European workshop on the implementation of river basin management plans

On 14 November, we organised a workshop on the implementation of ‘deviations’ to the river basin management plans. With 100 participants and a lot of knowledge shared, we can safely say the workshop was a success.

The Water Framework Directive aims for good water conditions, ideally in 2015. Many member states cannot yet meet this and are therefore defending the need for “deviations” referring to technical feasibility, affordability or the speed with which the water system can restore itself. This evaluation and its underpinning arguments must be included in the river basin management plans.

From 2027, however, a number of the potential deviations will cease to apply, in particular the term extension owing to technical feasibility or affordability. Given that most member states are using precisely these arguments, ample work is underway to review what the consequences of this would be and how the future plans could be drawn up.

The workshop took place within the “common implementation strategy”. Ever since the directive was introduced – in December 2000 – the member states, the European Commission and the stakeholders have been working together to implement the Water framework directive within this context. The Belini project provided practical support.
Representatives from 8 different member states explained their experiences, along with sharing ideas on the future River Basin Management Plans. The participants appreciated the open sharing of knowledge, but also emphasised that further collaboration and information sharing would be of the utmost importance.

The various partners in the Belini project came together on Thursday 12 September to exchange their experiences and results from the previous months. Our auditors from NEEMO and EASME also attended the meeting in Tubize.

By tradition, the weather gods are well-disposed to us, which proved to be the case this time also. Although the morning sunshine was looking inviting, we spent the first part of the day at the Tubize town hall. During our time there, we reviewed how far our project had come and our collective points to work on, along with any problems and potential solutions.

For example, our discussion included how expropriation procedures are going in the various regions and the development of a new model to help us achieve a good ecological condition for a watercourse. All in all, a great deal of food for thought and discussion.

Later on, in the afternoon, we reviewed what Belini means in practice. Our partner SPW DGO 3 brought us along to their temporary natural flood plain on the Cœurq. This area was constructed earlier this year and brought into operation in the spring. The biodiversity and the ecosystems here will be monitored further over the next few years.

A few images below offer a sense of the atmosphere.

Work on the new natural flood plain on the Coeurcq in Tubize has now been completed. The new flood plain was already in service during the heavy rainfall in early March.

This flood plain is a wonderful first result from the Belini project and, in particular, an excellent collaboration between the city of Tubize, the province of Walloon Brabant, the Walloon Public Service (DGO3), the Walloon Brabant Intercommunal Association and Contrat de Rivière Senne.

On 10 and 11 April, LIFE Belini organised a LIFE IP Platform event in Brussels. 40 delegates of LIFE projects from different European member states came together to share their ideas and experiences with one other.

The LIFE IP Platform took place last Tuesday and Wednesday at the Herman Teirlinck building in Brussels. Various projects, both already in progress and in their preparation phase, were represented, with a healthy mix of topics relating to water, nature and climate.

The goal of the event was to exchange ideas and experiences concerning the common challenges in project and communication management. The projects were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to one another and to share their experience with the projects in preparation. The projects also looked at finding joint initiatives for future collaboration. Other themes were also addressed, such as monitoring the project and stakeholder management.

The two-day event ended with a guided visit to the Doode Bemde in Leuven. This nature reserve is a fine example of what a natural water retention area can look like. In Belini, plans for realising several natural water retention areas in the river basin of the Dijle in Namur are still on the drawing board.

The successful conference is a good start to a closer collaboration between the different European LIFE IP projects.

Approximately 40 local residents came to find out about the Sigma Plan Demer Valley project and the plans for the Vinkenberg area between Scherpenheuvel-Zichem and Diest. After an explanation in the cultural centre in Diest, they were given a tour through the area.

Over the course of 2018, a previously cut off meandering—or turn—in the river will be reconnected to the Demer. Furthermore, the water levels of the Lei canal will be raised so that ‘wet’ nature will be able to flourish. At the same time, we are investing in a small levee to protect the area from flooding. This is being accomplished with the support of the European LIFE Belini project.

More information is available at: http://sigmaplan.be/en/projects/the-demer-valley/