The law will facilitate the construction of small water works for capturing water

Prague - Small water structures and land modifications designed to retain water in the landscape will only need to be announced to the water authority and will not require the usual construction procedures. The amendment to the water law that enables this comes into effect today. It was presented in the Chamber of Deputies by a group of MPs from ČSSD, ANO, KSČM, and SPD.

The new rules, in addition to land modifications, relate to water structures with an area of up to two hectares and a dam height of up to 2.5 meters. The MPs aimed to facilitate the creation of measures that would help capture water in the landscape. They responded to the increasingly frequent occurrence of so-called meteorological drought, which lasts longer due to a lack of precipitation and affects larger areas. "The basic purpose of the amendment is to accelerate the construction and establishment of smaller water structures and land modifications so that we can restore the landscape's ability to retain water better," said the co-author of the amendment, Jan Birke (ČSSD), to ČTK.

The proposal is based on an intention that Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Toman (ČSSD) presented two years ago. During the discussion of the proposal, the Chamber increased the originally proposed dam height by one meter and also transferred the permitting process from the construction law to the water law.

"In practice, this means that the permitting process is moving from the complicated construction law to the much simpler water law, which will significantly facilitate the creation of small water structures and land modifications serving to retain water in the landscape. They will now be able to be established by announcing to the water authority and will not require the traditional construction procedure," Birke stated. "Thanks to the amendment, we will reduce the timeframes from several years to several months, we will better confront the potential water shortage in the landscape, and we will also contribute to the development of biodiversity," he added.

The required documents for the announcement will include, among other things, a binding opinion from the spatial planning authority. No territorial decision or consent will be issued. A binding opinion from the environmental protection authority will not be necessary for the announcement of water structures and land modifications unless they concern specially protected areas, such as national parks, protected landscape areas, or reserves.