The Project “Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake” has been one of the priorities in the environmental protection sector of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism for years.
The problem of erosion in the Jezerštica canyon, infiltration and loss of water from the Lake, as well as siltation of the Lake with river load was recognized more than half a century ago and has always been linked to the possibility of permanent disappearance of Biogradsko Lake.
To this end, the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism has asked PPF to complete the first phase, i.e. an analysis of the current situation of Biogradsko Lake through the current IPA Project “Support to Project Preparation for Environment and Climate Change Sector”. It is planned to collect all the existing documents about Biogradsko Lake within this phase, to analyse them and define the problems that need to be addressed. Also, a proposal and a plan of further activities which should lead to lasting remediation of Biogradsko Lake should be prepared in the first phase.
While working on the first phase, three problems that need to be solved were clearly differentiated within the zone of Biogradsko Lake:
- the problem of siltation of the Lake with eroded material transported by the Biogradska River and Lalev Stream;
- the problem of infiltration of the Lake water through a series of ponors (sinkholes) at the bottom of the Lake; and
- the problem of progressive erosion in the Jezerštica canyon.
In the future, each of these may lead to a complete devastation of this jewel of nature and its permanent loss. The solution to these problems should be comprehensive since addressing one of them alone not sufficient to preserve the Lake. The rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake should follow the principle “nothing is over until it’s over” and that is why this task is very complex and addressing it requires a committed and pragmatic approach.
The concept of future surveys is primarily defined in a way to conduct audit and control of the existing maps, to amend and digitalize them where possible, and to prepare the maps which are missing but deemed necessary.
As defined by the Terms of References for the first phase of this project, it is necessary to plan works and activities of the second phase. The following is planned for the second phase of the Project:
- control and amending of the existing plans, and their digitalization where possible;
- preparing of new missing maps which are deemed necessary;
- drafting of the Terms of Reference for developing of the Preliminary Design for integrated rehabilitation of the existing problems on Biogradsko Lake.
Once the required and relevant geodetic, bathymetry, geological, hydrogeological and hydrological maps are completed, a tender should be launched and implemented within the third phase to select the best Preliminary Design for integrated solution to the existing problems affecting the future existence of Biogradsko Lake. Having this in mind, maps must be developed at the level that is satisfactory for this type of works so as to avoid, to the highest extent possible, the use of analogy, approximation and estimations while drafting of the Preliminary Design.
Given the complexity of the overall problem, the idea is to implement the rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake in several phases. If consideration is given to the fact that completion of this Study is the completion of phase I of the Rehabilitation Project, the following phases are planned until the final completion:
Phase II – Amendment to existing maps and development of new missing ones, definition of the Project (Problem analysis) and writing of Terms of References for developing the Preliminary Design for Integrated Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake;
Phase III – Launching of international competition for selecting the best Preliminary Design for Integrated Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake, and choosing the best solution;
Phase IV – Preparing Environmental Impact Assessment for the Preliminary Design for Integrated Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake;
Phase V – Developing the Main Design for the rehabilitation project on the basis of the Preliminary Design for Integrated Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake;
Phase VI – Launching a tender for selecting a contractor for implementing works as per the Main Design for Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake;
Phase VII – Implementation of works as per the Main Design for Rehabilitation of Biogradsko Lake and its permanent rehabilitation.
Since these are activities and works that should take place in the ecologically most sensitive and most vulnerable area, ultimately creative and pragmatic engineering solutions which are in uncompromising harmony with the natural environment of Biogradska Gora, which will not in any way threaten the existing harmony, must be applied when developing the Main Design for Rehabilitation and in executing works thereunder.