Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, SloveniaSpatial Planning, Slovenia

KAMNIŠKA BISTRICAKAMNIŠKA BISTRICAriver basin management river basin management

planplan

Lille, March 2002Lille, March 2002

KAMNIŠKA BISTRICA River

• springs out at the foothills of Kamniške Alps

• catchment area covers about 550 km2• high waters, floods, erosion procesess

frequent and intensive• length: 33 km

KAMNIŠKA RIVER BASIN

• 9 municipalities, 298 settlements,

77.668 inhabitants• industry: chemical, metal, food

production, textile, leather

WATER QUALITY ASSESMENT

• surface water quality: class 1 for the spring and class 3-4 at the outflow to the Sava River

• no data on impact of two major cities on water quality

• ground water quality monitored on 7 observation stations

WATER QUALITY MONITORING

• ground water quality monitored on 7 observation stations

• ground water level monitored at 5 stations, onls to at the same point

• drinking water quality monitored regullary (not best quality)

WATER SUPPLY

• 9 sources of water from groundwater, no treatment of drinking water

• 2 water supply systems (operated by 2 public service companies); 17.000 connections

• length of public networks: 420 km• 98 % inhabitants served with drinking water• no data on water use by agriculture

SEWAGE NETWORK

• length of sewage systems: 220 km• in 4 municipalities 85% population

connected, in others very poor infrastructure,

• obsolete network

WATER TREATMENT

• in 4 municipalities 85% wastewater treated (highest rate in Slovenia)

• in others no treatment• dispersed pollution very high; pig farm

discarges directly to the river

WATER USE

• not all uses of water identified; only households and industry

• households use 40% of water amounts, industry 60 %

• industry use in decline, threat of illegal abstraction directly from ground water

• agriculture use substantial (irrigation, 12 fish farms, 10 fish ponds), no payment for water use

FLOODS

• frequent flood accurance = high costs of damages

• due to unproper spatial planning (responsibility of municipalities)

• policy to involve assurance companies in damage covering not developed yet

LESSONS LEARNED

• poor and obsolite infrastructure network, high investmet needs

• assets depreciated; no room for capital costs incl. in price

• high requirements following the implementation of EU legislation - to cover the gap in a limited time frame

LESSONS LEARNED

• not all water uses identified• no tradition in proper pricing (only

operating costs of water services included)

• due to social reasons prices for water services were kept low for too long

• absence of common appoach in solving problems related to river basin, municipality by municipality approach