Category: Transboundary Monitoring

Read the Guidelines for Monitoring Strategies in Transboundary Aquifers here 

Read the final report for the Design of a multipurpose transboundary groundwater monitoring network here 

Structured monitoring strategies are paramount to achieving sustainable groundwater resources management and meeting environmental goals. In the case of transboundary aquifer management, structured approaches are necessary in order to facilitate agreement on joint monitoring strategies among the involved countries; once in place, these strategies can enhance trust and cooperation for the management of transboundary water resources.

The Webinar “Monitoring Strategies in Transboundary Aquifers: Goals, Methods and Tools – The case study of Skadar/Shkoder – Buna/Bojana Delta transboundary alluvial aquifer”, conducted in the frame of the GEF Drin project, analyses existing groundwater monitoring strategies, tools and methods for transboundary aquifers and provides guidelines on how to design monitoring plans compliant with EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) regulations and national frameworks. It also provided specific guidelines for the operation of a monitoring network in the particular two-hydrogeology context (coastal area and inland alluvial aquifer) as applied in the Global Environment Facility Drin project.

Read the webinars’ Agenda and Concept Note.

Agenda Item	Presentation / Video
Introduction: Welcoming remarks • Alice Aureli, Chief of Groundwater System and Human Settlements Section, UNESCO IHP • Vangelis Constantianos, Regional Coordinator, GWP-Med • Neno Kukuric, Director, IGRAC	Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Session 1: Why monitoring is paramount to address appropriate groundwater resources management and to attain EU WFD environmental goals? The specific case of transboundary aquifers. • Dr. Josep Mas Pla	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Session 2: The hydrogeological conceptual model as an initial step towards design of a monitoring network. Data requirements, basic issues (including pressures, impacts, vulnerability and risks) to be considered. • Dr. Laura del Val Alonso	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Session 3: Where must monitoring wells be located? Identifying and selecting the most representative spots in coastal aquifers and inland aquifers. • Dr. Josep Mas Pla	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Session 4: How to monitor groundwater levels? Instrumentation and practical considerations. Interpretation and reporting hydraulic head data. • Dr. Laura del Val Alonso	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Session 5: How to monitor groundwater quality? Groundwater sampling techniques and practical considerations. Interpretation and reporting hydrochemical data. • Dr. Josep Mas Pla	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Session 6: Data management: Considerations on data processing, storage, quality assurance and reporting. Sharing databases in transboundary aquifer monitoring programs. • Dr. Laura del Val Alonso	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Summary: Proposal of a feasible monitoring plan based for a transboundary aquifer on the EU WFD regulations applied to the DRIN project. • Dr. Josep Mas Pla	Download Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons Font Awesome Icons
Plenary Discussion: Questions and Answers Moderators: • Alexandros Makarigakis, Dr Josep Mas Pla, Dr Laura Alonso	Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons
Closing remarks • Alexandros Makarigakis, Groundwater System and Human Settlements Section, UNESCO IHP • Dimitris Faloutsos, Deputy Regional Coordinator, GWP-Med / Drin Project Manager	Font Awesome Icons Watch Font Awesome Icons

The workshop was organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in partnership with the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med).

Read the final report here .

The region has significant and important groundwater resources. The main uses of groundwater in the Drin Basin are potable water supply and irrigation.

Due to the complex hydrogeological structures, the surface hydrological boundaries often do not coincide with the hydrogeological boundaries of the catchments of surface-water bodies. For example, Lake Prespa has an underground hydraulic connection with Lake Ohrid.

Groundwater resources are often vulnerable to pressure resulting from socio-economic activities. Effects of these pressures affect both nature and humans.

Structured monitoring strategies are paramount to achieving sustainable groundwater resources management and meeting environmental goals. In the case of transboundary aquifer management, structured approaches are necessary in order to facilitate agreement on joint monitoring strategies among the involved countries; once in place, these strategies can enhance trust and cooperation for the management of transboundary water resources.

Responding to the need of establishing transboundary monitoring the GEF Drin project supported a pilot activity implemented in cooperation with UNESCO aiming to design and test a modern multi‐purpose transboundary groundwater monitoring network in the Skadar/Shkoder – Buna/Bojana Delta transboundary alluvial aquifer (Albania & Montenegro) in line with relevant EU legislation. The results will be used to upscale related activities at the Drin Basin level.

An initial desk-study provided knowledge on the status of the aquifer’s groundwater resources, based on existing information, as well as on information related to surface waters, freshwater ecosystems, and coastal environment. These efforts were then complemented by developing the hydrogeological conceptual model and the aquifer’s comprehensive vulnerability analysis (examining both vertical and horizontal vulnerability) for the study area which later helped in creating the basis for design of the groundwater monitoring network. 

The groundwater monitoring programme was tested in the two countries. 

Within the framework of this project, and in collaboration with GEF IW:LEARN a webinar on groundwater monitoring, focusing on a hydrogeological context to design a monitoring network of the examined aquifers was organized.

Figure: Conceptual model Montenegrin segment of transboundary aquifer. (1) Equivalent vertical-horizontal scale cross section (2) vertical-horizontal scale exaggeration hydrogeological cross section (3) local hydrogeological cross-section zooming into the Zeta plain intergranular aquifer.

 

 

Figure: Conceptual model of the Albanian segment of transboundary aquifer. (1) Hydrogeological cross section towards the sea (2) Hydrogeological cross section of intergranular aquifer contributing to the Skadar/Shkoder Lake.