csb.gov.tr · Web viewWhile 9 of these species are endemic, 3 are invasive. The Kaz (Ida) Mountains, which dominate the high regions in the northern part of the basin and its ecosystem,

SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BY-LAW ON STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Contract N0 TR2018 ESOP MI A3 12/CNP/03

SEA Pilot Project for Nitrate Action Plan for Northern Aegean Basin

SCOPING REPORT-FINAL DRAFT-

JANUARY 2020

This Project is co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of

Turkey

Supporting the Implementation of By law on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) TR2018 ESOP MI A3 12/CNP/03

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Consortium led by Eptisa Mühendislik and in no way can be taken to reflect the views of European Union.

DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan ii

SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BY-LAW ON STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Contract N0 TR2018 ESOP MI A3 12/CNP/03

SEA Pilot Project for Nitrate Action Plan for Northern Aegean Basin

SCOPING REPORT-FINAL DRAFT-

JANUARY 2020


Contracting Authority Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, General Directorate of European Union and Foreign Relations

Beneficiary Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Directorate of EIA, Permit and Inspection

ProjectSupporting the Implementation of By law on Strategic Environmental

Assessment (SEA)

EuropeAid No TR2018 ESOP MI A3 12/CNP/03

Title Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan

Report StatusDraft - 24.12.2019

Revised-28.01.2020

Submission 28.01.2020

Prepared by

Martin SMUTNY – Team Leader

Michal MUSIL – Senior International SEA Expert

Gonca KAYNAK – Senior Local SEA Expert

Münevver DOĞAN – Backstopper / Environmental Engineer

Reviewed by C. Serdar HAKKAÇIRMAZ – Project Director

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS IV

LIST OF TABLES VI

LIST OF FIGURES VII

TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS VIII

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

2. INTRODUCTION 12

2.1 NATURE OF THE DOCUMENT 12

2.2 SCOPING APPROACH FOR NITRATE ACTION PLAN 13

3. MAIN FEATURES OF NITRATE ACTION PLAN 14

3.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 14

3.2 OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES OF THE NAP 16

3.3 MAIN GOALS AND MEASURES 18

3.4 THE CODE OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES 18

3.5 PREPARATORY WORKS AND FURTHER STEPS 20

3.6 RELATIONSHIP AND INTERACTION WITH OTHER RELEVANT PLANS AND PROGRAMMES 20

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF AREAS LIKELY TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED 22

4.1 GEOLOGY, LAND AND SOIL 23

4.2 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS & CLIMATE CHANGE 25

4.3 WATER AND GROUNDWATER 28

4.3.1 Rivers 28

4.3.2 Lakes and Dams 29

4.3.3 Springs 31

4.3.4 Wells 31

4.3.5 Water Potential in the Basin 32

4.3.6 Water Pollution 33

4.4 NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES 41

4.5 COASTAL WATERS 43

4.6 ECOSYSTEMS & BIODIVERSITY 44

4.7 PROTECTED AREAS 45

4.8 AIR QUALITY 47

4.9 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS 48

4.9.1 Demography 48

4.9.2 Health 49

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan iv


4.9.3 Economic Profile of the Likely Affected Areas 49

4.9.4 Cultural Heritage 53

5. INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF PRIORITY ISSUES 54

5.1 SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS 54

5.2 SCOPING MATRIX 56

5.3 ALTERNATIVES 64

5.4 STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS 64

6. NEXT STEPS 65

7. ANNEXES 66

ANNEX-I SUMMARY OF CONSULTATIONS DURING SCOPING 67

ANNEX-II MOMS 68

ANNEX-III STATUS OF WATER QUALITY IN THE COASTS OF THE BASIN 69

ANNEX-IV BIBLOGRAPHY 72

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan v


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 : Scoping Matrix................................................................................................................................................... 5

Table 2: Plans & Programmes Related With NAP.................................................................................................................20

Table 3: A glance to Northern Aegean Basin (2017)..............................................................................................................22

Table 4: Distribution of Soil Groups in the Northern Aegean Basin...........................................................................................23

Table 5: Land Use Classification in the Northern Aegean Basin...............................................................................................24

Table 6: Table of Northern Aegean Basin Surface Water and Groundwater basins......................................................................28

Table 7: Major Rivers and Creeks in the Northern Aegean Basin.............................................................................................28

Table 8: Dam Lakes in Northern Aegean Basin....................................................................................................................29

Table 9: Major Springs in the basin...................................................................................................................................31

Table 10: Water Potential in the basin- with consumption figures.............................................................................................32

Table 11: Glance to Water Potential and Water Consumption in the basin.................................................................................33

Table 12: Summary of surface water quality within the basin...................................................................................................34

Table 13: Summary of ground water quality within the basin...................................................................................................35

Table 14 : Risks in terms of the amount of Groundwater bodies in Northern Aegean....................................................................36

Table 15 : Status of ground water bodies............................................................................................................................37

Table 16 : Hot Spots of the Basin.....................................................................................................................................38

Table 17 : Fertilizer Consumption Details in the Basin...........................................................................................................39

Table 18 : Livestock data of Northern Aegean Basin.............................................................................................................40

Table 19 : Total Annual Amount of Pure Nitrogen Load Produced by Manure in the Northern Aegean Basin......................................43

Table 20: WWTPs discharging the effluent to Aegean Sea.....................................................................................................44

Table 21: Protected areas in the basin...............................................................................................................................46

Table 22: Distribution of agricultural areas in the basin, 2018 (in decare)...................................................................................50

Table 23: Data for agriculture GDP...................................................................................................................................50

Table 24: Data for industry GDP.......................................................................................................................................52

Table 25: Total employment and employment in agriculture, industry and services rate................................................................52

Table 26: Scoping Matrix................................................................................................................................................56

Table 27: Key Stakeholders in SEA on the Strategy and the Action Plan...................................................................................63

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan vi


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 : Status of surface water quality..............................................................................................................................3

Figure 2 : Diffuse Total Nitrogen Load in the basin, 2016.........................................................................................................4

Figure 3: Nitrate Pollution due to agricultural activities in water bodies......................................................................................15

Figure 4: Nitrate concentration status for Turkey – ground waters............................................................................................16

Figure 5: Nitrate concentration status for Turkey – surface waters............................................................................................16

Figure 6: Steps for Implementation of Regulation.................................................................................................................18

Figure 7: Illustration of nitrate control in water and soil...........................................................................................................18

Figure 8: Photos of good agricultural practices....................................................................................................................19

Figure 9: Northern Aegean Basin Map – Districts.................................................................................................................22

Figure 10: Distribution of the soil groups in the basin.............................................................................................................24

Figure 11: Variation of Mean Temperature Anomaly Values for RCP8.5 Scenario of HadGEM2-ES,MPI-ESM-MR, CNRM-CM5.1 Models

................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Figure 12: Change of Total Precipitation Anomaly Values for HadGEM2-ES, MPI-ESM-MR and CNRM-CM5.1 Model RCP8.5 Scenario. 27

Figure 13: Comparison of gross and net water potentials in accordance with the RCP8.5 Scenario.................................................27

Figure 14: Map of dams in the basin..................................................................................................................................30

Figure 15: Surface water bodies map for the basin- including dams and ponds...........................................................................31

Figure 16 : Sectoral Water Consumption Data.....................................................................................................................32

Figure 17: Northern Aegean Basin Groundwater Bodies........................................................................................................33

Figure 18: Status of surface water quality...........................................................................................................................34

Figure 19: Status of groundwater quality............................................................................................................................35

Figure 20: Status of groundwater quantity...........................................................................................................................36

Figure 21: Nitrate Sensitive Areas in Northern Aegean Basin, 2016..........................................................................................41

Figure 22: Diffuse Total Nitrogen Load in the basin, 2016.......................................................................................................42

Figure 23: Vulnerable and Less Vulnerable Areas in the basin................................................................................................43

Figure 24: Distribution of the forests in the basin..................................................................................................................45

Figure 25: Kaz Mountains National Park.............................................................................................................................46

Figure 26: Ayvalık Islands Natural Park..............................................................................................................................46

Figure 27: Location of air quality measuring stations in the basin.............................................................................................48

Figure 28: Proportion of male and female in the basin and Turkey............................................................................................48

Figure 29: Age distribution in the basin and Turkey...............................................................................................................49

Figure 30: Animal products value per capita........................................................................................................................51

Figure 31: Average monthly wages of permanent agricultural men workers................................................................................53

Figure 32: Troy Ancient City in Çanakkale..........................................................................................................................53

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan vii


TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS

CA Contracting AuthorityContractor Consortium of EPTISA Mühendislik – EPTISA Servicios and Integra ConsultingDG Directorate GeneralDW Drinking WaterEC European CommissionEIA Environmental Impact AssessmentEN EnergyEU European UnionFL Flood ControlGDP Gross Domestic ProductGDoWM General Directorate of Water ManagementGHG Greenhouse gasHAYBIS Information System for Livestock BreedingIR IrrigationMoAF Ministry of Agriculture and ForestryMoFAL Ministry of Food, Agriculture and LivestockMoEU Ministry of Environment and UrbanizationMoH Ministry of HealthNAP Nitrate Action PlanNIBIS Information system for nitrateNGO Non-governmental OrganisationNVZ Nitrate Vulnerable ZonePSC Project Steering CommitteeSCM Steering Committee MeetingSEA Strategic Environmental AssessmentTBD To be definedTN Total NitrogenTUBITAK MAM The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Marmara Research CenterTURKSTAT Turkish Statistical InstituteToR Terms of ReferenceUN United NationsWW WastewaterWWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan viii


1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is internationally recognized as the key instrument for integrating environmental and health concerns into strategic planning and decision-making to prevent and mitigate possible adverse effects of the economic and regional development. Turkey introduced SEA in its national legal framework by adopting the By-law on SEA, which entered into force in 8 April 20171, and which almost fully transposes requirements of the European Union’s SEA Directive2. In accordance with the By-law on SEA, the SEA should be applied for the plans and programmes with regard to agriculture, coastal management, forestry, fishery, energy, industry, transport, waste management, water management, telecommunications, tourism, land use planning and the plans and programs.

