27 July 2015 r.

The fourth and the last conference as a part of environmental impact for Flood Risk Management Plans took place on 17 July 2015 in Szczecin. The subject of the conference concerned an area of Odra River basin with a particular emphasis on water region of Warta and water region of Lower Odra River and Western Przymorze.

The meeting gathered 50 participants representing various public administration bodies from the following voivodships: West Pomeranian, Greater Poland, Lubusz, Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The representatives of Voivodship Board of Drainage and Water Devices, District Heads of Counties, City Halls, Marshal’s Offices, Provincial Offices and Regional Directorates of Environmental Protection in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Szczecin were also present. The representatives of National Park of Warta Estuary, Group of Landscape Parks of Lubusz Voivodeship as well as the representatives of Voivoidship Construction Supervision Inspectorates in Szczecin and Gorzów Wielkopolski also participated at the meeting. The conference was held under the auspices of National Water Management Board and Regional Water Management Boards in Szczecin and Poznań.

The copies of documents which are a subject to public consultations were available during the conference. The participants could familiarize with the FRMPs as well as with the results of environmental report. During the discussion the participants could ask questions to the contractors of environmental report to FRMPs and also to the contractors of FRMPs.

The conference was opened by director of Regional Water Management Board in Szczecin, Mr Andrzej Kreft. He stressed the importance of the environmental report for the whole planning process in water management and noticed that sometimes it is a part of dispute. At the same time he stressed that the key issue is to assure safety against the flood wave. The director encouraged the participants to take active part at the conference and in following discussions.

In a similar way as in previous conferences, the meeting was started with a presentation made by FRMPs’ contractor. The subject matter was dedicated to the area of Odra River basin, two water regions: Warta River as well as Lower Odra River and West Przymorze. It concerned the idea of planning proces and detail methodical approach to the creation and assessment of options in water regions. The presented content was dedicated to the method of selection of investments to be implemented in the nearest future and to the multi-criteria analysis, cost-benefit analysis as well as environmental analysis which included requirements of Water Framework Directive, Habitats Directive and Birds Directive. The supplement to the presentation was a presentation which familiarize the participants with the methodical approach used for the purpose of environmental assessment in the environmental report. As well as at previous conferences the listeners were explained that due to the character of the FRMPs the strategic environmental impact assessment was made using strategic objectives (sustainable development objectives) approach (so called objectives – led approach).

Next part of the conference focused on issues relating to approach to the assessment of various groups of typical undertakings listed in the FRMPs, planned to be undertaken in the first planning period. The presentation was focused on the types of undertakings which are planned to be implemented in the water regions discussed that day. Then the results of the environmental report for the above mentioned area were presented.

The final part of the conference was focused on the idea of public consultations, their purpose and way of raising comments and motions. It was also pointed that all essential information connected with the environmental report, including the whole documents for three basins: Vistula, Odra and Pregoła, on-line survey and .pdf survey as well as a list of places where there is a possibility to familiarize with the printed documentation are available on the website: www.powodz.gov.pl.

The representatives of Boards of Drainage and Water Devices from Pomeranian Voivodeship from Pomeranian, West Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship took actively part in the discussion. The discussion concerned mainly the list of investments planned to be implemented in the first planning period. One question concerned the similarity of investments included in FRMPs and in other documents which are already prepared namely MasterPlans and aPGW. There was also a question about further updates of flood hazard maps and flood risk maps particularly in terms of already implemented investments. The representative of National Water Management Board, Mrs. Urszula Sadowska explained comprehensively the issue connected with the selection of investments and the possibility of updating the documents which have already been accepted. The representative of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Board of Drainage and Water Devices stressed the importance of non-technical actions in flood protection. One of the participants asked for explanation who should carry on activities in order to implements such non-technical actions and which institution should take charge of that. The next question concerned resettlements in flood areas as a very problematic issue. This questions was answered by the Director of Regional Water Management Board in Szczecin and the representative of National Water Management Board. It was pointed that FRMPs include a proposal for appropriate legal instruments and the necessity to amend law in this matter which was proposed by the National Water Management Board earlier, at the stage of approving of a new Water Law. The context of potential transboundary environmental impacts and transpoundary public consultations was discussed by the director of Regional Water Management Board in Szczecin. He stressed that Polish authority as well as German authority cooperate in planning of investments in the border area of Odra and the investments presented in FRMPs were discussed several times between the parties. He pointed that transboundary consultations should not be a problematic issue, because all investments planned to be implemented in this area are a subject of discussion between both parties. The Director of Regional Water Management Board, Mrs Magdalena Żmuda also joined the discussion. She stressed as a result of the environmental assessment only negative environmental impacts of Golina polder were shown. She pointed that in the view of the fact that the polder is the only one of such kind of investments in the region, the assessment should be unified and should also include benefits which are supposed to exceed potential losses in some areas.

At the end of the meeting it was possible to raise comments and motions by filling in a form attached to the conference materials.

The discussion was summarized by the director of Regional Water Management Board. He stressed a role of strategic environmental assessment process in terms of Flood Risk Management Plans.