Recommendation on Safety Requirements for Contaminated Sites in Flood Risk Areas - Annex 6
Sites contaminated as a result of industrial activities and former waste disposal operations represent a potential danger for the environment. This is especially true of sites contaminated by hazardous substances which could be mobilised and enter water bodies in the event of a flood. The dramatic floods in recent years at Elbe, Danube and Oder rivers have shown that the release of toxic substances from contaminated sites may cause significant harm to water bodies in Europe. A first survey of potentially contaminated sites in the Danube catchment, initiated by the ICPDR, has shown the relevance of this problem for the Danube river basin and has emphasized the need for further action. For this reason the ICPDR decided to work out safety requirements for contaminated sites located in flood-risk areas in order to improve the safety level of those sites. Beyond the scope of these requirements the ICPDR wishes to draw attention to the relevance of the precautionary principle: Countries should establish the policy framework and take the measures necessary to prevent any future contamination of sites in areas prone to flooding.
Recommendation on Safety Requirements for Contaminated Sites in Flood Risk Areas - Annex 6.pdf