The purpose of this report is to facilitate the “scoping phase” of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the Nitrate Action Plan (NAP) of Northern Aegean Basin. The SEA is defined as a formalised, systematic and anticipatory process of evaluating the environmental effects of plans, programmes and other envisioned strategic actions, as well as of integrating the relevant findings in the decision-making process. Pursuant of the SEA By-law provisions, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization (MoEU) identified the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin as a Plan (strategic document) for which the strategic environmental assessment shall be applied (screening decision was taken on 28/03/2019)3.

Preparation of this scoping report for Nitrate Action Plan (NAP) of Northern Aegean Basin was supported by project “Supporting the Implementation of By law on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)” -TR2018 ESOP MI A3 12/CNP/03.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is conducted in parallel with the preparation of the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin in order to provide feedback to the NAP planners to minimize risks and enhance positive effects of the NAP implementation on the environment and public health. This SEA scoping report is based on the draft version of NAP for Northern Aegean Basin that was sent to the Contractor as of December 27, 2019. The current “scoping phase” of the SEA will be followed by the preparation of the SEA Report, which will evaluate potential environmental impacts of the NAP implementation and include recommendations for its optimization.

Nature of the NAP

Impact of excess nitrate on water and soil structure in the basin is known and to control the nitrate, in line with By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, it is an obligation to define nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ) and to prepare NAPs/programmes for all the basins. According to this regulation, NVZs must be defined within two years from the publish date of the regulation and must be announced with a published communiqué. The aim is to develop an appropriate method for the delineation of NVZs in the (pilot) basin, then to designate all NVZs in Turkey with this new method and to prepare basin-based action plans within the scope of Code of Good Agricultural Practices. Authorized body for the NAP is Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, hence, NAP shall be prepared by another consultant (TUBITAK-MAM) that shall work on behalf of MoAF.

The NAP is expected to focus on the determination of NVZs (to update the selected vulnerable zones) and then to propose mitigation measures for the areas in critical status. Measures in general include the following:

Methods to measure the nitrate concentration and mitigation measures for all nitrate generating sources;

Manure management at Animal farms to control the nitrate pollution,

Management of the application of Manure, WWTP sludge, fertilizer on agricultural soil, (e.g. limits to apply fertilizer in the vicinity of water courses),

Methods for manure storage (i.e. tanks for temporary storing),

Planning for fertilizer application for all farmers in the basin with seasonal restrictions,

Methods for proper application of fertilizers

1 Official Gazette No. 300322 Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment, see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/sea-legalcontext.htm3 https://scd.csb.gov.tr/eleme-sureci-yurutulenler-i-91511

Scoping Report- Nitrate Action Plan 1


In addition to the above, improper WW discharge or discharge of effluent without nutrient removal should be also considered.

A key tool in the portfolio of the NAP measures is the Code of Good Agricultural Practices 4 prepared by MoAF, which will be used to prevent agricultural pollution in waters, is an important aspect for fulfilling the provisions of the By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities.

The code of good agricultural practice includes provisions for land management, plant nutrient management, animal manure management, irrigation management, plant protection products management and records to be kept in operation to prevent nitrate pollution from agricultural activities in waters. The code should be taken into account when implementing conservation measures in agricultural land and in determining environmental requirements for agricultural management to reduce nitrate pollution in waters. This code, which must be applied in NVZs, contains the following mandatory rules;

Periods when fertilizers are not suitable for soil application,

Fertilizer application methods and conditions on sloping-lands,

Conditions for application of fertilizer to soil saturated with water, exposed to flood, frozen or snow covered,

Conditions for application of fertilizer to soils near water beds and springs,

Determination of the capacity of manure storages and construction of them,

Application rate and homogeneous distribution of chemical fertilizers and manure,

Making land use plans and crop rotation,

Keeping minimum amount of vegetation on the soil surface during rainy periods,

Making fertilization plans at agricultural management level and keeping records of used fertilizers.

Prevention of water drop under the plant root zone and water pollution that may occur due to surface flow by using appropriate irrigation systems.

Characteristics of the likely affected area

The whole territory of the Northern Aegean Basin is considered potentially affected by the NAP implementation within the context of this Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). This SEA scoping report presents the status of the key environmental characteristics of the basin, focusing on the items related with nitrate action plan; water quality and quantity, geology- land and soil, climate conditions, protected areas, ecosystems and biodiversity etc.

The agricultural areas in the Northern Aegean Basin are approximately 418,300 ha and constitute approximately 43% of the basin. The most important agricultural products grown in the basin are; olive, cotton, tobacco, cereals, tomatoes and peppers. The Northern Aegean Basin includes provinces that have an important place in animal husbandry throughout the country;

Cattle, goat, sheep breeding and poultry production are the main animal production in Çanakkale. It has also an effective place in milk production. Çanakkale, which has a coast on the Aegean and Marmara seas, is also very important in the production of seafood classified under the main headings of sea, fresh water and aquaculture.

Poultry has the highest share in İzmir's Aliağa, Bergama, Dikili, Foça, Menemen and Kınık districts. Then, this order is followed by sheep breeding mostly performed in Bergama, Dikili and Menemen districts.

In addition to bovine and ovine breeding, poultry and aquaculture production is also carried out in Manisa. However, it should be noted that while the whole province is developed in animal husbandry, the parts in the basin are less developed than other basin provinces.

Balıkesir is developed in red meat production and poultry farming.

When the animal products value per capita of the provinces within the basin borders is examined, it can be seen that the province of Çanakkale is higher than the Turkey’s average, the provinces of İzmir and Manisa are below and Balıkesir is almost the same as the country’s average in 2018.

4 Communique on prevention and management of nitrate pollution in water generated via agricultural activities, MoFAL, 2016/46



The water quality in the basin can be classified as “medium” in 22 of 38 river bodies, whereas of 15 monitored lakes, 7 of them are in “medium” status as per nitrate pollution, same applies to whole coastal water bodies that are monitored, all are medium in water quality (please refer to Section 4.3.6).

Figure 1 : Status of surface water qualitySource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Figure 2 : Diffuse Total Nitrogen Load in the basin, 2016



Source: Remediation of Vulnerable Water Bodies, Northern Aegean Basin, MoAF

Main water consumer is the agricultural activities and it is clear that provision of safe and quality water to agricultural areas is indispensable for the farmers in the basin, hence a successful NAP shall be utmost important for the sustainability of the basin.

The potentially affected area of the North Aegean Basin also has significant biodiversity. The Northern Aegean Basin is located in a transition zone between the Mediterranean climate and the Marmara climate, where numerous endemic species occur. In the Northern Aegean Basin, 31 species of fish were identified within the scope of the River Basin Management Plan monitoring studies. While 9 of these species are endemic, 3 are invasive.

The Kaz (Ida) Mountains, which dominate the high regions in the northern part of the basin and its ecosystem, are located at the intersection point of the important plant communities of Europe – Siberia, Mediterranean and Iran – Turanian flora regions. Different climate types due to its geographic location and paleogeographic evolution are among the most important factors increasing the plant diversity of the mountains. The Kaz (Ida) Mountains are home to a group of ecosystems with unique values in terms of forest composition. The Northern Aegean Basin has a total of 12 protected areas: 2 national parks, 1 nature conservation area, 4 natural parks, 1 natural monument, 1 wildlife development area, 2 wetlands and 1 special environmental protection area.

Proposed scope for the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA Scope)

Based on the information about the draft NAP content and the preliminary analysis of the baseline environmental conditions of the Northern Aegean Basin, the following issues are identified for further study and elaboration in the next phase of the SEA process:



Table 1 : Scoping Matrix

Key Issue Specific Concerns Aspect to be concerned in plan and SEA Relevant Objectives and goals at national and/or provincial levels

Water Quality

Water pollution from point and diffuse sources- affecting the water use (intended for human consumption, irrigation and aquatic life) these are:

Identification of pollution hot spots (NVZs) and setting necessary measures such as:

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Real-time monitoring stations and early warning systems should be deployed to

detect pollution.• Basin monitoring programs should be revised periodically in line with changing

conditions and needs. (3.4 Politics of the plan)• Quality should be improved by preventing pollutants at source, periodical quality

differences should be eliminated and water supply of the required quality should be provided in all sectors. (9.4 of the plan)

By-Law on protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016• Identification of pollution (Article 5): All surface and ground waters containing more

than 50 mg/l nitrate and which may contain nitrate at the limit value determined if no action is taken according to Article 8, and whether natural freshwater lakes, other freshwater resources, estuaries, coastal waters and sea waters are eutrophic or if no precautions are taken according to Article 8, they will become eutrophic in the near future are determined by MoAF.

• NVZs (Article 6) shall be determined by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this regulation and announced by a communiqué to be published. The identified zones are reviewed at least every four years, revised or added are made if necessary.

National Biodiversity Plan, MoAF, 2018-2028• Obj 8.1 – to strength technical and institutional capacity for the conservation and

sustainable use of inland waters biological diversity• Obj 8.2 – to take actions for the conservation and sustainability of inland waters

biological diversity and reduce threats to it• Obj 9.3- to combat against the threats to coastal and marine biological diversity

- Excess use of fertilizers and animal manure

- Promoting good agricultural practices

- Evaluation of effectiveness of NAP measures

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• In order to preserve and increase the quantity of water used in agriculture, the

“Program for the Activation of Water Use in Agriculture" should be implemented, measuring systems should be expanded and water tariffs should be developed in order to save water in agricultural irrigation. (4.4.2 of the plan)

• All kinds of planning and investments to be made in the agricultural sector should be in compliance with the measures to be determined in the river basin management




plans.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• Prevention of misuse of agricultural land, soil and water pollution, dissemination of

good agricultural practices

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• Construction of WWTPs with nutrient removal units for minimization of diffuse

pollution

Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016• The code of good agricultural practices, which includes measures to be taken by

farmers to protect water against pollution from agricultural activities, shall be announced by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this Regulation.

Northern Aegean Basin Pollution Prevention Action Plan, MoEU, 2016• Presents several scenarios for short term pollution prevention for the districts in the

basin• Plans and measures for diffuse and point source polluters focusing municipal WW

management via prioritization the actions in short –medium and long term• Plans and measures for diffuse and point source polluters focusing industrial WW

management via prioritization the actions in short –medium and long term focusing organized industrial zones and inspection modality needed to implement

• Waste management planning including transfer stations and sanitary landfills to be commissioned

- Improper WW discharge - Determination of gaps about capacity and efficiency of WWTPs

- Proposing WWTPs (to be renovated or constructed)

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Efficient operation of urban and industrial WWTPs should be ensured, online

monitoring systems should be expanded and supervision activities should be enabled.

