Water Supply and Sewerage Systems in the Czech Republic September 2001 Contents 1. Basic information about water conditions in the Czech Republic . 3 2. Selected information of water balance for managing water in the Czech Republic in the year 2000 . 4 3. Public water supply and sewerage systems . 6 4. Water supply and sewerage charges . 11 5. State of treatment of waste water from the aspect of Directive 91/271/EHS concerning the treatment of municipal waste water and its implementation in the Czech Republic . 12 6. State support for improvement in the level of water management infrastructure . 13 7. Legislation . 15 8. PDWSSSTU . 16 9. Preparation for accession of Czech Republic to the European Union . 17 10. SOVAK – basic information . 18 2 1. Basic information about water conditions in the Czech Republic The Czech Republic has a total area of 78,866 km2 and lies between two neighbouring mountain ranges – the Czech Highlands and the Carpathians, which have greatly differing geological ages and characters. The hilly terrain is distinguished by significant differences in elevation (1602 metres above sea level for the peak of the mountain SnûÏka and 115 metres above sea level for the valley of the river Elbe at the state border). Highlands and lowlands are represen- ted on a relatively small territory; most of the territory has a height above sea level of 200-600 metres. The long-term average for annual preci- pitation varies greatly in the Czech Republic depending on the height above sea level and the relief. The driest area in North-West Bohemia has an average annual total of just 450 mm, whereas the greatest average is on the ridges of the Jizerské mountains with 1700 mm. The average annual precipitation in the Czech Republic is 668 mm. Water resources (water wealth) in the Czech Republic are replenished almost exclusively by precipitation. Their volume in the long-term average represents 16.7 billion m3 per year, which repre- sents 1621 m3 per inhabitant; fluctuation between wet and dry years is from 8 to 19 billion m3. The Czech Republic is thus a country with relatively moderate and unevenly distributed resources of water; in comparison with the average in the countries of the EU, the water resources of the Czech Republic are approximately half (per unit area and per inhabitant). From approximately 30 % to 50 % of water resources can be considered useable. The territory of the Czech Republic is the total length of which exceeds 76,000 km, tion of surface water. Despite the imple- 2 an important European watershed with is 0.96 km of water course per km of mentation of many measures for sour- the upper reaches of basins of large territory. ces of pollution and the achievement European Rivers such as the Elbe the of a significant improvement in the Odra and the Danube (on the territory On the water courses of importance in elimination of heavy metals and organic of the Czech Republic, the basin of the terms of water management, the long- substances in water, not all problems river Morava. The average density of term trend of reducing released pollu- associated with the quality of surface the network of natural and man-made tants is having a positive impact on the water have yet been resolved. water courses in the Czech Republic, basic parameters of conventional pollu- 3 2. Selected information of water balance for managing water in the Czech Republic in the year 2000 2. 1 Abstractions of surface water In the year 2000 there Abstractions of surface water in 2000 was a downward overall trend in abstractions of Registration by Units Categories of users Total surface water, down by River Board corp. Water supply Energy sector Industry Agriculture Other 3.9% in comparison Elbe River Board corp. Number 34 7 121 20 3 185 Thous. m3 44 964.84 338 689.14 158 792.65 3 884.13 146.08 546 476.84 with 1999 Vltava River Board corp. Number 54 3 103 10 20 190 Thous. m3 190 848.00 2 378.80 86 030.00 754.90 2 932.00 282 943.70 In the year 2000, 764 ab- Ohře River Board corp. Number 31 7 68 10 2 118 stractions of surface water Thous. m3 64 981.59 71 026.00 47 643.81 218.30 19.30 183 889.00 from water courses and Odra River Board