In Pursuit of Conservation and Restoration of Kanagawa's Water
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神奈川県 In Pursuit of Conservation and Restoration of Kanagawa’s Water Source Environment Shizuku Water resources, that support our lives, have been mostly secured by a series of development projects starting from the Sagami Dam Construction Plan in 1938 to the completion of Miyagase Dam in 2001. However, if we look at the water source environment, we find such problems as deterioration of forests and pollution of water by domestic wastewater. Since 2000, Kanagawa Prefectural Government discussed and exchanged opinions on these issues many times with the prefectural citizens and municipalities. The Government also deliberated the issues at the Prefectural Assembly. Based on these discussion, the Kanagawa Prefecture has drawn up the “Kanagawa Basic Policies for Conservation and Restoration of Water Source Environment”, which identifies the policies over the next 20 years. It has also made the “Kanagawa Five-Year Action Plan for Deterioration of the man-made forest Conservation and Restoration of Water Source Environment”, which explains the programs to be carried out in the first 5 years of the specified 20 years. To secure finances of the programs in the Five-Year Action Plan, the prefectural tax ordinance was amended; the Kanagawa Prefecture has implemented the programs of the Plan from FY 2007, and introduced the increased tax rates on the prefectural inhabitant tax on individuals as the financial resources. Kanagawa Basic Policies for Conservation and Restoration of Water Source Environment Purpose To secure the stable supply of quality water To guarantee stable and secure supply of quality water to sustain people’s life for To conserve and restore the functions of the sound the future, it is necessary to continue and natural water cycle in the watersheds from consistent and comprehensive efforts to Basic Idea upstream to downstream covering surface and conserve and restore the water catchment ground-water veins, and the whole area related in forests and clean water sources. terms of water utilization 1. The policies shall be promoted in a comprehensive Guiding manner. Thus, the “Kanagawa Basic Policies for 2. The policies shall be developed based on the Principles Conservation and Restoration of Water public will. 3. The policies shall be promoted based on the Source Environment” identifies the basic adaptive management.* ideas of comprehensive and systematic Target All the catchment basins surrounding the intake weirs policies to promote conservation and of the surface and ground waters, as well as the upper Areas restoration of the water source stream dam areas both in and outside of the prefecture. environment over the next 20 years *Note: “Adaptive management” is the management method to monitor the process of implementing the plan, analyze and evaluate the results, and review the plan based on the latest scientific knowledge. Areas to be Covered by the Conservation and Restoration Policies for Water Source Environment 相 模 川 水 系 県 外 上 流 域 上 野 原 市 相 模 湖 大 月 市 Water catchment forest area 津 久 井 湖 都 留 市 西 桂 町 道 志 村 宮 ヶ 瀬 湖 Regional water catchment 富 士 河 口 湖 町 Explanatory note: forest area 忍 野 村 dam Upper basin of the Sagami River 富 士 吉 田 市 山 中 湖 村 system outside the prefecture 丹 沢 湖 intake weir (Yamanashi Prefecture) 酒 匂 川 水 系 県 外 上 流 域 surface water, Upper basin of the Sakawa River underflow water system outside the prefecture underground water (Shizuoka Prefecture) 凡 例 (青:上水道、茶:工業用水道) ダム 取水 堰 spring 表流 水、 伏 流水 地下 水 湧水 水源環境保全・再生施策の対象地域 Kanagawa Five-Year Action Plan for Conservation and Restoration of Water Source Environment To promote conservation and restoration of the water source environment effectively and steadily according to the Basic Policies, the Five-Year Action Plan defines programs to be implemented in the first five years of the specified 20 years. Time Frame of From FY 2007 through FY 2011 the Action Plan ○ Programs expected to have direct effects on conservation and restoration of the Program water source environment, and which are to Covered by be implemented in the water source the Action Plan conservation areas within the prefecture. ○ Programs designed to build a new system to promote conservation and restoration of the water source environment. Number of 12 programs Properly managed man-made forest Programs and Total expenses over the 5 yrs: About ¥19 bil. Newly Required Average annual expenses: About ¥3.8 bil. Expenses 12 Programs of the Five-Year Action Plan Conservation and Restoration of Forests 1. Promotion of the water catchment forest development program Review of the programs To 2. Conservation and restoration measures for conserve the special protection area of the and Tanzawa-Oyama mountain range Examination of the effects restore of the programs forests 3. Valley forest development program that 4. Promotion of removal of the thinned wood 10. Joint research on the nurture environment of the rich Sagami River system water 5. Support for regional water catchment forest development 