• Receiving environment-based discharge standards should be developed, measures should be taken to implement these standards and necessary legal and administrative arrangements should be made.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• To ensure the establishment and operation of waste water collection and treatment

systems for all settlements throughout the country by 2023 and to ensure that




standards are met.

- Leachate leaks from dumpsites- Amendment in solid waste disposal,- Closing the dumpsites and

increasing the landfills

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• The total share of solid waste leachate, atmospheric transport and septic tanks in

distributed N loads is up to 12% in the basin.

National Waste Management Action Plan, MoEU, 2016-2023• It is aimed to rehabilitate the wild dumpsites and to recycle 35% of the waste

generated in 2023 and to dispose 65% of it with sanitary landfilling.

Water Quantity Impact of nitrate pollution to quantity of safe water

- Minimise the nitrate pollution of water resources

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023In order to preserve and increase the quantity of water used in agriculture, the “Program for the Activation of Water Use in Agriculture" should be implemented, measuring systems should be expanded and water tariffs should be developed in order to save water in agricultural irrigation.

Soil Degradation Deterioration of ecosystems due to excess use of fertilizers and improper wastewater discharge resulting with increasing nitrate on soilSoil pollution due to excess fertilizers and pesticides


- Promoting efficiency in irrigation techniques and controlling the recirculating irrigation waters

- Ensuring sufficiency of WWTPs in number and treatment efficiency

- Evaluation of NAP effectiveness

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Efficient operation of urban and industrial WWTPs should be ensured.• Necessary financing mechanisms should be developed for the modernization of

existing irrigation systems.• In agricultural irrigation; studies should be developed to evaluate alternatives to

reduce and reuse water returning from irrigation.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• Extension of agricultural irrigation areas in accordance with the climate, soil and

water conditions of the basin, improvement of irrigation systems and irrigation efficiency

• To ensure the establishment and operation of waste water collection and treatment systems for all settlements throughout the country by 2023 and to ensure that standards are met.

• To ensure the use of treated waste water in agricultural irrigation by 2023• Prevention of misuse of agricultural land, soil and water pollution, dissemination of


Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• Wastewater from all OIZs should be treated with appropriate treatment processes.

Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016




• The code of good agricultural practices, which includes measures to be taken by farmers to protect water against pollution from agricultural activities, shall be announced by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this Regulation.

Strategic Plan, MoAF, 2018-2022Responsibilities of MoAF include detailed analyse of soil structures and irrigation water. Specific aims of the plan focus to:• In parallel to 10th Development Plan, protect the soil, water resources and biodiversity

and ensure sustainable use of each (Aim H4.3)

Climate

Impact on water quantity and quality

- Promoting efficient use of safe water

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• In order to reduce the pressure of climate change and its effects on water resources,

sectoral vulnerability levels should be determined, adaptation plans should be implemented accordingly and studies should be carried out to implement drought risk management plans and early warning systems.Considering the impacts of climate change, the principle of using groundwater reservoirs as a strategic resource should be adopted.


water conditions of the basin, improvement of irrigation systems and irrigation efficiencyContinuously assess the potential impacts of climate change on water resources and protected areas, taking into account climate change scenarios.

Turkey's Climate Change Action Plan (MoEU), 2011-2023• Aim US2.2- Increase the pilot projects devoted to minimise the reuse of waters ie.

Cooling waters or high water consuming sectors

Emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture

- Improvement of N2O and CH4 control in agriculture practices

Turkey's Climate Change Action Plan (MoEU), 2011-2023• Aim T.2 - To minimise GHGs generated due to agricultural activities

Livelihood Sustainability of the production - Impacts of the NAP on the sustainability of the agricultural production

- Protection of agricultural areas to have sustainable development through agricultural production

- Knowledge transfer

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• In order to protect the ecosystem, especially in periods of high-water demand,

alternating irrigation should be started and more water should be left in the water beds.





- Awareness Raising on good agricultural practices

plans.


water conditions of the basin, improvement of irrigation systems and irrigation efficiency,

• Conservation, improvement, development and sustainable use of agricultural areas,• To ensure that agricultural methods suitable for the structure of the region are

preferred in regions where there is low rainfall.



Strategic Plan, MoAF, 2018-2022In line with 4.1.2 –Food Security – with the aim to provide safe food for the inhabitants, MoAF plans to control the food starting from the agricultural activities till consumption. Hence excess nitrate in the crops shall affect the sustainability of the food, production and the agricultural economy.

Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Deterioration of coastal ecosystems in line with increasing municipal WW discharge

Lowering pressure from agriculture on coastal ecosystems

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Receiving environment-based discharge standards should be developed, measures

should be taken to implement these standards and necessary legal and administrative arrangements should be made.

• A holistic ecosystem approach should be considered when developing policies.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• Protection and management of biological diversity, natural and cultural landscape

resource values of watersheds and ensuring sustainability of ecosystem services.

National Biodiversity Plan, MoAF, 2018-2028• Objective 3.1- identify, record, protect and manage the components of genetic

diversity which have importance of biological diversity, agriculture, food and economic value

Impacts of the water quality on Reducing water pollution via National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023




the aquatic ecosystems

- good agricultural practices- sufficient treatment of wastewater

generated- Identification of risks from NAP to

Biodiversity protection (if any)

• In the Special Environmental Protection Areas, in relation to the River Basin Management Plans, site-specific standards should be introduced taking into account the flora, fauna and ecosystem integrity of the site.

• The receiving environment-based discharge standards should be determined at the basin and sub-basin scale, taking into account ecosystem needs and natural background concentrations.

• A holistic ecosystem approach should be considered when developing policies.National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• To ensure the establishment and operation of waste water collection and treatment

systems for all settlements throughout the country by 2023 and to ensure that standards are met.

• Ensuring sustainable management of protected and vulnerable areas in the basin by 2023


Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016The code of good agricultural practices, which includes measures to be taken by farmers to protect water against pollution from agricultural activities, shall be announced by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this Regulation.

National Biological Diversity Action Plan; MoAF, 2018-2028Objective 4.1 - identify, protect and monitor the biological diversity elements which have importance for agricultural biological diversity

Human HealthIncreasing pollution of the water and soil due to increased fertiliser application

Reducing contamination of water resources for human consumption- limiting the excess fertilizer and

animal manure- prevention of Improper wastewater

discharge- Reduction of health risks from crops

contamination

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• By the end of 2023, it is planned to provide wastewater treatment services to the

whole population of the municipality.

Strategic Plan, MoH, 2013-2017• Objective 1.1.3 – participate to sectoral coordination for improvement of food safety

and quality• Objective 1.7.3 – decreasing the impacts of water, air and soil pollution over

environment and human health• Objective 1.9.3 – developing programmes for the diseases born due to water and

food




Air QualityEmissions of Ammonia (NH3)Emissions of other odour-causing substances

Improving NH3 emissions control in the agriculture practices.Odour control enhancement

Clean Air Action Plan, MoEU, 2010-2013

Marine and Coastal Areas - Impact of water pollution

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023By the end of 2023, it is planned to provide wastewater treatment services to the whole population of the municipality.

Cultural Heritage - Shall not be considered for SEA context -Source: Contractor



2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 NATURE OF THE DOCUMENT

The purpose of this report is to facilitate the “scoping phase” of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the Nitrate Action Plan (NAP) of Northern Aegean Basin. The SEA is defined as a formalised, systematic and anticipatory process of evaluating the environmental effects of plans, programmes and other envisioned strategic actions, as well as of integrating the relevant findings in the decision-making process. The application of the SEA in Turkey is regulated by the By-law on SEA, number 30032 published on 08.04.2017. Pursuant of the SEA By-law provisions, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization (MoEU) identified the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin as a Plan (strategic document) for which the strategic environmental assessment shall be applied (screening decision was taken on 28/03/2019)5.

Authorized body for the preparation of NAPs is the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF), and the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin shall be prepared by a consultant (TUBITAK-MAM) that shall work on behalf of MoAF.

In a parallel process, the SEA will be conducted under the lead and supervision of the MoEU by the SEA Contractor (EPTISA & Integra).

This SEA process for NAP of Northern Aegean Basin is supported by the project “Supporting the Implementation of By-law on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)”, funded by EU and implemented by MoEU and its Contractor (EPTISA & Integra).

The SEA process is aligned with the process of NAP preparation, and the SEA scoping phase is taking place to be completed before the submission of the draft NAP (indicated for December 2019 (or early January 20206).This arrangement is made to allow for exchange of information and consultation among the teams of MoAF (for NAP) and SEA pilot sector for NAP of Northern Aegean Basin (Contractor), with the aim to ensure beneficial application of the SEA in the context of NAP preparation.

The SEA scoping phase is an important first step in the framework of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA), and include:

The preliminary evaluation of the environmental conditions (baseline) of the region where the NAP will be implemented;

The identification of environmental (and health) policy objectives, relevant to the elaboration and implementation of the NAP;

The identification of primary environmental (and health) issues, relevant for the elaboration and implementation of the master NAP;

Stakeholder consultations.

This SEA Scoping Report is prepared to present preliminary findings and provide a basis for stakeholder consultations that will inform the second phase of the SEA, which will be focused on assessing of environmental impacts of the NAP implementation and proposing measures for the NAP optimization.

In this scoping report, Chapter 3 shortly introduces the NAP for Northern Aegean Basin which is under preparation by MoAF, and gives a general information on good agricultural practices implemented by MoAF. In Chapter 4, the preliminary environmental baseline analysis of the Northern Aegean Basin is presented, mainly focusing on nitrate sensitivity, status of water quality, environmental hot spots, and socio-economic characteristics of the potentially affected area. In Chapter 5, key issues related with NAP are identified and listed in scoping matrix. To justify the basis for the identification of the key issues, relevant environmental policy objectives formulated in various official guidance documents (strategy plans, action plans etc. related with NAP) are identified. Finally, an indication is provided of what further analyses shall be elaborated and what steps will be taken in the next phase of the SEA process (SEA Report preparation).

