The National Environmental Remediation Program in Hungary (NERP) Workshop on „Contaminated Lands in Accession Countries: Benchmarking Historical Heritage and National Actions” REC November, 2003 László Balásházy Ministry of Environment and Water

Structure of presentation 1.Past 2.Legislation 3.Limit Value System 4.Vulnerability – Sensitivity 5.Future

1. Past Governmental Plan Inventory, investigation and removal of accumulated pollution Solving environmental problems concerning former soviet military barracks and sites The NERP was adopted by Parliament as the part of the National Environmental Plan Governmental Decrees

Share of Financial Sources 30 % of them - for the NERP preparatory works and operating the programme. countrywide inventory of sources of pollution and contaminated sites threatening groundwater and soil - despite of liabilities establishment and operation GIS-based information system (KÁRINFO), drawing up of the National Remediation Priority List (NKPL), legislation – technical and economic guidance documents, preparatory of the Sub-programmes of different ministries PR activity management, co-ordination, supervision (control) 70 %- of them – for implementation the most urgent remediation investments concerning state responsibility

Main rules of responsibility Main rule: polluter or/and the landowner Main cases of state responsibility The operator is unknown, or has been dissolved without a legal successor and Has been performed prior to the entry into force of the environmental law If a state institution (e.g. army) has performed the activity The state has assumed liability due to the privatisation

Since 1996 the Ministry responsible for remediation has invested in 80 clean-up projects launching in 47 locations Locations with different levels of remediation: remediation completed remediation being in the stage of supplementary control (post-checking) remediation transferred to the Sub-Programme, being in competence of other Ministry remediation interrupted (suspended) remediation in process

2. Legislation Basic rules are in the Environmental Act Detailed legislation come into force on 7th of June of Governmental Decree No. 33/2000 (III.17.) on activities affecting quality of groundwater Ministerial Decree No. 10/2000 (VI. 2.) on limit values needed for protection of the quality of groundwater, soils and geological medium Outstanding result: the protection regime of groundwater and soil has been harmonised

Governmental Decree No. 33/2000 (III.17) Phases of remediation Survey of polluted site Preliminary investigation Detailed Investigation Engineering measure -Remediation action Follow –up monitoring Supplementary control

3. Limit Value System Severely Polluted or Damaged A BCiCi AbAb E D Natural background LoadPollution Loaded Pollution Polluted Remediation Natural conditions A: Background concentration A b : Demonstrated background concentration B: Pollution limit value C i : Intervention pollution threshold value (i= 1,2,3 according to vulnerability of the area) D: Target value of remediation E: Site specific pollution limit value FOR GROUNDWATER AND GEOLOGICAL MEDIUM

4. Vulnerability – Sensitivity Governmental Decree No. 33/2000 (III.17) „A” Areas of great sensitivity „B” Sensitive area „C”Less sensitive areas Vulnerability ( sensitivity) map: Site vulnerability to pollution according to sensitivity categories.

Publications

Website, containing the information on NERP (OKKP):

5. Future The main tasks of NERP – OKKP in the future The National Inventory of contaminated sites needs to be speeded up, including historical studies. The priority ranking of the sites to be cleaned-up should be completed as soon as possible; Contribution to the goals of WFD (achieving the good status at the level of water bodies until 2015) Development of Hungarian policy to comply with EU Soil Policy – on contaminated sites Utilisation of possible Structural and Cohesion assistance from the EU funds Increasing PR activity, involving the wide public – public awareness Increasing financial support from the State budget and from other state financial supporting system

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