DROUGHT MANAGEMENT PLANS IN SPAIN Drought indicators Rome, 7 Dicember 2006 Teodoro Estrela Deputy Water Director Spanish Ministry of Environment

Index Legal Framework Special Drought Management Plans (DMPs)

Management alternatives for droughts As emergency situation Considering it as a crisis situation, which has to be tackled using extraordinary resources. b) Within the general planning framework Making an analysis of the existing risk, and introducing droughts in the general planning strategies as a different scenario. In Spain, traditionally, droughts have been managed as emergency situations.

Drought management as emergency situation Spanish Water Law (TRLA), in art. 58, foresees in extraordinary drought situation the adoption, by the Government, of necessary measures to overcome these situations, related to the use of the public water domain. Decrees of urgent extraordinary measures

Bases for drought planned management Law 10/2001, July 5, of the Hydrological Water Plan, establishes the bases for the drought planned management. Article 27. Drought management Section 1. The Ministry of Environment, for the intercommunitary basins, in order to minimize environmental, economic and social impacts of eventual drought situation, will establish a global hydrologic indicators system that will allow foreseeing these situations, and will serve as general reference for river basin organizations for the formal declaration of emergency situations and eventual drought. This declaration will imply the entry into force of the Special Plan (DMP) referred in the following section.

Bases for drought planned management Hydrological National Plan Article 27. Drought management Section 2. Basin Organizations will develop (in 2 years) special action plans (DMP) for alert situations and eventual drought (exploitation rules and measures) Hydrological National Plan Article 27. Drought Management Section 3. Public Administrations responsible for public urban supplying, for town of or above 20,000 inhabitants, will provide: Emergency Plan for drought situations (taking into account rules and measures planned in Special Plans) to be applied within four years.

Guidance Document for the development of DMP The Directorate General for Water has elaborated a “Guidance Document for developing DMPs”

DMPs ENTITIES IN CHARGED: River Basin Authorities LEGAL FRAMWORK: Law 10/2001, of the Hydrological National Plan and Directive 2000/60/CE –Art. 4.6- OBJECTIVE: Minimize environmental, social and economic impacts of drought situations PLACEMENT WITHIN THE PLANNING PROCESS: It’s a specific plan within the River Basin Management Plans.

DMPs SUMMARY OF THEIR CONTENT: DIAGNOSIS: Identify and characterize territorial and environmental elements. Zonification Analysis of historical droughts and drought characterization Definition of indicators, thresholds and drought phases PROGRAM OF MEASURES (POM): Definition of general measures and specific ones for each area in each drought phase MANAGEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP SYSTEM: Organization and management systems Definition of indicators for the implementation follow-up and effects

Trends of reservoirs and wetlands Evolution within the hydrological year Tablas de Daimiel wetland Spanish reservoirs

Indicators system Objective Follow-up of the hydrological status through an indicators’ system that represents the functioning of water resource systems of River basins. Indicators selection criteria Identification of the origin areas of resource associated to specific demand units. Selection of indicators types according to their representativity in the resources supply. Precipitation River inflows in natural regime Stored volume in surface reservoirs Piezometric levels in aquifers

Indicators assessment and thresholds definition Historical value indicator Hydrologic status classification

Indicators validation with water resource systems

Hydrological status of water resource system in Sept. 2006

Temporal indicator’s evolution in each water resource system

TYPES OF MITIGATION MEASURES Mitigation drought measures TYPES OF MITIGATION MEASURES Indicator 1-0.5 0.5-0.4 0.4-0.3 0.3-0.2 0.2-0.15 0.15-0.1 0.1-0 Status Normal Pre-alert Alert Emergency Objective Planning Information-control Conservation Restrictions Type of measure Strategic Tactics

Main measures to apply during drought situation Exploitation rules, savings and use restrictions Joint management of surface water and groundwater: drought wells Non-conventional resources: reuse of treated wastewaters in agriculture Water markets.

DMPs NEED OF DEVELOPING AN STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PLAN DOCUMENT OBJETIVE ENTITY IN CHARGED INITIAL DOCUMENT Communicate to the environmental entity the beginning of the planning process Promoting Entity REFERENCE DOCUMENT Define strategies for the plan environmental assessment Environmental Entity SPECIAL PLAN Define status indicators and thresholds, POM and management and follow-up system ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT Guarantee the integration of environmental aspects of the plan’s decision-taking process ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT Content’s summary, of the environmental integration and of the public participation process Promoting Entity and Environmental Entity

Development process of the DMPs PROMOTING ENTITY (River Basin) DMP Strategic Environmental Assessment ENVIRONMENTAL ENTITY INITIAL PLAN ROUGHT DRAFT INITIAL PLAN SCOPING DRAFT PLAN PUBLIC CONSULTATION STUDY AND RESPONSE OF COMPLAINTS MODIFICATIONS OF THE PLAN DRAFT PLAN PLAN PROPOSAL PLAN APPROVAL PUBLICATION OF THE PLAN APPLICATION OF THE PLAN PLAN FOLLOW UP AND CONTROL ENV. SUSTAINABILITY REPORT REFERENCE DOCUMENT DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT PLAN ADVERTISEMENT+ ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES + FOLLOW-UP MEASURES FOLLOW UP OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND OF THE PLAN DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOLLOW-UP

Beginning of the public participation process Published on the State’s Official Bulletin B.O.E. of 8/11/2006

Sub-activity on Drought Management Plans (DMPs) Objectives Timetable

Objectives Exchange information among interested MS on drought management under the WFD framework Collect information on already existing DMPs, or specific actions/measures Select study cases Provide a Guidance Document for developing specific drought plans linked to the River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) for those countries in need

Objectives Content of the Guidance Document: Apply the common understanding of “prolonged droughts” (previously adopted in the Exemption activity of the Expert Network). Recommend criteria for the establishment of indicators and thresholds (also in agreement with other sub-activities) Provide recommendations on measures before, during and after droughts consistent with the POM of RBMP to minimize economic social and environmental impacts. Product: a final report to be endorsed (SCG and WDs)

2007 Timetable (tentative) February 2007: First information gathered and discussed within the Expert Network 30 April 2007: Contributions of members 30 may: 1st draft of Guidance Document June (TBC): Meeting in Madrid International Workshop 15 July: Assessment of workshop’s results and incorporation into Guidance Document 7 September: First version of the Document (put together with other sections, agriculture and exemptions) 1st October: presentation of Document to the Expert Network. October: Present results to SCG meeting November: Final document to be endorsed by WD