2.2 SCOPING APPROACH FOR NITRATE ACTION PLAN

5 https://scd.csb.gov.tr/eleme-sureci-yurutulenler-i-915116 During the joint meeting between the MoAF, MoEU and the SEA consultant held on September 03, 2019, details are given in MoM.



The scoping process in SEA is performed to identify the key environmental (water, soil, sensitive areas etc.) and social issues (including population, economics and health) that can be affected by the measures proposed by a given strategic planning document (in this case by the NAP for Northern Aegean Basin), and thus to define the ‘scope’ of SEA to be addressed in further analyses. SEA scoping mainly aims to:

define the most relevant environmental, health and social issues, which should be considered within the SEA and at what depth;

decide and explain which environmental, health and social issues are not relevant and do not need to be addressed in the SEA; and

determine development alternatives or options that should be addressed within the SEA.

The by-law on SEA in Turkey provide a general outline of the contents of both scoping (Annex 3 of the by-law on SEA) and SEA Reports (Annex 4 of the by-law on SEA). Scoping serves for the determination of the boundaries of a SEA study on the plan/programme. Scoping report shall be discussed with the stakeholders (as also stipulated by the by law on SEA) to provide basis for the “consultation” and after the revisions done based on the remarks of the stakeholders, the scoping report shall be finalized. The results of the scoping will guide further evaluation of the environmental and health situation, consideration of development alternatives or options, and the actual assessment of impacts of the proposals contained in the NAP.

During the preparation of this scoping report, various available reports (mainly published officially by the public institutions) and other recent documents are referred to and all are listed in Annex IV.

In order to comply with the provisions of the by-law on SEA, as well as with the international good practice, the next chapters of this report outline the following matters:

summary of the basic features of the proposed plan (Chapter 3),

characteristics of areas likely to be significantly affected (Chapter 4),

initial assessment of the priority issues to be addressed in SEA (Chapter 5)

next steps for SEA of the NAP (Chapter 6)

In accordance with a good SEA practice, the SEA Scoping for NAP of Northern Aegean Basin combines the internal SEA exercise with stakeholders’ consultations in following steps:

→ Step 1: Preparing the draft Scoping Report presenting the initial outline of the situation in the basin and providing a preliminary indication of the likely key issues to be addressed in further analyses (September 2019 - January 2020).

→ Step 2: Internal meetings with the stakeholders of the project in Ankara on a regular basis (October 2019 - July 2020)

→ Step 3: Presenting and discussing the draft Scoping Report at the Information Meeting with the key stakeholders (In the basin, January/February 2020).

→ Step 4: Further elaboration of the Scoping Report integrating additional data and information obtained from the stakeholders (January 2020)- finalisation of the scoping report

→ Step 5: SEA reporting (January/February 2020 - June 2020)

→ Step 6: Presenting and discussing the draft SEA Report at the Consultation Meeting with the key stakeholders (In the basin, July, 2020)

→ Step 7: Further elaboration of the SEA Report integrating additional data and information obtained from the stakeholders (July 2020)- finalisation of the SEA report

→ Step 8: Final Evaluation Meeting (September 2020)



3. MAIN FEATURES OF NITRATE ACTION PLAN

A brief information on the nature and content of the NAP for the Northern Aegean Basin, which is under preparation by the MoAF is presented in this section. The elaboration of the NAPs takes place in response to the process of harmonization of the Turkish legislation with the EU of Nitrate Directive (91/676/EEC), through the By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities published in 2004. All studies related with this regulation to minimise nitrate pollution and its impact over water bodies are conducted by the MoAF.

3.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Impact of excess nitrate on water and soil structure is known and to control the nitrate, in line with By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, it is an obligation to define nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ) and to prepare NAPs/programmes for all the basins. According to this regulation, NVZ must be defined within two years from the publish date of the regulation and must be announced with a published communiqué. The aim is to develop an appropriate method for the announcement of NVZ in the (pilot) basin, then to designate all NVZs in Turkey with this new method and to prepare basin-based action plans within the scope of Code of Good Agricultural Practice. MoAF has initiated the project “Determination of NVZs and Preparation of Action Plans” as of November, 27 2018 to be completed by TUBITAK, for the preparation of the NAPs for all river basins. NAPs should include; land management, nutrient management, animal manure management, irrigation management, management of plant protection products aimed at preventing the agricultural nitrate pollution in waters and the measures in the code of good agricultural practices regarding the records to be kept in the operation as well as training of farmers, awareness and consciousness-raising studies. With NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, the necessity to select the most implementable measure in terms of water quality, cost and sociological aspects will be underlined.

Similar to other countries, within the sectoral water uses (including agriculture, industry, drinking etc.) in Turkey agricultural irrigation has a ratio of 74% of the whole water consumption and in the regions where the irrigation efficiency is low, irrigational waters return to drainage channels. This contributes to the high pollution levels of water bodies, in particular when the use of fertilizers is excessive.

Nitrogen is the nutrient applied in the largest quantities for garden care and crop production. In addition to fertilizer, nitrogen occurs naturally in the soil in organic forms from decaying plant and animal residues. In the soil, bacteria convert various forms of nitrogen to nitrate, a nitrogen/oxygen ion (NO3

-). As known, a certain level of nitrogen is naturally present in the environment (air, soil, and water) and in low quantities, it is necessary for crops, etc. to grow up. On the other hand, the high levels of nitrate found in major anthropogenic sources such as agricultural runoff, animal manure, and wastewater create problems for water resources.7

Nitrates (along with phosphates) are useful to the soil in the event that they are used as fertilisers in controlled amounts. However, maximum absorption ratio of the fertilisers by the plants is 50%, 2-20% is lost via evaporation and 15 to 25% combine with organic structures available in clay soil and rest 2-10% reach to surface and ground waters.8

Excess nitrogen, deteriorates the water quality and consequently the aquatic life; fishery, soil (via irrigation) and recreational water quality including bathing, it can also accelerate human health problems. It is known that determination and mitigation of nitrate pollution are difficult, time-consuming and costly.

As an agricultural country, Turkey is suffering from improper use of fertilizers by farmers, and also improper discharge of untreated wastewater to watercourses in some river basins. In order to battle and manage the nitrate pollution generated due to agricultural activities, a specific regulation is in force since 20049. Having focused on decreasing the impacts of nitrate over the lands and water resources, Turkey has started to prepare NAPs to comply with the mentioned national regulation (designed in accordance with the EU’s Nitrates Directive). Hence Turkey started to work on multiple tasks focusing on all river basins (25 in total) in the country; with the target is to complete the NAPs for the whole country till 2021. With this plan, integrated monitoring of water resources shall be planned and overall quality of environment shall be improved; also, good agricultural practices shall be

7 National Water Plan for year 2019-2023, MoAF8 Impacts of fertilizers on Environment and Proposed Solutions 2008, Article by Sönmez I. et all.9 By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, 2016



promoted and implemented. The Northern Aegean Basin has become a priority region for developing a NAP, as it has approximately 60% of its total nitrogen load in the basin generated due to fertilizers and livestock husbandry.10

Figure 3: Nitrate Pollution due to agricultural activities in water bodies11

By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution generated due to agricultural activities is in force since 2016 and actions to be taken for prevention of nitrate pollution is explained in this regulation. As per the regulation, NVZs shall be defined, and protection & remediation measures shall be prepared with NAPs. Status of these areas shall be reviewed at least once in each four years and where necessary measures shall be also revised. Regulation also refers to good agricultural practices (briefly presented in Section 3.4) in order to provide a general protection standard for all water bodies. NAPs should be prepared considering the local conditions of the basin and include minimum the following actions;

→ Types and periods for fertilization are determined;

→ Capacity of livestock manure structures that shall be constructed are determined;

→ Amount of fertilizer/manure to be applied are determined;

→ Amount of nitrogen absorbed by plants are determined.

A basin-based action plan for Northern Aegean Basin after the definition process of NVZs will be completed. Main steps are as follows:

Definition of NVZ on Surface Waters: Fundamentally, NIBIS data will be used in order to determine waters polluted by nitrates. Nitrate measurements of The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works and General Directorate of Water Management may also be utilized in this process.

After checking whether the nitrogen load in the drainage areas of identified polluted water is predominately caused by agricultural activities or not, agricultural areas in that drainage areas will be defined as NVZ.

Designation of NVZs on Groundwaters: Firstly, Nitrate Vulnerability Maps concerning basin-scale land use and vulnerability maps of the contamination in groundwater bodies will be created using a GIS-based (geographic information system) method with the intention of designating NVZs; and then groundwater bodies vulnerable to nitrate pollution will be identified by integrating both of the maps into GIS platform.

Preparation of Action Plans for NVZ: Basin-based action plans will be prepared within the framework of Code of Good Agricultural Practice.

In below figures, actual status of nitrate in water bodies of Turkey are presented.12 As shown in the maps, there

10 Data of Northern Aegean Basin – Preparation of Watershed Protection Action Plan, TUBITAK, 201011 Studies for prevention and management of pollution in water generated via agricultural activities, Presentation by O.Sezgin, MoAF, DG Agricultural Reform, Antalya, 201912 Studies for prevention and management of pollution in water generated via agricultural activities, Presentation by O.Sezgin, MoAF, DG Agricultural Reform, Antalya, 2019



are some locations exceeding the limit in the groundwater, please refer to Figure 4 (threshold is 37 mg/lt), however, there is no problem in surface water bodies (threshold is 15 mg/lt) (see Figure 5).

Figure 4: Nitrate concentration status for Turkey – ground watersSource: NIBIS12

Figure 5: Nitrate concentration status for Turkey – surface watersSource: NIBIS12

3.2 OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES OF THE NAP

NAPs are mainly prepared to determine the specific actions for NVZs under the control of MoAF based on the agricultural and other factors increasing nitrogen in the environment. NAPs are mainly prepared to help identify, decrease and overcome the nitrate related pollution. NAP of the Northern Aegean Basin shall analyse the actual nitrogen load, fertilizers application techniques, water quality, deteriorated water bodies, etc. and then utilise GIS and Water Quality Modelling software tools both for surface and ground water bodies for the NAP. NAP shall be linked with the systematic monitoring of the water quality and establishing monitoring programmes for fresh, surface and ground waters. Depending on the analysis performed, where necessary, additional measures are proposed.

