28 May 2015 r.

Consultation meetings dedicated to the draft plans covering river basins of Vistula, Oder and Pregolya rivers ended the series of meetings organized as part of the FRMP public consultations. 21 meetings took place across the country and they were all organized under the 1^st planning cycle of the Flood Directive dedicated to the draft FRMP drafted for 9 water regions and 3 river basins.

The meeting dedicated to the FRMP covering Oder river basin took place on April, 15 in Wrocław. It was attended by more than 70 specialists in water management who came from different parts of the river basin that spreads between Szczecin and Gliwice. They met with the representatives of the National Water Management Authority and Regional Water Management Authorities from Szczecin, Wrocław, Poznań and Gliwice.

Participants were really active during the meeting, asking numerous questions about technical condition of the equipment and the whole flood infrastructure, property sale process on the areas threatened by floods, plans connected with the retention in the areas that undergo urban development.

Interesting presentation was given by one of the participants who introduced his project “I will buy a flood wave.” He proposed a solution that involved surpassing flood waves beyond the cities, on the agricultural land, through a system of natural polders located between Nowa Sól-Krosno Odrzańskie. This project was submitted as a comment to the draft FRMP and scheduled to be thoroughly analyzed by the FRMP enforcer.

Olsztyn was the city that hosted the meeting dedicated to Pregolya river basin on May, 5. Specialists in water management from across the region of Warmia and Mazury who took part in the consultations said many positive things about the functioning flood warning systems. Significant part of the debate referred to the flood threat in Bartoszyce, Lidzbark Warmiński and Sępopol. Participants pointed out that there is an urgent need to update flood threat and risk maps.

The last meeting organized in connection with the process of public consultations of the FRMP took place in Warsaw on May, 7 and was dedicated to Vistula river basin. It was attended by a broad group of participants, including the MP, Genowefa Tokarska, representatives of the Melioration and Water Equipment Office, majors of various cities, employees of the Voivodeship and Marshall Offices. Just as the previous meetings, this one was also attended by the representatives of the National Water Management Authority and the Regional Water Management Authorities from Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków and Gliwice, who answered questions and evaluated motions that were being submitted during the conference. Participants appreciated the drafting process and the real need for the Plan to be implemented. Comments regarded certain level of flood threat in selected communes, the methodology applied to drafting flood threat maps, the potential construction of Biszcza Żary, Brodziaki, Kosin and Borowiec reservoirs, correlation between the FRMP and water retention plans, the problem of compensations and restrictions in the spatial planning.

The meetings dedicated to the river basins were the last in a series of meetings scheduled for this planning period. We are very satisfied to see that the participants see a greater perspective in the changes brought by the consulted drafts. More and more motions concern the needs that are reported for another planning cycle and the participants ask when the updating procedures required by the Flood Directive will be launched with regard to the planning documents.

We would like to remind you that the consultation process is still ongoing. Consultation meetings have been completed but all interested parties are welcomed to report their comments concerning the FRMP until June, 22 via www.powodz.gov.pl.