11. Monitoring of the water Conservation and Restoration of the Rivers environment 6. Promotion of improvement measures for natural purification functions of the rivers Evaluation of the programs and channels To conserve Conservation and Restoration of the Ground 12. Creation of a new system for and Water conservation and restoration of the restore 7. Promotion of ground water conservation water source environment with the clean measures public participation water Reduction of Load on Water Source Environment sources 8. Promotion of the public sewer system in the water catchment areas around the Programs that support prefecture’s dams conservation and restoration of the water source environment 9. Promotion of individual sewage treatment tank installation in the water catchment areas around the prefecture’s dams Public participation and Stable supply of quality water reflection of their will 8.7million citizens of Kanagawa Prefecture Outline of the 12 Programs in the Five-Year Action Plan Numbers in ( ) show the budget to be required over the five years.(in million yen) 1. Promotion of water catchment forest 7. Promotion of groundwater conservation measures development program Further promote public management and support for Promote the municipal governments’ measures to privately-owned forests in the water catchment areas, nurture groundwater and maintain water quality in the and develop the forests as those with high public regions where groundwater is the major source of tap functions such as water nuturing. water. (8,393) (1,165) 2. Conservation and restoration measures for the 8. Promotion of the public sewer system in the water special protection area of the Tanzawa-Oyama catchment areas around the prefecture’s dams mountain range Implement measures to prevent soil erosion, and Support the municipal governments in developing public conduct the conservation and restoration research on sewer system to improve the domestic waste-water beech forests and the collaborative project with the treatment rate in the catchment areas around the public for tree trunk protection. prefecture’s dams. ( 796) (4,270) 3. Valley forest development program 9. Promotion of individual sewage treatment tank installation in the water catchment areas around the prefecture’s dams Develop forests in the upper-stream areas so that they will be able to serve their public functions, such as Support the municipal governments in installing prevention of soil erosion, purification of water and individual sewage treatment tanks (advanced treatment preservation of biodiversity. type) to improve domestic waste-water treatment rate in the catchment areas around the prefecture’s dams. ( 200) ( 646) 4. Promotion of removal of the thinned wood 10. Joint research on the environment of the Sagami River system Support collection and removal of the thinned wood to Conduct environmental research on the condition of the promote development of forests through effective use of forests in the upper basins of the Sagami River system outside the prefecture, and on the water-pollutant load in their resources. the entire Katsura River and Sagami River system. ( 409) ( 98) 5. Support for regional water catchment forest 11. Monitoring of the water environment development Monitor the condition of forests, rivers and groundwater Encourage the municipal governments’ programs to to evaluate the effects of the programs, and provide secure and develop water catchment forests, and information concerning the water source environment promote thinning of privately-owned old artificial forests by white paper, etc. to conserve regional water sources. ( 949) ( 848) 6. Promotion of improvement measures for natural 12. Creation of a new system for conservation and restoration of the water source environment with purification function of the rivers and channels the public participation Promote the municipal governments’ programs to Reflect the prefectural citizens’ will to support conservation and restoration of the water source develop waterfront environment and purify water to environment, and create a scheme in which the create good water source environment. citizens’ can participate in the process of planning of the measures and implementation of the programs. (1,122) ( 192) Tax Rates for the Prefectural Inhabitant Tax on Individuals Increased from FY2007 to Fund the Programs In order to carry out the programs for conservation and restoration of the water source environment in a continuous and steady manner, it is necessary to secure stable financial sources for this purpose, besides the unstable general revenue that is easily affected by economic trends. Therefore, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government decided to increase the tax rates of the prefectural inhabitant tax on individuals, which consists of the per capita rates and those based on the income levels, so that the expenses of about 3.8 billion yen a year, which is newly needed to promote the 12 special programs in the “Five- Year Action Plan”, are widely and fairly shouldered by the prefectural citizens that use water.