Actions for the protection of water against nitrate pollution consist of multifaceted management and application systems such as agricultural inputs and land use, plant species and implementation techniques, agricultural extension and measuring-monitoring systems. The system to be prioritised will be determined according to a multi-criteria evaluation method. It will also be possible to determine, implement, monitor and evaluate other actions in addition to the ones that are listed below as main headings depending on conditions. In other words, actions with modular structures may vary in time and space based on the characteristics of NVZs.

Plant improvement require producing more crops per unit area along with saving on agricultural inputs



used for these crops. This corresponds to an ecological approach which may be defined as “clean agricultural production”. Plant improvement also results in economising manure at maximum level thus hugely contribute to preventing nitrate pollution.

New Generation Smart Fertilizer Usage and Innovative Applications for Fertilizer Saving : Among agricultural inputs, environmental impact share of fertilizers in aquatic environments is at a faster and more gaugeable level. Percentage of fertilizer consumption in EU countries between the years of 1995-2012 displays a total 20% decrease without considering the types of fertilizers. Although the use of fertilizers decreases in the specified time period, the effect of nitrogen, which has the highest utilization rate among fertilizers and which is used 3 times more than the other basic fertilizers, did not decrease at the same rate in aquatic ecosystems. The inability of nitrogen to remain in the soil (being mobile) has led to the development of technologies that require more precautions than other fertilizers. The most important factor to minimize the environmental impacts of this fertilizer is the new generation fertilizers such as being slow-release and being released in sufficient amount when the plant needs it. However, sufficient level is not equal to the desirable level. It is expected of this action plan to take necessity measures and make arrangements.

Effective variety selection: Even though studies on effective varieties of nitrogen intake continue, it will take years to find a place for these studies in the implementation phase. This is because there is a complex process in the use of effective nitrogen due to the need for data to combine plant physiology, enzyme kinetics, soil properties and many other factors. Rotation of the available plants has more importance in this regard. It should be taken into consideration that effective root depth of the rotated plant will play the essential role of collecting the nitrogen intake from the soil. In other words, plant combinations for the rotation should complement each other. It has been detected that groundwater has been polluted due to excessive fertilising in greenhouse cultivations, even more so in wheat and corn farming, in areas where groundwater is close to the surface (<15 m). In this regard, being engaged in agriculture while considering the crops-fertilizer balance in vulnerable ecosystems becomes more important.

Irrigation : In Turkey, approximately 74% of the freshwater bodies are dedicated to agriculture. Using water efficiently is more important than excessive water use and only with efficient usage, desirable crop yield and environmental conditions can be accomplished. Therefore, an effective irrigation method plays a crucial part in nitrogen intake. Fertilizer application and frequency rates along with the selection of appropriate irrigation method can be effective to decrease nitrate leaching. The most effective irrigation method is pressurized irrigation. It is stated in the studies that the efficiency of pressurized irrigation methods is considerably higher than that of traditional irrigation methods and can reach 95%. Chosen type of pressurized irrigation method may differ according to parameters such as soil structure, climate, plant variety, topography, water quality.

Economical Fertilizer Application by Dissemination of Monitoring and Measuring Systems : The use of economic fertilizer may be possible by obtaining data on the land and ecosystem where the fertilizer will be applied. For this purpose, it is necessary to determine the appropriate fertilization time and amount with the management of all data such as product pattern of agricultural enterprise, its relationship with ground and surface water bodies in the region, climate, livestock activities, etc. Soil analyses are one of the most essential data requirements and in order to obtain healthy data, subventions should be carried out. Recently, there has been a relative improvement in data provision with the projects / systems prepared by the relevant ministries on the provision of the agricultural information system, water and land management. By harmonizing these projects and systems with each other, an integrated data management and applications to protect water resources against nitrate pollution should be expanded.

As an obligation by the Regulation, good agricultural practices shall be implemented in the problematic areas by the farmers, and the aspects such as application of fertilizers during the proper season for fertilization, adequate storing the fertilizers when it is not fertilization season, correct dosing of fertilizers, number of animals generating manure, eutrophication level of fresh water and coastal waters are controlled via NAP.



Figure 6: Steps for Implementation of RegulationSource: Contractor

3.3 MAIN GOALS AND MEASURES

NAP is expected to focus on the determination of NVZs (to update the selected vulnerable zones) and then to propose mitigation measures for the areas in critical status. Measures in general include the following:

→ Methods to measure the nitrate concentration and mitigation measures for all nitrate generating sources;

→ Manure management at Animal farms to control the nitrate pollution,

→ Management of the application of Manure, WWTP sludge, fertilizer on agricultural soil, (e.g. limits to apply fertilizer in the vicinity of water courses),

→ Methods for manure storage (i.e. tanks for temporary storing),

→ Planning for fertilizer application for all farmers in the basin with seasonal restrictions,

→ Methods for proper application of fertilizers

In addition to the above, improper WW discharge or discharge of effluent without nutrient removal should be also considered.

Above mentioned measures included within good agricultural practices shall be considered for the farmers which shall focus on water quality and to minimise deterioration of water due to nitrate in the areas within the basin.

Figure 7: Illustration of nitrate control in water and soilSource: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-nitrates/index_en.html

3.4 THE CODE OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

The Code of Good Agricultural Practices13 prepared by MoAF, which will be used to prevent agricultural pollution in waters, is an important aspect for fulfilling the provisions of the By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities. This regulation includes the following provisions;

1. Determination of contaminated or threatened water sources

13 Comminique on prevention and management of nitrate pollution in water generated via agricultural activities, MoFAL, 2016/46


Determination of Nitrate

Vulnerable Zones

Preparation of NAP Monitoring


2. Determination of NVZs

3. Establishment and implementation of the Code of Good Agricultural Practice

4. Development and implementation of Action Plans for NVZs

5. National monitoring programs and reporting every 4 years

Code of Good Agricultural Practice that is intended for all agricultural enterprises is obligatory for NVZs and voluntary for those that are not categorised as NVZs. However, Livestock enterprises located in non-NVZs that generate 3500 kg or more nitrogen annually still have to follow the rules regarding manure storage and management plans. Implementation of the measures for NVZs mentioned in action plans that are prepared within the framework of Code of Good Agricultural will be mandatory.

Figure 8: Photos of good agricultural practicesSource: Contractor

The code of good agricultural practice includes provisions for land management, plant nutrient management, animal manure management, irrigation management, plant protection products management and records to be kept in operation to prevent nitrate pollution from agricultural activities in waters. The code should be taken into account when implementing conservation measures in agricultural land and in determining environmental requirements for agricultural management to reduce nitrate pollution in waters. This code, which must be applied in NVZs, contains the following mandatory rules;

Periods when fertilizers are not suitable for soil application,

Fertilizer application methods and conditions on sloping-lands,

Conditions for application of fertilizer to soil saturated with water, exposed to flood, frozen or snow covered,

Conditions for application of fertilizer to soils near water beds and springs,

Determination of the capacity of manure storages and construction of them,

Application rate and homogeneous distribution of chemical fertilizers and manure,

Making land use plans and crop rotation,

Keeping minimum amount of vegetation on the soil surface during rainy periods,

Making fertilization plans at agricultural management level and keeping records of used fertilizers.

Prevention of water drop under the plant root zone and water pollution that may occur due to surface flow by using appropriate irrigation systems.



With the release of Code of Good Agricultural Practices, it was required for all new livestock and animal husbandry facilities to have new manure storage areas, this is also valid for the existing facilities to complete in four years. Necessary awareness raising studies related with this are being conducted by the divisions of MoAF.

3.5 PREPARATORY WORKS AND FURTHER STEPS

Based on the information provided from MoAF, details for preparation of NAP for Northern Aegean Basin are as such:

→ Initiation of the project for NAPs of all river basins: November 201814

→ Completion date: November 2021 (for the preparation of NAPs for whole river basins)

→ Planned completion of NAP for Northern Aegean Basin (draft version): January 2020 – latest. NAP shall include measures to follow on areas in locational basis. Necessary measures shall be prepared for micro-basins and impact of action plans to water quality shall be measured via modelling studies. In line with these, cost benefit analyse for different scenarios shall be improved.

Overall impact of the NAP is assumed to have sustainable agriculture activities with minimum deterioration of water / soil in the basin (also all over the country).

3.6 RELATIONSHIP AND INTERACTION WITH OTHER RELEVANT PLANS AND PROGRAMMES

NAP’s interaction with other national plans and programmes are summarised in the table below. Latest column (relevance to NAP) indicates the relation of the document & plan with NAP for Northern Aegean Basin or national actions.

Table 2: Plans & Programmes Related With NAPName of the Document Year Relevance to NAP

11th Development Plan 2019-2023

Item 406: The objective of “Investments will be prioritized in order to expand irrigation areas, and works will be continued for the protection and effective use of water in terms of quality and quantity” is included. Under this objective, the measure of “Dissemination of measures to prevent agricultural water pollution” is included.

Activity Report of MoAF 2018

Tool for monitoring and controlling nitrate pollution from agricultural sources has been allocated to İzmir and Balıkesir within the basin boundaries The Nitrate Information System has been completed and put into use. In this system, NVZs will be identified and monitored online and the effectiveness of agricultural action plans implemented to prevent nitrate pollution in waters will be evaluated. In addition, the sample tracking system is established to ensure that water samples are collected at the right time, at the right place, and that analyses are performed on time. In the stations where nitrate monitoring in surface and underground waters, 90% target was determined and 95% was reached.

Strategic Plan of MoAF 2019-2023

Goal 4: The objective of “To ensure the protection and efficient use of soil and water resources” is under the goal of “Providing sustainable management of soil and water resources” and under this objective is the strategy of “Nitrate vulnerable zones will be identified by monitoring the nitrate pollution produced by agricultural activities and Action Plans will be prepared to prevent nitrate pollution.”The aim no A4 of the plan is to analyze 90% of surface and ground waters in 4 years (2019-2023). Conducting necessary studies related with mitigation measures for nitrate pollution is another target defined in the same plan.

