1. WG C – Groundwater Activity WGC-3 Integrated Risk Assessment and Management
Dietmar MÜLLER Federal Environment Agency Austria

2. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Outline of the Presentation
Objectives
Topics to be addressed
Planning of activities

3. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) OBJECTIVES
Improved & Integrated Risk Assessment for Groundwater at River Basin Level
completing the characterisation under Art. 5 of the WFD
supporting the preparation of the 1st River Basin Management Plans

4. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) OBJECTIVES
Gathering and exchanging knowledge to issue recommendations on how to improve groundwater risk assessment including
harmonisation of conceptual modelling
databases, mapping (e.g. vulnerability, hydrogeology) and visualisation of subsurface processes
Exchanges of good management practices (e.g. artificial recharge, transboundary aquifer management) in order to develop technical recommendations supporting the implementation of the new GWD (Art. 6!)

5. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-activities
Integrated Risk Assessment and Management (general)
Groundwater quantitative management in the Mediterranean

6. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-activity 1
MODULES
IRAM: Risk assessment (characterisation) and management
Contacts: to be defined
Conceptual modelling (including databases, mapping & visualisation)
GWD Art. 6 (prevent or limit)

7. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-act. 1/1 (IRAM)
Envisaged: recommendations
review technical report on GW risk assessment as discussed at the WG C Workshop, January 2004
new scientific and practical approaches since 2004
review of Art. 5 reports
update and synthesis
Working Mode: to be defined
(cooperation to RISKBASE)
Timeframe:
pending – to be defined
draft recommendations: March 2008

8. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-act. 1/2 (Conceptual Models)
Envisaged: recommendations
gathering knowledge on conceptual modelling, databases, mapping and visualisation if subsurface
synthesising a common framework and the necessary elements
Working Mode: to be defined
(cooperation by JRC)
Timeframe:
pending – to be defined
draft report: March 2008

9. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-act. 1/3 (GWD Art. 6 P & L)
Envisaged: technical recommendations
exchanges, collection and evaluation of good management practices
synthesis and development of new common approaches to support the implementation of GWD Art. 6
Working Mode: to be defined
Timeframe:
pending – to be defined
draft report: March 2008

10. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-activity 2
MODULES IN COOPERATION TO/BY
Expert Network Water scarcity and droughts
Contacts: Giorgio Pineschi, Giuseppina Monacelli (IT)
Med EUWI WG Groundwater Management
Contacts: Spyros Tasoglou (GR), Sylvie Detoc (COM)
Med EUWI WG Shared basins
Contacts: Vangelis Constantianos (GWP-Med)

11. Mediterranean Groundwater WG Specificities/Challenges
Role in the water economy of the countries of the Mediterranean (groundwater is often the main supply source & demand is expected to increase)
Coastal aquifers play a crucial role for economic activities, and also being prone to saline intrusion due to overexploitation.
Deep aquifers in some countries that have huge volumes of water but are non renewable.
Shared aquifers between countries in Balkans, Southern and South-eastern parts of the region.
conflicts between the different end-users of water (e.g., the tourism industry vs. agriculture)
lack of reliable and chronic data on groundwater conditions and trends (especially information on groundwater quality)

12. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-act. 2/1 (WS & D)
Envisaged: Technical document including
Clarifications on the linkages between WS&D issues and groundwater management, in particular as regards the quantitative objective;
A list of potential measures to address WS&D and to be included in the Programme of Measures to achieve the quantitative objective;
Examples of good practises for measures implemented to achieve quantitative status, based on case studies.
Working Mode: to be defined – based on MS contributions
Timeframe: pending – to be defined

13. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-activity 2/2 (MED WG GW-M)
Envisaged: Technical elements and recommendations for optimal groundwater exploitation and pollution control
collection of information on existing methodologies, practices and tools already used
Identification and evaluation of best practices and “success stories” for controlling exploitation and preventing/reducing pollution
Working Mode: to be defined
Timeframe:
1st Meeting: , Lisbon (back-to-back to WGC)
2nd Meeting: early 2008 (back-to-back to WGC)
First drafts of the report: March 2008

14. Activity WGC-3 (IRAM) Sub-act. 2/3 (MED WG Shared Basins)
Envisaged: recommendations and best practices on shared groundwaters
Analysis of best practices
to promote common approaches and methodologies on shared water resource management
Working Mode: to be defined
Timeframe:
1st Meeting: Autumn 07, (2nd week Beirut Water Week)
2nd Meeting: first semester 2008 (to be defined)
First drafts of recommendations: March 2008

15. WG C Act. 3: What is next ?
Work Plan & Working Mode: comments, proposals
May 2007
Identification of contact persons and contributing experts for the different modules
Work Plans for the different modules
June 2007
Exchange and collection of information and data
July – December 2007
1st outline (contents) of reports/recommendations
October 2007
(1st drafts of) reports/recommendations
(March 2008) …. JUNE 2008 !!!

16. 1st RISKBASE WP5 Workshop
RISK MANAGEMENT
VIENNA, JUNE 28th/29th, 2007

17. Objective is to develop: integrated, risk assessment-based management approaches enabling the prevention and/or reduction of the negative impacts caused by human activities on the soil-sediment-water-system
Deliverables:
overarching concept, generic approach and guiding principles to integrated risk based management of EU river basins
recommendations towards evolution and implementation of risk based management in national and community policies and towards implementation in management
proposal for the European research agenda related to risk based management.

18. Risk to what?
Ecosystem goods and services (provided by the soil-sediment-water-system)
Focus on resilience* of system
“working with nature” complementary to engineering and technical approaches
* resilience = reverse, but more positive, pro-active connotation of vulnerability
Further considerations on Risks?
Spatial scale (not dealing with site-specific risks but river basin level), Time scale & Uncertainties
Global and other changes (e.g. land-use)
Critical* ‘Source-Pathway-Receptor’ linkages under the above mentioned conditions *critical = beyond the limits of resilience

19. RISKBASE WP5 Workshop (Vienna 28/29 June 2007)
YOUR INPUT !
WG C Act. 3
Work Plan & Working Mode: comments, proposals
interest in cooperation
now and until
Contacts:
Philippe Quevauviller
Dietmar Müller
RISKBASE WP5 Workshop (Vienna 28/29 June 2007)

20. WG C – Groundwater Activity WGC-3 Integrated Risk Assessment and Management
THANK YOU !