The President of the state water management authority Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie hereby announces the commencement of a 21-day public consultation on the environmental impact assessment of the draft plans and draft updates of the flood risk management plans. The public consultation will last from 15th October 2021 to 5th November 2021.
What is an EIA?
The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a complex, multi-stage process which is one of the elements of the procedure leading to the adoption of a document which, if implemented, may have a significant impact on the environment. From the point of view of the EIA, it is crucial to prepare a forecast of the environmental impact of the strategic document under development and to submit the draft document together with the forecast for public review. The forecast is the basis for conducting proceedings on strategic environmental impact assessment.
The main objective of the forecast is to analyse whether and how the implementation of the provisions of the proposed plans and their updates (as documents setting out the framework for the subsequent implementation of the undertakings likely to have a significant impact on the environment) may affect the environment – i.e. to assess the potential and actual environmental effects of the implementation of the plans. In particular, the forecast is set to assess the degree and manner of considering environmental aspects in the plans, identify possible negative impacts on the environment and propose remedial measures.
Under Polish law, the legal basis for carrying out the EIA is Article 39 (1) (4) of the Act of 3 October 2008 on the availability of information on the environment and its protection, public participation in environmental protection and environmental impact assessments (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 247 and 784).
How do we consult?
One of the main parts of the EIA is public consultation, conducted to ensure the adoption of the final document. Public consultation of the environmental impact forecasts and the proposed plans is supposed to contribute to better environmental protection.
In the EIA process, everyone has the opportunity to read the necessary documentation (i.e. the draft plans and their forecasts) and everyone has the right to submit their comments and requests within the public consultation period.
Comments and requests may be submitted using the form provided, or in writing to the following address:
Wydział Planowania, Departament Ochrony przed Powodzią i Suszą
Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie
Krajowy Zarząd Gospodarki Wodnej
Żelazna 59a
00-844 Warszawa
They can also be submitted verbally in person at the address listed above, in room 4.10.2 (if arranged by telephone prior to the visit), or by e-mail to konsultacje_soos@stoppowodzi.pl (no electronic signature necessary).
Details on how to submit comments and proposals can be found in the Instruction available at https://stoppowodzi.pl/soos/
We encourage all interested parties to use the online form available at https://stoppowodzi.pl/konsultacje/formularz-soos/
The consultation window will close on 5 November 2021. Comments and requests submitted after this date will not be considered. The President of Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie is competent to consider the comments.
3 public consultation meetings
3 online consultation meetings for the purposes of the strategic evaluation of the draft FRMPs were foreseen due to the prevailing restrictions related to the epidemic situation and the uncertainty of future restrictions.
The meetings are scheduled on 26th, 27th and 28th October 2021. Each of the meetings will be dedicated to selected river basin areas and each participant will have the opportunity to ask questions during the meeting. Detailed information on meetings and meeting registration can be found on the website stoppowodzi.pl in the EIA Consultation Meetings tab HERE
2nd planning cycle
Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie is responsible for preparing and updating flood risk management plans (FRMP) for the river basin areas. Currently, the updates of the plans for the Wisła, Odra and Pregoła river basin areas and plans for the Łąba, Niemen and Dunaj river basin areas are being developed. This is the final stage of the 6-year planning cycle, which will end in 2022.
The update of the FRMP is implemented under the project ‘Review and update of flood risk management plans’, project no.: POIS.02.01.00-00-0001/19, financed from the funds of the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment, Priority Axis II: Environmental protection including adaptation to climate change, Measure 2.1 Adaptation to climate change including protection and increasing resilience to natural disasters and environmental monitoring.
Up-to-date information on draft plans, as well as public consultations as part of the strategic environmental assessment, is available at stoppowodzi.pl
Any questions about the ongoing consultation can be emailed to: konsultacje_soos@stoppowodzi.pl or to:
Wydział Planowania, Departament Ochrony przed Powodzią i Suszą
Państwowe Gospodarstwo Wodne Wody Polskie
Krajowy Zarząd Gospodarki Wodnej
ul. Żelazna 59a
00-848 Warszawa
We invite you to participate in the public consultations on the EIA for the draft FRMP/uFRMP.
[1] Due to the epidemic situation and the spread of COVID-19 on the territory of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship/Poland, and out of concern for the health of its inhabitants, the availability of the documents listed above at the office of PGW WP is limited.