Implementation of the project was needed because of the growing pressure on Polish river ecosystems and the fact that many activities taken by institutions managing rivers in Poland are not consistent with the principle of sustainable development and with the requirements of EU environmental policy. A clear example were maintenance works - in recent years, several thousand kilometres of small rivers in Poland might have been degraded. In view of the scale of the problem and negative environmental effects, implementation of environmental objectives of the framework Water Directive could have been threatened.
Activities undertaken under the project were intended to create a situation where hydro-technical works on rivers were conducted in a way that is least harmful to the natural environment and in line with the existing regulations. The project was also supposed to bring information on environmental costs of maintenance works and to help to integrate groups interested in rivers.
Investments and maintenance works on selected 65 rivers were controlled, and the effects of the works for environmental state of the rivers were analysed. The results were published on the Internet page of the project and forwarded to main institutions on the voivodeship and the central levels. Five most important strategic documents on water management were reviewed. 3 meetings were organised, including training and discussion workshops for administration and non-governmental organisations. The project showed that interference in river eco-systems was often motivated by short-term local interests. A change in standards for water management is a long-term process that includes such important factors as a change in social awareness, a change of administrative procedures and in awareness of public officers. Under the project, we succeeded in starting a dialogue between environmentalists and river managers and in presenting constructive, and partly accepted, remarks to strategic planning documents.
The following groups benefited from the project activities: environmentalists, public officers dealing with water management and common citizens. Watchdog activities under the project were led in Mazowieckie and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships, while advocacy activities and integration of environmentalists and public administration had a nationwide scope and were intended to improve the existing solutions throughout Poland.