case study: Nemunas

1. Name Partner

2. General case study characteristics

2a. Geographical characteristics

The case study will look at the Neris river, a part of the Nemunas river basin that is situated in Eastern Lithuania. The source of this transboundary river is situated in Belarus and the upper part of the river (234.5 km long) flows via the territory of Belarus. The catchment area in Belarus amounts to 11,004.6 km², the largest part of the river basin or 13,849.6 km² is situated in Lithuania, and only a small part of the basin of about 88.1 km² is situated in the Latvian territory.

2b. Land use characteristics

Forests occupy about 28% of the Neris river basin area, wetlands make up 10% and lakes account for 2.5%. The agricultural sector is not widely developed in this area, with farming land occupying about 134,000 hectares. National and regional parks occupy an area of about 24,000 ha. The Neris river basin, rich in valuable water sites, will most likely experience even faster development of tourism and especially of recreational activities. The largest city of the basin is Vilnius, a capital city of Lithuania.

3. Pressure and impact analysis

3a. Main pressure(s) and/or pollutant(s)

The main pressures in the basin are (1) wastewater discharge from point sources as direct discharge with no or insufficient treatment also from diffuse sources, usually individual discharges with no or insufficient treatment and (2) pollution from agricultural activities including point sources as direct discharge from manure stacks and non-point agricultural sources. Pollution loads are following: 2,270 t/yr of BOD7, 160 t/yr of NH4; 1,242 t/yr of NO3 and 128 t/yr of total phosphorus.

3b. Impact(s)

Agricultural pollution is the main source of shallow groundwater pollution by nitrates. In southern part of the basin there are areas of potential risk of nitrates pollution. Pollution by nutrients imposes a risk of not achieving good ecological status by 2015 in several surface water bodies. Water bodies at risk with regard to pollution by total phosphorus are Neris river stretch from the border to Zeimena river and downstream Vilnius, rivers of Rudamina, Nemezis, Voke, Aliosa, Lomena and 4 other smaller streams; River bodies at risk with regard to pollution by BOD7 are Neris river, rivers of Nemesis, Lomena and 2 smaller streams.

3c. Water quality standards

Water quality standards are being elaborated by the EPA of Lithuania. Thresholds for the identification of water bodies at risk (WBR) are following:
• average annual concentration of BOD7 > 3 mgO2/l,
• average annual concentration of ammonia > 0.08 mg/l,
• average annual concentration of nitrates > 1.3 mg/l
• average annual concentration of total phosphorus > 0.11 mg/l
• Good ecological status - no definition.

4. Definition goods and services provided by aquatic ecosystem

The Neris River Basin’s aquatic system provides direct consumptive goods and services from both groundwater and surface water. Water as a consumptive good used for residential needs, food production industry and livestock watering comes from groundwater, while water for agricultural irrigation and manufacturing processes comes from both groundwater and surface waters. Water as a non-consumptive good is used for hydropower production and navigation (transportation of goods and people). Such goods as recreational swimming, boating and angling are widely used and have a big potential for increased use.

5. Beneficiaries / stakeholders involved

Households (drinking water, recreation), industry and energy sector (cooling, process water), agriculture (irrigation), shipping (transport).

6. Definition environmental and resource costs and benefits

Official definition of environmental costs and benefits has not been developed.

7. Main objective of monetary valuation environmental and resource costs and benefits

Estimation of environmental and resource benefits of reaching good ecological status for inclusion in cost-benefit analysis of the identified WFD programme of measures.

8. Economic valuation method

Contingent valuation method – willingness to pay study.

9. Key methodological issues

Linking economic values to pressure and/or biological impact indicators
Sensitivity to scope and distance testing
Benefits transfer across sub-basins

10. Available data, information sources and stakeholder involvement

Outputs of the projects “Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. Meeting 2006 deadlines” and “Procurement of Services for the Institutional Building for the Nemunas River Basin Management”
A CV study carried out in Nevezis basin within a project: “Capacity building on the assessment of environmental and resource costs as support to the implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive in the Baltic Member States”

Status report of a sub-basin of the Nemunas river basin

Case Study Status Report Neris River Basin [pdf, 956 KB]