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan (MoEU- DG Environmental Management)

2017-2023Necessary actions to minimise nitrate concentration are given in the plan. Construction of WWTPs with nutrient removal units for minimization of diffuse pollution is underlined with this plan.

14 MoAF has initiated the project “Determination of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and Preparation of Action Plans” as of November, 27 2018 to be completed by TUBITAK, for the preparation of the NAPs for all river basins



Name of the Document Year Relevance to NAP

National Water Plan (MoAF – DG of Water Management)

2019-2023 The MoAF is responsible for identifying areas sensitive to water pollution and NVZs.

National Drought Management Strategy and Road Map Action Plan (MoAF – DG of Water Management)

2017-2023

In times of drought, some plants meet their need for water using nitrate and hydrogen cyanide. The release of these chemicals can have fatal consequences for both humans and animals. Hence, prevention of drought is essential also as per minimisation of negative impact of nitrate accumulation in the plants.

Drought Strategy and Action Plan for CombatingAgricultural Droughtfor Turkey (MoAF – DG of Agricultural Reform)

2013-2017 One of the measures to be taken when there is a Drought Alarm is to increase the use of organic fertilizers to increase the water holding capacity of the soil.

Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan 2019 This plan shall be important to see overall planning in the basin, other

measures that shall affect nitrate concentration.

Turkey's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (MoEU)

2011-2023

It is necessary to use methods to maintain soil moisture in agriculture, taking into account the effects of climate change. Efforts should be made to increase the water holding capacity of the soil by providing green fertilization and animal manure instead of using commercial fertilizers in agricultural production, which disrupt the physical, chemical and biological structure of the soil and decrease the water holding capacity of the soil.

National Biodiversity Action Plan (MoAF – DG of Nature Conservation and National Parks)

2018-2028

Identifying management practices, technologies and policies that support the positive impacts of agriculture on biodiversity and mitigate the negative impacts and increasing the productivity of agricultural ecosystems are among the objectives of the plan.In addition, each of the 7 national targets mentioned in the plan is somehow related to agriculture.

Source: Contractor



4. CHARACTERISTICS OF AREAS LIKELY TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED

A key for geographical and environmental characteristics of the Northern Aegean Basin is presented in this section. Recently completed SEA Scoping report for the Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan (MoAF, 2019) served as an important source of the information for this chapter, along other reports and data sources (see the list of references Annex IV).

Northern Aegean Basin is one of the twenty-five basins in Turkey, located in south western part of Turkey with 9,861 km2 surface area15 (1.3% of the country), surrounded by Marmara Basin in the north, Gediz Basin in the south, Aegean Sea in the west and Susurluk Basin in the east. There are four cities in the basin, Çanakkale (with 3,000 km2) composing 31.2% of the basin, Balıkesir (with 2,242 km2-22.7%), Manisa (with 1,529 km2-15.5%), İzmir (with 3,013 km2-30.5%).16 In addition to these major cities, Bozcaada and Cunda (Alibey Island) are also within the administrative boundaries of the basin.

Figure 9: Northern Aegean Basin Map – DistrictsSource: Web-site of the MoAF- DG of Water Management

Total population of the basin is approximately 800,000 people as per 2017 TURKSTAT data. City wise population information is given in Table 3.17

Table 3: A glance to Northern Aegean Basin (2017)Name of the Settlement

Total Population withinthe basin (capita)

Surface Area withinthe basin

(ha)

Ratio of the Area located in the Basin of the Province to the

Total Area of Basin (%)

Balıkesir 287,137 222,464 22.40

Çanakkale 97,132 311,516 31.37

İzmir 258,195 302,112 30.43

Manisa 152,300 156,839 15.80

Total 794,764Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

In this section, details about the basin related with NAP are presented.

15 Surface area of the basin is given as 9,952 km2 in the Northern Aegean Basin Drought Management Plan, 201816 Scoping Report for Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, MoAF, 201817 Data is based on Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, TUBITAK, 2019



4.1 GEOLOGY, LAND AND SOIL

The main feature of the basin, which has a very rugged structure, is that it forms small streams that are short but have relatively high water potential and discharge to the sea occasionally in places with strong slope. Accordingly, the slope of approximately 47% of the basin is above 10°. The fact that these steep lands are mostly covered with forest causes the flow in the basin to be relatively more regular compared to other basins in the Aegean Region.

Although the soils of the basin are naturally fertile, productivity of the soils have partially been lost due to erosion in rugged areas. Edremit-Havran, Bayramiç, Ezine, Kumluca and Bakırçay plains are the main plains of the basin. These alluvial plains have fertile agricultural areas and a significant amount of agricultural production takes place on these mentioned areas.

Kaz (Ida) Mountains in the north, Yunt Mountains in the middle and Soma elevation in the south constitute the most important high elevations of the Northern Aegean Basin and the remaining areas are known as Bakırçay River bed and Edremit Gulf. The Kaz (Ida) Mountains are composed of Paleozoic-Mesozoic old metamorphic rocks while the Yunt Mountains are composed of depth and surface volcanic rocks. In addition, the Soma elevation is composed of Paleozoic-Mesozoic old carbonate rocks and clastics containing coals deposited in Miocene, located between them.18

The distribution of soil classes in the Northern Aegean Basin is given below in Table 4. When the percentage distributions are examined, it is seen that the soil class covering the most of the area in the basin is Lime-Free Brown Forest Soils. This soil class with red, light red and yellow colour is coarse grained and clay. In addition, this soil class is generally formed on limestone, marl, clay, conglomerate and gneisses and is the product of physical and chemical decomposition. The second highest percentage of soil class is Brown Forest Soils. These soils are generally observed in the areas where the forest cover is distributed and because it develops under the forest cover, it is rich in organic matter and dark in colour. This soil class is generally distributed in sloping areas in the eastern part of the basin, in areas dominated by forests. In addition, this class of soil shows acidic reaction in sloping areas where rainfall is high. Another important soil class commonly seen in the basin is the Lime-Free Brown Soil class. This soil class developed on the rocks which are distributed in high parts dominated by schists and volcanic units, which are the basic rocks.

Table 4: Distribution of Soil Groups in the Northern Aegean BasinSoil Classification Area (km2) Percentage (%)

Lime-free Brown Forest Soils 4,574.85 46.39

Brown Forest Soils 1,805.72 18.31

Lime-free Brown Soils 1,499.76 15.21

Alluvial Soils 901.9 9.15

Rendzina Soils 574.48 5.83

Red Brown Mediterranean Soils 420.7 4.27

Red Mediterranean Soils 70.6 0.72

Brown Soils 13.9 0.14

Total 9,861.91 100Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

One of the most important soil groups observed in the Northern Aegean Basin is the alluvial soils and these soils are composed of material of different grain size which filled the Bakırçay graben area developing east-west. Alluvial soils are heterogeneous soils formed by the transportation of sand, silt and clay materials from the rocks which are physically and chemically decomposed to the hollow areas by rivers. Therefore, it constitutes the most suitable soil for agriculture. Alluvial materials consist of sand and gravel sized materials on the basin coastline and fine sand and silt sized materials in the Bakırçay Plain where the Bakırçay River flows into the sea. Alluvial soils are mostly distributed in Bakırçay, Edremit and Ezine Plains.

There are also Rendzina Soils, Red Brown Mediterranean Soils, Red Mediterranean Soils, and Brown Soils with a lower percentage compared to other classes. The following map shows the distribution of soil groups in the 18 Action Plan for Combating with Erosion, 2013-2017. Ankara: Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, 2013



Northern Aegean Basin.

Figure 10: Distribution of the soil groups in the basinSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

In terms of land use rates, two main types of land use are dominant in the basin. 53.53% of the basin is defined as forest or semi-natural areas, and 42.43% is agricultural areas in which the most important human activities take place and they are important as they are the main source of diffuse pollution. On the other hand, urbanized areas consisting of cities and industrial areas constitute 3.28% of the total watershed area, and a total of 0.76% of the basin area consists of wetlands and water bodies, below the land use is tabulated.

Table 5: Land Use Classification in the Northern Aegean BasinLand Use Classification Area (km2) Percentage (%)

Forest and Semi-Natural Areas 5,278.76 53.53

Agricultural Areas 4,183.89 42.43

Artificial Areas 323.57 3.28

Water Bodies 63.84 0.65

Wetlands 11.13 0.11

Total 9,861.2 100Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

4.2 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS & CLIMATE CHANGE

In terms of climate, the Northern Aegean Basin is located in a transition zone between the Mediterranean climate and the Marmara climate. As a side extension of the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea is almost reminiscent of the Mediterranean climate. As a characteristic of Aegean climate, summers are generally dry and hot, winters are mild and rainy. In the region, excess water is observed in winter and water deficiency is observed in summer.



However, especially in the northern parts of the basin, the climate structure is shifting from the Mediterranean-Aegean climate to the Marmara climate. Since the elevations in the basin are generally perpendicular to the sea and in the east-west direction, the effect of the sea penetrates into the basin. The only exception is in Soma, Kırkağaç and Savaştepe districts located in the inner parts of the basin. The climate structure shows more terrestrial characteristics due to the fact that the distance from the sea is high in the regions where these districts are located. Elevation also has an effect on this.

There are 37 meteorological stations scattered around the Northern Aegean Basin and 24 of these are working properly and the remaining 13 are not. Some stations are opened for project purposes and are only stations that measure according to the project objectives. In the majority of stations, basic hydro meteorological parameters (temperature, precipitation, evaporation, wind, etc.) are measured.

The lowest average temperatures in the basin were measured in January from 6.2°C to 7.8°C, and the highest average temperatures were measured in July from 24.9°C to 26.8°C. 19

The highest rainfall values in the Northern Aegean Basin are observed in December and the lowest rainfall values are observed in August. Precipitation occurs almost entirely in the form of rain. The average monthly and annual total rainfalls in the basin were calculated as 54.4620 mm and 672 mm19, respectively.

