Focus on Key Sources of Environmental Risks

Programme 2007 - 2013 Central Europe

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

Protecting the environment now and for future generations is one of the pre-conditions for sustainable growth. This is especially relevant for groundwater resources, which are treated by most of EU countries as a strategic source of drinking water for future generations. One has to bear in mind that groundwater is a specific environmental medium. Its degradation sometimes occurs many years after the contamination started. On the other hand, once polluted, it takes many years to achieve rehabilitation. FOKS deals with management of groundwater pollution, with a special focus on industrial pollutants. Some EU countries have problems with identification, assessment and management of contaminated groundwater bodies. In the case of many industrial areas even large invested funds do not ensure the expected improvement of the groundwater quality. Therefore, it is essential to provide innovative technical and administrative tools for groundwater management at industrially contaminated areas. The project will improve the quality of the groundwater resources as essential part of the environment and will lead to a better protection of the environment by cleaning existing groundwater damages and by removing sources of contaminated soils. Furthermore a better use of degraded areas will be targeted. FOKS will contribute to an adjustment of territorial disparities by mutual interaction and cooperation in the field of environmental management, administrative work and by the implementation of innovative, advanced procedures.

Achievements (EN):

Acronym “FOKS” stands for “Focus on Key Sources of Environmental Risks”. Protecting the environment now and for future generations is one of the pre-conditions for sustainable growth. Groundwater is a specific environmental medium. Its degradation occurs sometimes many years after the contamination started. On the other hand, once polluted, it takes many years to achieve rehabilitation. Therefore, groundwater on one hand is a secure source of drinking water for now (it cannot be damaged as fast as surface water); on the other hand preventing negative impacts on groundwater quality is crucial to preserve it for future generations. However, there is still a wide gap between expectations concerning the groundwater quality and technical, as well as economical, feasibility of groundwater cleanup. Some EU countries have problems with identification, assessment and management of contaminated groundwater bodies. In the case of many industrial areas even large invested funds do not ensure the expected improvement of the groundwater quality. Therefore, it seems essential that some innovative technical and administrative tools for groundwater management at industrially contaminated areas should be provided. Keeping that in mind, FOKS project proposed to focus remediation works on the key sources, which is the most efficient and cost effective way. Large potentially contaminated areas could be screened, but ultimately only a small area may need remediation. Implementation of Integral Groundwater Investigation and other tools proposed in the project allows diminishing costs of the identification, assessment and management of contaminated groundwater bodies. The final conference of FOKS project was held in Jaworzno, Poland, on 26-27 March 2012. The conference was a summary of the Project FOKS, supporting the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. During three years, within the Project has been developed a strategy for precise identification of pollution of the aquatic environment and demonstrated optimal technical measures necessary for the effective identification of contamination and conducting remedial action. The pilot areas were located in Poland (Jaworzno), Czech Republic (Novy Bydzov, Klatovy), Germany (Stuttgart) and Italy (Milan, Treviso). The conference presented innovative methods for the integrated management of groundwater pollution from point sources. This comprised both characterisation and remediation tools and reflected their application within the legal context in the Project Partner countries.

Thematic information

Water management Waste and pollution

Partners (7)

Lead Partner: CMI - Central Mining Institute

Address: Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Municipality of Milan – Executive Plans and Programs for Buildings Department- Office for Reclamation PlansEnvironmental Politics department - Office for Public Water Management

Name: Municipality of Milan – Executive Plans and Programs for Buildings Department- Office for Reclamation PlansEnvironmental Politics department - Office for Public Water Management

Address: 20121 MILANO, Italy

Legal status: n/a

Province of Treviso

Name: Province of Treviso

Department: Real Estate Department

Address: Via Cal di Breda, 31100 Treviso, Italy

Legal status: public

Website: www.provincia.treviso.it

IETU - Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas

Name: IETU - Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas

Address: 40-844 Katowice, Poland

Legal status: n/a

City of Stuttgart – Department for Environmental Protection

Name: City of Stuttgart – Department for Environmental Protection

Address: 70171 stuttgart, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Jaworzno

Name: Jaworzno

Department: Department of Geology

Address: Grunwaldzka, 43-600 Jaworzno, Poland

Legal status: public

Website: www.jaworzno.pl

Institute of Public Health Ostrava

Name: Institute of Public Health Ostrava

Address: 70200 Ostrava, Czech Republic

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Milan – Executive Plans and Programs for Buildings Department- Office for Reclamation PlansEnvironmental Politics department - Office for Public Water Management

Focus on Key Sources of Environmental Risks

Partners and Projects info

Province of Treviso

Focus on Key Sources of Environmental Risks

Partners and Projects info

IETU - Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas

Focus on Key Sources of Environmental Risks

Partners and Projects info

CMI - Central Mining Institute

Focus on Key Sources of Environmental Risks

Partners and Projects info

City of Stuttgart – Department for Environmental Protection