F L O O D R I S K M A N A G E M E N T P L A N OF EVROS RIVER BASIN Executive Summary Version 1 – EN | 5.8.2016 Month Day Year ATHENS, AUGUST 2016 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OF EVROS RIVER BASIN FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OF EVROS RIVER BASIN E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y C O N T E N T S FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS AND DIRECTIVE 2007/60/ΕC ....................................................... 1 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVROS RIVER BASIN ................................... 6 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA ........................................................................................... 7 PRELIMINARY FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................... 9 FLOOD HAZARD AND RISK MAPS ..................................................................................................... 13 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OBJECTIVES ................................................................................ 24 PROPOSED MEASURES BY THE FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN ................................................... 29 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND CONSULTATION ................................................................................... 39 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OF EVROS RIVER BASIN FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS AND THE DIRECTIVE 2007/60/ΕC General The European Commision, in recognition of the following: that floods may cause deaths, population resettlement and damages to the environment, cause significant risk to economic development and undermine the economic activities of the European Community, that floods are natural phenomena that are impossible to predict, that certain human activities (such as the expansion of human settlements and property into the floodplain areas and the reduction of the natural capacity of the soil to withhold water due to changes in land use)and climate change contribute to increasing probability of flood occurrences and a corresponding increase of their negative impacts, set in force Directive 2007/60/ΕC (henceforth “the Directive”) for the evaluation and managements of flood risk. The Directive aims to formulate a framework to evaluate and manage flood risk in order to reduce the negative impacts to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activities. According to the Directive, member states must complete the following actions: (a) Conduct a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (henceforth PFRA) for each River Basin District (RBD) and parts of international RBDs that lie within their territory. The PFRA determines the areas subject to potentially significant flood risk and where flooding is probable. (b) Prepare Flood Hazard and Flood Risk maps at RBD level. These maps will show the potentially negative impacts corresponding to different flooding scenarios and information concerning potential sources of environmental pollution as a result of flooding. (c) Prepare Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMP) at RBD level for those areas in potentially significant flood risk or probable risk of flooding according to Article 7 of the Directive. The FRMPs must be completed and published by 22nd of December 2015. FRMPs should focus on prevention, protection, awareness and recovery. In order to allow rivers more space, FRMPs should examine, where feasible, the maintenance and/or restoration of floodplains, as well as measures to prevent and reduce damages caused by flooding to human life and health, the environment, cultural heritage, economic activity and infrastructure. p.1 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OF EVROS RIVER BASIN The incorporation of Directive 2007/60/ΕC in the National Legislation – Definitions. The Directive was incorporated into National Legislation with a Joint Ministerial Decision (JJMD) 31822/1542/Ε103 (Gov. Gazette Β’ 1108/21.07.2010). The Directive applies to the country’s RBDs. According to the JMD Flood is defined as “the temporary inundation of land which under normal cicumstances is not covered by water. This includes floods originating from river courses, mountain streams and ephemeral watercourses, overflowing of lakes, flooding from groundwater and from the sea in coastal areas. It also includes floods from destruction of major hydraulic infrastructure such as embankment and dam breaches. ” Flood Risk is defined as "the combination of the probability of flooding and potentially negative impacts to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activities linked with this flooding.” Finally, the JMD defines Flood Hazard as the ”potential of flooding to appear in a specific location (quantified by water depth, flow velocity or other hydrologic or hydraulic characteristic variable) that corresponds to a specific probability of occurrence.” Competent Authorities to apply the provisions of JMD 31822/1542/Ε103 are the Special Secretariat for Water (SSW) of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy along with the Water Directorates of the Decentralized Administration. For the particular case of the Evros River Basin, the competent authority is the Water Directorate of Easterm Macedonia and Thrace (DYAMT) of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia -Thrace (ADMT). According to JMD Article 4, for each RBD or part of international RBD lying within the Greek territory, a PFR Assessment must be conducted, on the basis of which, Areas of Potentially Significant Flood Risk (APSFR) are determined (areas for which it is determined that are under potentially significant flood risk or that flooding is probable). For each APSFR, Flood Hazard Maps (FHM) and Flood Risk Maps (FRM) are prepared according to Article 5 of the JMD. Both the FHMs and FRMs are prepared on suitable scales, using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and suitable topographical backgrounds. The end receivers of this information are, in both cases, the competent authorities and the general public. For each APSFR and on the basis of the above maps, FRMPs are prepared (Article 6 of the JMD). Either a single FRMP is prepared for each RBD or a bundle of FRMPs are prepared corresponding to individual river basins which are coordinated on RBD level. In case of an international RBD that lies in its entirety within the Greek territory and the territory of another or other member state(s), either a single international FRMP or a bundle of FRMPs are prepared on the international RBD level (Article 7 of the JMD). In case this does p.2 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OF EVROS RIVER BASIN not prove feasible, FRMPs are prepared for the parts of the international RBD that lie within the Greek administrative boundaries. In case the international RBD lies beyond the boundaries of the European Union, either a single FRMP or a bundle of FRMPs are prepared by the National Water Committee. In case this does not prove feasible, FRMPs are prepared for the parts of the international RBD that lie within the Greek administrative boundaries. For the particular case of the Evros River Basin, the present FRMP regards to the parts of the basin within the Greek administrative boundaries. The FRMPs include the following: a) the basic management objectives for flood risk management with emphasis on: i) the reduction of potentially negative impacts of flooding to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity; and ii) if feasible, on initiatives not concerning construction works and actions for flood risk management and/or the reduction of the probability of flooding, b) the necessary measuresto achieve the above management goals,and c) the PFRA resultsin map format, showing the APSFRs and the FHMs and FRMs. To complete the FRMPs approval process, the preparation of corresponding Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) is required (JMD 107017/05.09.2006, Directive 2001/42/ΕC). According to Article 8 of the JMD coordination is required with the provisions of Presidential Decree (PD) 51/2007 "On measures and procedures for the integrated protection and management of water resources in accordance with the provisions of Directive 2000/60/EC", as ammended. It concerns measures for coordination between actions to implement Directives 2000/60/EC and 2007/60/EC, focusing on possibilities for greater efficiency, exchange of information and achieving synergies and common benefits concerning the environmental goals as defined in Article 4 of Directive 2000/60/EC as well as in the PD 51/2007 and its ammendments. The implementation progress of Directive 2007/60/EC in Greece The following actions for implementing the Directive in Greece have been undertaken: • The Report on Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment was completed and submitted to the European Commission on 23-03-2012. • The determination of Areas of Potentially Significant Flood Risk for the 14 RBDs of the country was completed and the PFRA report updated and submitted to the European Commission on 22-11-2012. • Preparation of FHMs and FRMs for the Greek part of the Evros River Basin was completed and submitted to the European Commission on 14th November 2014 with additional submissions of the 7th May 2015. p.3 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN OF EVROS RIVER BASIN The project “Flood Risk Management Plan of the Evros River Basin” updated with more details the PFRA and the determination of APSFRs for the Greek part of the Evros River Basin and prepared the complete set of actions that are needed to prepare the FRMP according to the Directive. Finally, concerning the implementation of the Directive to the rest of the country, the SSW has commissioned five (5) projects covering