Only the upper parts of the important elevations in the basin are snowing from time to time in winter while snow is rarely observed in coastal areas. The maximum number of snow-covered days in the Northern Aegean Basin is around 1.3 days in January and February in the province of Çanakkale.19

The areal average evaporation in the basin for many years was determined as 1,351 mm.19

The monthly relative humidity of the stations in the basin and outside the basin were calculated as 74.15% and 79.3%, respectively.20

The average annual insolation in the basin is 7.38 hours / day. The most intense sunshine months are June, July and August with an average of 11.32 hours / day and the lowest period is December and January and the average is 3.74 hours / day.20

When the data obtained from the meteorological stations are examined, the average temperature values increase in the Northern Aegean Basin when moving from north to south. However, when moving from coastal areas to inland areas, a decrease in average temperatures is observed. This is largely due to the reduction of marine impact and the increase in elevations.

Climate Change:21 While the climate change of the basin was examined, the climate change projections of the Northern Aegean Basin, which was made within the scope of the Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Project of the General Directorate of Water Management, were taken into consideration. Within the scope of this project, the forecasting of the future climatic conditions of the basin was made by using HadGEM2-ES, MPI-ESM-MR and CNRM-CM5.1 climate models and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. As a result of these projections, the climatic conditions that will prevail in the basin in 2015-2100 period were estimated and also many hydro meteorological parameters were estimated, especially temperature, precipitation, snow and relative humidity.

When the temperature results for the Northern Aegean Basin are examined, it is seen that a general increase in the temperature values is expected during the projection period. The temperature differences were produced with the HadGEM2-ES model RCP8.5 scenario and it is estimated that the temperature in the basin will increase up to 5 °C at the end of the projection period (2100). When RCP8.5 scenario results of all other models are examined, it is foreseen that the temperature increase values in the basin will be at least 3.8 °C. In addition, dramatic increases in average temperature changes are anticipated, especially in the second half of the projection period.

19 Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 2019, MoAF, DG Environmental Management20 Northern Aegean Basin Drought Management Plan, 2018, MoAF, DG Environmental Management, Department of Flood and Drought Management21 Prepared based on Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 2019 and Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Project of the General Directorate of Water Management



Figure 11: Variation of Mean Temperature Anomaly Values for RCP8.5 Scenario of HadGEM2-ES,MPI-ESM-MR, CNRM-CM5.1 Models

Source: Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Project of the GD of Water Management

On the other hand, when the precipitation results are analysed for the Northern Aegean Basin, it is observed that a different condition than the temperature is predicted. In the first half of the projection period (2015-2050), relative increases in precipitation totals are projected, but it is predicted that there will be a decreasing precipitation in the second half of the projection period. Although the results of the model indicate that there will be some increase in total precipitation values along the North Aegean coasts under the conditions of both scenarios, especially in the period up to 2040, it is expected that there will be a significant decrease in total precipitation in the majority of the basin when the whole projection period is taken into consideration. This decrease may reach up to 100 mm at the end of the projection period throughout the basin.

As a result of the modelling study, it is predicted that there will be no significant change in the water potential of the basin, although an increase in temperature values and a decrease in precipitation values are expected during the projection period. It is estimated that the irrigation water requirement, which constitutes the most important part of the total water used in the basin, can be met by the end of the projection period. However, according to the results of the RCP8.5 scenario, the HadGEM2-ES model points to the water deficit problem in the basin in some periods.

Figure 12: Change of Total Precipitation Anomaly Values for HadGEM2-ES, MPI-ESM-MR and CNRM-CM5.1 Model RCP8.5 Scenario

Source: Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Project of the GD of Water Management

According to the results of both scenarios, the lowest results were given by HadGEM2-ES model, followed by MPI-ESM-MR and CNRM-CM5.1 models respectively. The highest water gap values were observed in the RCP8.5 scenario of the HadGEM2-ES model in the period 2051-2060 and it is estimated that only x of the water need in the North Aegean Basin can be met. The highest water gap values were observed in the RCP8.5



scenario of the HadGEM2-ES model in 2051-2060 period and it is estimated that only 78% of the water demand in the Northern Aegean Basin can be met.

Figure 13: Comparison of gross and net water potentials in accordance with the RCP8.5 ScenarioSource: Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Project of the GD of Water Management

When the groundwater is analysed, it is foreseen that the maximum proportional decreases will be 39% in the dynamic reserve values. However, no significant change is expected in the static groundwater reserve of the basin. On the other hand, it indicates that groundwater hydrogeological and possible reserves in the basin may decrease by 10–11% and 19-21%, respectively, within the framework of different climate models scenarios. Even under the most favourable climate model scenario, these rates indicate a 10% and 19% reduction in hydrogeological reserves and possible reserves, respectively. It can be stated that the groundwater hydrogeological reserve is determined as 19 km3 in the Northern Aegean Basin and the groundwater possible reserve constitutes a total of 10 km3. This indicates that the potential of groundwater in the basin to be affected by climate changes will not be as high as the other basins in the region (e.g. Gediz, Büyük Menderes and Küçük Menderes).

When the flow values obtained within the scope of hydraulic modelling studies are examined, it is predicted that the results of low flow values obtained from HadGEM2-ES and MPI-ESM-MR models will tend to decrease or remain stable during the projection period. On the other hand, it is seen that the CNRM-CM5.1 model provides results that indicate that the flow values will tend to increase. However, when considering that hydrological modelling studies are carried out over the model cross-sections which are important for water potential and more intensely closest to the exit point of the basin, and the Northern Aegean Basin river network is quite scattered and the flow in the basin is discharged to the sea at more than one point, it is concluded that it is not appropriate to evaluate flow and level values over a single control cross-section representing the whole basin.

In the light of the evaluations made within the scope of Drought Analysis and Trend Analysis of Flows, it was found that there is no significant drought threat in terms of both precipitation and flows in the Northern Aegean Basin. There is no significant downward trend in river flows. However, it is predicted that the risk of drought will be higher in the coming periods as a result of the expected decrease in precipitation caused by changing climatic conditions.22

4.3 WATER AND GROUNDWATER

As one of the main purposes of the NAP is to prevent pollution of water against nitrate accumulation, status of water bodies, and specifically the quality of water is important. Northern Aegean Basin is divided into three sub-basins (Upper Northern Aegean, Middle Northern Aegean, and Lower Northern Aegean) by Directorate General for State Hydraulic Works (DSI) on the basis of surface drainage network and into 11 hydrogeological sub-basins based on hydrogeological structure.

22 Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 2019, MoAF, DG Environmental Management



Table 6: Table of Northern Aegean Basin Surface Water and Groundwater basins Surface WaterSub-Basin No

Surface WaterSub-Basin Name

GroundwaterSub-Basin No

GroundwaterSub-Basin Name

Area(km2)

04-1 Upper Northern Aegean Sub-Basin

04-1-1 Geyikli Sub-Basin 245.3504-1-2 Ezine-Bayramiç Sub-Basin 2,000.93

04-2 Middle Northern Aegean Sub-Basin

04-02-1 Ayvacık Sub-Basin 750.104-2-2 Edremit Sub-Basin 1,709.7604-2-3 Altınova Sub-Basin 678.78

04-3 Lower Northern Aegean Sub-Basin

04-3-1 Savaştepe Sub-Basin 434.6804-3-2 Kırkağaç Sub-Basin 489.9804-3-3 Soma-Kınık Sub-Basin 1,539.0404-3-4 Foça Sub-Basin 797.2504-3-5 Bergama Sub-Basin 1,069.1704-3-6 Dikili Sub-Basin 146.26

TOTAL 9,861.3Source: Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, 2019

In this chapter, status of different water bodies are presented shortly.

4.3.1 Rivers

Main rivers and creeks in the basin are listed in table below, in total there are 43 surface water bodies. Majority of these water bodies are seasonal water bodies that do dry up in summer season. Most important surface waters are; Karamenderes, Tuzla, Havran, Madra, Güzelhisar creeks (çay) and Bakırçay River and all are discharged to Aegean Sea. As shown in Table 7, there is no big river else than Bakırçay. It should be noted that majority of the flow is due to discharge of municipal and industrial effluent. Some of the water bodies are classified as “natural” on the other hand, there are also “heavily modified water bodies” i.e. Kara Dere, Kestel Deresi, Karakoç Deresi, Edremit Çayı, Güzelhisar Çayı etc.22

Table 7: Major Rivers and Creeks in the Northern Aegean BasinName Within the

Boundary ofApproximate Length

(km)Status of

Water Body

Bakırçay Manisa, Balıkesir, İzmir 120 Natural

Karamenderes Çayı Çanakkale 70 Natural

Madra Çayı Balıkesir, İzmir 48 Natural

Tuzla Çayı Çanakkale 43 TBD

Kocaçay Balıkesir 38 TBD

Karadere - TR04010524 İzmir 30 Heavily Modified

Güzelhisar Çayı İzmir, Manisa 13 Heavily Modified

Edremit Çayı -TR04010509 Balıkesir 9 Heavily ModifiedSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

4.3.2 Lakes and Dams

Bozgöl nearby Aliağa (İzmir) with 35 ha is the only natural lake in the basin which was formerly a natural lake, however then transformed to an irrigation source. Other than this, there are 25 dam lakes in the basin as listed below with the construction/operation purposes.

Table 8: Dam Lakes in Northern Aegean Basin

Name Location Status Connected River / Creek

Construction Purpose

Ayvacık Çanakkale In operation Tuzla IR & DW

Bayramiç Çanakkale In operation Karamenderes IR & DW & EN

Bergama İzmir Under planning phase Bergama IR & DW

Çaltıkoru İzmir In operation İlyas IR



Name Location Status Connected River / Creek

Construction Purpose

Eybek Balıkesir Under planning phase Eybek DW

Geyikli İzmir Under design Geyikli IR

Güzelhisar İzmir In operation Güzelhisar IR & DW & EP

Havran Balıkesir In operation Havran IR & FL

İnönü Balıkesir Under planning phase İnönü IR & DW

Kapıkaya İzmir Under planning phase Kırkgeçit IR

Karadere İzmir Under planning phase Karadere IR

Karakoç Balıkesir Under planning phase Karakoç DW

Kestel İzmir In operation Kestel IR & FL

Kızılkeçili Balıkesir Under planning phase Kızılkeçili DW

Kunduz İzmir Under design Kunduz DW

Madra Balıkesir In operation Madra IR & DW

Manastır Balıkesir Under planning phase Manastır DW

Mıhlı Balıkesir Under planning phase Mıhlı DW

Musacalı İzmir Under planning phase Koca IR

Narlı Balıkesir Under planning phase Kuruçay DW

Reşitköy Balıkesir Under design Karıncadere IR

Sarıbeyler Balıkesir In operation Çitalan IR

Sarıcalar Manisa Under planning phase Ilıca IR

Sevişler Manisa In operation Yağcılı IR & IU

Süngüllü Manisa Under planning phase Koca DW

Y. Geyikli İzmir Under planning phase Geyiklidere IR

Yortanlı İzmir In operation Yortanlı IR

Zeytinli Balıkesir Under planning phase Zeytinli DW, IRSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan and Draft NAP for Northern Aegean BasinIR: Irrigation DW: Drinking Water FL: Flood Control EP: Energy Production IU: Industrial Use

Additionally, there are 72 large or small ponds used for drinking (4) and irrigation (68) in the basin, major ones are shown below.



