Management plans for water

The significant shortage of water available for plants and the alarmingly low water table levels observed in recent years are among the most urgent contemporary environmental issues. The results of the National Forest Inventory, as well as the larger total volume of sanitary cuts, indicate that the process of the dieback of trees has become more intense. Water shortage is claimed to be one of the main reasons.

Management plan for water is a planning tool that enables maximum benefits from the exploitation of water infrastructure while minimizing the cost of its maintenance. These benefits can be measured by the possible amount of water retention in a given area. The lack of such a plan makes it very difficult to manage and control water, human, and financial resources. Management plan for water is drawn up for the entire river catchment areas (4th or 5th level). In this case, the administrative boundaries and ranges of forest districts and local self-government should not constitute the planning framework.

The plan involves the identification of a number of variables to be taken into account, including current habitat, water, and meteorological conditions, as well as trends in their changes. The analyses are based on a detailed inventory of existing water facilities, and their technical condition, including the hydraulic functionality of ditches, the state of structures, etc. The directions and volume of water flow in the catchment area are determined.

The outcome of the project should be the identification of maintenance, repair, and investment needs in the field of water infrastructure, as well as the classification of watercourses and ditches according to the criterion of urgency and the need for their maintenance. The plan indicates water management restrictions both in the area and spot-protected objects, as well as optimal species compositions of plant communities affecting the quality and quantity of water retention. An economic analysis of the implementation of the plan is an essential element.