corp. Number 161 78 2 9 106 reservoirs was recorded Thous. m3 74 175.60 6 356.00 102 391.80 19.10 313.30 183 255.80 with a total amount of 1363 Morava River Board corp. Number 32 3 102 20 8 165 million m3 (these are ab- Thous. m3 41 227.60 94 122.10 25 768.18 4 431.37 1 068.49 166 617.74 stractions recorded accor- Total River Boards Number 167 21 472 62 42 764 ding to the currently valid Thous. m3 416 197.63 512 572.04 420 626.44 9 307.80 4 479.17 1 363 183.08 legal regulations, i.e., those Source: VÚV T.G.M. from the information of the river board corporations above 15,000 m3 per year or 1250m3 per month). The structure of the recorded Abstractions of surface water in the Czech Republic in the years 1980-2000 abstractions of surface water in the individual river board corporations in the year 2000 is given Public water supply and sewerage Industry Agriculture in the following table and Energy sector Other use graph showing the long- 1400 term trend of a drop in the ) 1200 3 abstractions of surface water. 1000 800 mil. Kč (mill. m 600 400 amount 200 0 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 Source: VÚV TGM 4 2. 2 Abstractions of groundwater In comparison with the Abstractions of surface water in 2000 year 1999 abstracti- Registration by Units Categories of users Total ons of ground water River Board corp. Water supply Energy sector Industry Agriculture Others were reduced by 2.2% Elbe River Board corp. Number 458 2 118 31 19 628 Thous. m3 122 748.78 859.28 10 816.35 806.78 1 400.97 136 632.16 Vltava River Board corp. Number 373 0 78 45 20 516 In the year 2000, 2204 ab- Thous. m3 35 512.20 0 9 450.90 1 636.50 1 805.50 48 405.10 stractions of ground water Ohře River Board corp. Number 270 1 34 3 11 319 were recorded with a total Thous. m3 64 396.04 358.20 5 041.63 292.20 1 836.90 71 924.97 3 amount of 441.2 m . The Odra River Board corp. Number 124 0 29 13 11 177 structure of the recorded ab- Thous. m3 28 508.69 0 2 085.50 332.50 652.00 31 578.69 stractions of water in the in- Morava River Board corp. Number 359 0 125 64 16 564 dividual river board corpo- Thous. m3 140 514.75 0 9 454.62 2 153.04 583.30 152 705.71 rations in the year 2000 is Total River Board corp. Number 1 584 3384156 77 2 204 given in the following table. Thous. m3 391 680.46 1 217.48 36 849.00 5 221.02 6 278.67 441 246.63 Source: VÚV T.G.M. from the information of the river board corporations Abstractions of groundwater for public water supply sys- Abstractions of groundwater in the Czech Republic in the years 1980-2000 tems represent 89% of the total abstractions and the greatest drop was recorded Public water supply and sewerage Industry Agriculture Energy sector Other use in them. The overall deve- 600 lopment of abstractions of ) groundwater since 1980 is 3 500 shown in the following 400 graph. 300 200 mil. Kč 100 amount (mill. m 0 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 Source: VÚV TGM 2. 3 Outflow of waste water Outflows of waste water in the year 2000 Registration by Units Categories of users Total The volume of outflow River Board corp. Water supply Energy sector Industry Agriculture Others of waste water drop- Elbe River Board corp. Number 235 16146 1 29 427 ped by 2.3% Thous. m3 162 104.63 327 746.72 153 516.11 29.83 2 712.85 646 110.14 Vltava River Board corp. Number 493 2 127 9 41 672 In the year 2000, 2258 outf- Thous. m3 312 400.00 1 631.20 84 800.50 1 324.50 5 075.80 405 232.00 lows of waste water into Ohře River Board corp. Number 207 11 167 0 14 399 surface waters with a volu- Thous. m3 93 421.10 25 783.60 134 812.83 0 2 180.55 256 198.08 me of 1803 million m3 were Odra River Board corp. Number 140 5 91 0 23 259 recorded for the state water Thous. m3 118 742.45 4 649.00 82 184.80 0 1 582.17 207 158.42 management balance. The Morava River Board corp. Number 331 2 141 2 25 501 structure of the recorded Thous. m3 193 165.18 64 635.70 28 568.61 85.30 1 798.84 288 253.63 outflows in the individual ri- Total for river board ver board corporations in corporations Number 1406 36 672 12 132 2258 the year 2000 is given in the Thous. m3 879 833.36 424 446.22 483 882.85 1 439.63 13 350.21 1 802 952.27 following table.