Water management plans

Overview

The objectives of water management plans (WMP) are to achieve at least a good status of surface and groundwater and the sustainable use of water and to ensure high-quality drinking water. The designation of surface water bodies followed the guidelines of the unified implementation strategy for the Water Framework Directive. Following this, guidelines for the formation and designation of water bodies for Estonian waters were prepared. The overall status of Estonian water bodies is assessed based on selected water bodies or specific parts of them. There are 31 groundwater bodies and 744 surface water bodies in Estonia, of which 635 are flowing water bodies, 93 are stagnant water bodies and 16 are coastal water bodies. Considering the boundaries of the catchment areas of water bodies, Estonia is divided into three river basin districts: Western Estonia, Eastern Estonia, and the Koiva river basin.

The aggregate states of surface water bodies are (in Estonian) reviewed and assessed annually and the state of groundwater is (in Estonian) assessed once during the six-year water management plan period. The state of a water body can be affected by various burdens (industry, human development, agriculture), so water bodies are monitored to determine their state. Groundwater monitoring (in Estonian) is divided into chemical and quantitative monitoring. Surface water monitoring (in Estonian) is divided into hydrochemical, hydrobiological and hydromorphological monitoring.

The water monitoring programme and the programme of measures support achieving the objectives of the water management plans. Based on the water monitoring programme, the states of surface water and groundwater and their changes are assessed, i.e. how the goals of the water management plan have been achieved. A programme of measures is prepared to improve the state of water bodies in poor condition and to maintain the state of water bodies in good condition. The basin's water monitoring programme and programme of measures are drawn up for the duration of the water management plan, i.e. six years.

Water management plans are prepared together with flood risk mitigation plans. The parallel preparation of documents allows the harmonisation of the planning of measures affecting water bodies and the avoidance or mitigation of conflict situations arising from different objectives.

In 2024, the preparation of water management plans for the 4th period (2028–2033) was started, in which the participants are the Ministry of Climate, the Environment Agency, the Environmental Board, and the Geological Survey of Estonia.