. Surface water quality in 2003 (Source: Ministry of Environmental Protection and Water 2005) The chemical status of surface waters is determined by the occurrence of harmful chemical substances in the aquatic environment. The status assessment is based on the environmental quality standard (EQS) of priority substances (45), determined on EU level by the 2008/105/EC directive. The limit values were transposed into Hungarian legislation. The qualification system is a 2-grade scale, where the quality is „good”, if the limit values are not exceeded, or „failing to achieve good”(not good) when the limit is exceeded. The results of status classification are illustrated also on maps. Groundwater After 1984 the status assessment of groundwater was based on a three-class methodology, determined by the relevant Hungarian standard method. The assessment system took into consideration the uses of waters. In the frame of the current, WFD compatible monitoring practice the status assessment of groundwater have to be implemented by the rules of the 30/2004 KvVM ministerial decree. Altogether 185 groundwater bodies were designated, which were grouped into 7 types. For the qualification, the natural background values (referring to the concentration of substances of natural origin) have to be also determined. The groundwater is in good chemical status in case if the pollutants’ (occurring in the surrounding also naturally) concentrations are near to the background values, and the synthetic components with anthropogenic origin are near to zero, so not reach the limit values. Biological elements PhP PhB MPh ZB FF H H H H H ■ M M HI Hi Worst class M M M M M P P P P P ................................................................. Ecological Physico-chemical elements status H Org Nut Sal Acid Hi H H H H Worst class M HHHH P M M M M MH Hydromorphological elements Longitud Damming Ftoodpl Ground» W regime Morph H H H H H H Worst class Other specific pollutants (Metals) «— Worst class m Specific pollutants (Priority substances) Chemical status oo Worst class Hi ■ Status of water body ■ M P M Figure 5. Methodology of surface water status assessment by WFD (VGT1 2009) The quantitative and the chemical status are checked by different types of tests. If at least one of the tests shows, that the water body is „poor”, the total water body status will be „poor” as well, and measures are necessary to improve the quality status to reach the „good” status again. When the status is on the limit of the „good” and „poor”, or negative trend can be observed in the long term quality changes, or because of the weaknesses of methodologies the status assessment is not sure enough, the water body status is „good, but at risk”, which needs further measures. The chemical status classification is based on detection of pollution in the monitoring wells, exceeding the threshold values. The threshold value is the concentration of a pollutant, in which case there is a risk of hazardous level pollution of the so called receptors (e.g. human being through drinking water and food chain, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems) or to different water uses. In Hungary threshold values were set up on water body, on group of water bodies and on national level for nitrate, ammonium, conductivity, chloride, sulphate, cadmium, lead, mercury, pesticides, tri- and tetrachloride - ethylene, TOC and AOX parameters.
