European Union Water Initiative Plus for Eastern Partnership Countries (EUWI+): Results 2 and 3 ENI/2016/372-403 DEVELOPMENT OF DRAFT RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR ALAZANI-IORI RIVER BASIN IN GEORGIA Version 1.1; November 2020 Responsible EU member state consortium project leader Alexander Zinke, Umweltbundesamt GmbH (AT) EUWI+ country representative in Georgia Zurab Jincharadze Responsible international thematic lead expert Yannick Pochon, IOWater (FR) Responsible Georgian thematic lead expert Mariam Makharova, MEPA Authors Sophie Akhobadze, REC Caucasus Ana Rukhadze, REC Caucasus Eliso Barnovi, REC Caucasus Keti Jibladze, REC Caucasus Maia Zumbulidze, REC Caucasus Disclaimer: Over the past few years, Georgia and the five other Eastern Partnership countries have demonstrated their will- ingness to align their water sector policies and practices with the European Union (EU) and other international Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). Moreover, as part of its commitments under the Association Agreement (AA) signed with the EU, Georgia is aligning its national water policies and strategies with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). This document, the “draft Alazani-IoriRiver Basin Management Plan2020” has been developed in the framework of the EuropeanUnion-funded programme “European Union Water Initiative Plus” (2016-2021). This is the first draft River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) forthis river basin. Georgian experts, with the support of experts from the Environment Agency Austria and French International Office for Water,worked together with stakeholders of the water sector at national and basin levels to draft this RBMP. This draft RBMP contributes to the implementation of basin principles and integrated water resources management approaches in the country. However, it does not claim to meet all requirements of the EU WFD. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of, or sovereignty over, any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries, and to the name of any territory, city or area. Imprint Owner and Editor: EU Member State Consortium Umweltbundesamt GmbH Office International de’l Eau (IOW) Spittelauer Lände 5 21/23 rue de Madrid 1090 Vienna, Austria 75008 Paris, FRANCE Responsible IOW Communication officer: Chloé Dechlette [email protected] October 2020 CONTENTS Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 12 Introduction and background ............................................................................................................ 12 Main water management issues ....................................................................................................... 13 Delineation of SWBs and GWBs ...................................................................................................... 15 Significant pressures and impacts .................................................................................................... 16 SWBs at risk and possibly at risk ..................................................................................................... 17 GWBs and risk assessment ............................................................................................................. 17 Environmental objectives and priorities ............................................................................................ 18 Economic analysis ............................................................................................................................ 20 Programme of measures (PoMs) - Summary of key measures ....................................................... 20 Implementation strategy and expected outcomes ............................................................................ 21 1 General characteristics of the river basin ......................................................................................... 22 1.1 Surface water bodies (SWBs)................................................................................................... 30 1.1.1 Methodology for delineation of SWBs ............................................................................ 30 1.1.2 Identification and delineation of SWBs ........................................................................... 31 1.2 Groundwater bodies (GWBs) .................................................................................................... 34 1.2.1 Methodology for delineation of GWBs ............................................................................ 34 1.2.2 Identification and delineation of GWBs .......................................................................... 35 2 Pressures and impacts of human activities ...................................................................................... 38 2.1 Significant water management issues for point source pollution .............................................. 39 2.1.1 Water quality ................................................................................................................... 41 2.1.2 SWBs under significant pressures and impacts from point source pollution ................. 42 2.2 Estimation of diffuse source pollution ....................................................................................... 45 2.3 Estimation of quantitative pressures on SWBs and GWBs ...................................................... 52 2.4 Analysis of hydromorphological pressure ................................................................................. 55 3 Protected Zones ............................................................................................................................... 58 3.1 Water protection zones ............................................................................................................. 59 3.2 Protected areas ........................................................................................................................ 61 3.3 Drinking water abstraction ........................................................................................................ 64 4 Water bodies status and risk analysis .............................................................................................. 67 5 Surface water Monitoring ................................................................................................................. 70 5.1 Current surface water monitoring situation ............................................................................... 70 5.2 Monitoring improvement ........................................................................................................... 71 5.2.1 Chemical Monitoring ....................................................................................................... 72 5.2.2 Hydrobiological Monitoring ............................................................................................. 73 5.2.3 Hydromorphological Monitoring ...................................................................................... 74 5.3 Monitoring Costs ....................................................................................................................... 75 5.4 Monitoring results ..................................................................................................................... 75 5.4.1 Chemical Status ............................................................................................................. 75 5.4.2 Ecological status ............................................................................................................. 76 6 Groundwater monitoring ................................................................................................................... 77 7 Environmental objectives ................................................................................................................. 79 7.1 Environmental objectives for SWBs ......................................................................................... 79 7.2 Environmental objectives for Heavily Modified Water Bodies (HMWBs).................................. 80 7.3 Environmental objectives for protected areas .......................................................................... 81 7.4 Environmental objectives for GWBs ......................................................................................... 82 8 Economic analysis ............................................................................................................................ 83 8.1 Economic weights by relevant water users .............................................................................. 83 8.2 Economic analysis of Programme of Measures (PoMs) .......................................................... 88 8.2.1 Environmental benefits ................................................................................................... 90 8.2.2 Present value of PoMs ................................................................................................... 90 8.2.3 Affordability analysis ....................................................................................................... 91 8.2.4 Assessing the final implication of PoMs ......................................................................... 91 8.2.5 Financing the PoMs ........................................................................................................ 92 9 Programme of measures .................................................................................................................