Figure 14: Map of dams in the basinSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Figure 15: Surface water bodies map for the basin- including dams and pondsSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

4.3.3 Springs



There are 15 important springs in the basin, biggest one is Narlı spring in Medium Northern Aegean Sub-Basin with 1,186 l/s. Secondly, Ayazma spring with 770.7 l/s (in Upper Northern Aegean Sub-Basin) and Pınarbaşı spring with 747.4 l/s in Medium Northern Aegean Sub-Basin followed by Kırkgözler spring with 240 l/s in Ezine, details of major springs are listed below.

Table 9: Major Springs in the basinSpring Flow Rate (lt/s) City District Sub- Basin

Ayazma 770.7 Çanakkale Bayramiç Upper Northern Aegean

Kırkgözler 240 Çanakkale Ezine Upper Northern Aegean

Narlı 1,186 Balıkesir Edremit Middle Northern Aegean

Pınarbaşı 747.4 Balıkesir Edremit Middle Northern Aegean

Akpınar 134 Manisa Kırkağaç Lower Northern Aegean

Kuyuluköy 100 Manisa Kırkağaç Lower Northern Aegean

Ilıca 88.5 Manisa Kirkağaç Lower Northern AegeanSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

4.3.4 Wells

Apart from the large number of wells drilled in the basin by State Hydraulic Works in order to supply water, there are also many boreholes with groundwater usage certificate that have been drilled by public institutions and persons for different purposes (human consumption, irrigation, industrial use, etc.).

As of the end of 2017, there are 9,834 and 3,685 electricity subscriptions for agricultural irrigation purposes within the borders of 2nd Regional Directorate (Izmir) and the 25th Regional Directorate (Balıkesir) of State Hydraulic Works respectively. While the number of wells that are registered, certificated and resigned for irrigation purposes is 2,790 in the 2nd Regional Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, this number is 1,774 in the 25th Regional Directorate. From these data, it is understood that there are 8,955 unregistered groundwater abstraction points (wells- shallow wells) in the basin (GDoWM, 2018).

Agricultural Irrigation; 67%Industrial; 4%

Water Losses & Human Cons; 14%

Livestock Irrigation; 15%

Figure 16 : Sectoral Water Consumption DataSource: NAP for Northern Aegean Basin

Total annual amount of groundwater abstraction in the Northern Aegean Basin is 283.66 hm3 and total recharge is 473.3 hm3. The distribution of total abstractions by sectors is presented in Figure 16. 66.87% of all groundwater abstractions in the basin are for agricultural irrigation, 15.37% for industrial, 13.76% for consumptions to supply water for urban and rural areas, and 4.01% for watering livestock.

4.3.5 Water Potential in the Basin



State Hydraulic Works conducted a Master Plan (2016) in the basin, based on this study, total water capacity was determined as 1,985 hm3/year, annual average flow rate is 1,501 hm3/year.

Table 10: Water Potential in the basin- with consumption figures

Sub-Basins

Drainage Area(km2)

Natural Flow

(hm3/year)

Actual Annual

Average(hm3/year)

Net Consumption with State Hydraulic Works

(hm3/year)Irrigation(hm3/year)

Total Net Consumption

(hm3/year)

Upper 2,246 497 384 73 45 118

Medium 3,138 922 765 72 81 153

Lower 4,476 566 352 160 66 226

Total 9,860 1,985 1,501 305 192 497Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Figure 17: Northern Aegean Basin Groundwater BodiesSource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Water potential for basin is mostly dependent on surface waters as shown in Table 11 below, as expected, major consumer is agricultural irrigation with 60% of total consumption.

Table 11: Glance to Water Potential and Water Consumption in the basinWater Data Groundwater Surface Water Total

Total Water Potential (mm3/year) 289 2,090 2,379

Available (usable) water potential (mm3/year) 213 1,045 1,258

Amount of water allocated for drinking and service purposes (mm3/year) 70 8 78

Amount of water allocated for irrigation (mm3/year) 70 33 103

Total amount of water allocated (mm3/year) 85 189 274

Gross water potential distribution (%) 225 230 455

Net water potential distribution (%) 12 88 100

Drinking & Service / total (%) 17 83 100

Industry /Total (%) 23

Irrigation / Total (%) 60Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

4.3.6 Water Pollut ion



Water polluting activities in the basin might be classified as; improper (municipal) wastewater discharges to rivers in 16 districts,23 some industrial activities: small and medium size enterprises i.e. dairies (Balıkesir- Manisa), olive oil plants (Balıkesir), poultry farms (Çanakkale, Manisa, Balıkesir) and mining (Soma of Manisa). Additionally, dumping of wastes also threat the water bodies. Hence, water quality monitoring results refer to pollution in some water bodies. In this section, this impact is summarised.

Status of main water bodies are given shortly in Table 7 for rivers. There are 37 urban WWTPs (wastewater treatment plant) and 10 more (urban) WWTPs that are planned to be constructed.

Bergama (İzmir) is the only district having landfill in the basin, and all other districts do have the irregular dumpsites for disposal of solid wastes. It is noted that 22 no.s of surface waters are under the risk of pollution due to 36 no.s of dumpsites. Additionally, it is also noted that there is oil leaching risk to surface and ground waters in the basin in the fuel stations. 23

As per latest data, two of the surface water bodies (3%) is bad, whereas 11 is poor (17%), 34 water bodies are medium (53%), 4 are fine (6%) and 2 of the whole are (3%) have good quality water. In 11 water bodies, there is no monitoring study.

Table 12: Summary of surface water quality within the basinStatus River Body Lake Coastal Water Total Water Bodies

Bad 1 1 - 2

Poor 7 4 - 11

Medium 22 7 5 34

Good 2 2 - 4

Very Good 1 1 - 2

Not monitored 5 6 - 11

Total 38 21 5 64Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Figure 18: Status of surface water quality23 Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan



Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

About the groundwater quality; 11 of the water bodies are classified as good, whereas 20 water bodies are poor in quality, as tabulated below.

Table 13: Summary of ground water quality within the basinStatus of Groundwater Quantity (no) Quality (no) Integrated (no)

Good 26 12 11

Bad 5 19 20Source: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Map showing the quality status of groundwater bodies are given in Figure 19 and quantitative data for each are given in Figure 20.

Figure 19: Status of groundwater qualitySource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan



Figure 20: Status of groundwater quantitySource: Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan

Considering the draft NAP for the basin, below data was compiled for the quantity status of groundwater bodies.

Table 14 : Risks in terms of the amount of Groundwater bodies in Northern Aegean Name of the Water Body

Water Body Number

Total Abstraction

(m2)Percentage of

Abstraction/Recharge Pressure Status Risk Status

Ahmetler TR04050231 2,869,697 0.137 Low Pressure No RiskAliağa TR04050218 30,738,977 2.648 High Pressure At RiskAltınova TR04050216 7,400,920 0.584 Middle Pressure Potential RiskArpaseki TR04050219 583,669 0.112 Low Pressure No RiskAyvalık TR04050205 5,061,858 2.46 High Pressure At RiskBademli TR04050220 1,353,041 0.202 Low Pressure No RiskBakırçayı TR04050221 99,957,582 0.919 High Pressure At RiskBekirler TR04050232 131,844 0.02 Low Pressure No RiskÇukuralan TR04050229 4,608,231 0.242 Low Pressure No RiskDalyan-Tuzla TR04050208 987,393 0.125 Low Pressure No Risk

Davutlar TR04050233 59,396 0.019 Low Pressure No RiskEdremit TR04050213 54,649,379 0.854 High Pressure At RiskEzine TR04050210 6,382,206 0.186 Low Pressure No RiskFazlıca TR04050231 3,165,679 0.595 Middle Pressure Potential RiskGedik TR04050230 2,117,366 0.176 Low Pressure No RiskGömeç TR04050206 6,802,794 0.559 Middle Pressure Potential RiskKaralar TR04050211 2,558,624 0.173 Low Pressure No RiskKaşıkçı TR04050228 511,748 0.494 Low Pressure No RiskKınık TR04050223 252,847 0.051 Low Pressure No RiskKırkağaç TR04050224 24,571,488 0.815 High Pressure At RiskKüçükkuyu TR04050214 4,208,706 0.619 Middle Pressure Potential RiskKumkale-Geyikli TR04050207 6,709,238 0.31 Low Pressure No Risk

Menteşe TR04050225 6,314,515 0.213 Low Pressure No RiskPınarbaşı Mermerleri TR04050215 - 0 No Pressure No Risk

Samıç TR04050212 76,581 0.025 Low Pressure No RiskSavaştepe TR04050217 2,906,648 0.103 Low Pressure No Risk



Name of the Water Body

Water Body Number

Total Abstraction

(m2)Percentage of

Abstraction/Recharge Pressure Status Risk Status

Soma-Yağcılar TR04050222 2,341,604 0.061 Low Pressure No Risk

Uluköy TR04050209 688,299 0.129 Low Pressure No RiskYayakent TR04050234 995,964 0.224 Low Pressure No RiskYuntdağ TR04050226 6,422,177 0.244 Low Pressure No RiskZeytindağ TR04050227 2,059,021 0.301 Low Pressure No RiskSource: Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, TUBITAK

Draft NAP also presents the first info about the water quality status as shown below.

Table 15 : Status of ground water bodies

Name of the Water Body

Water Body Number

Status of Pressure from Point Source

Status of Pressure from Diffuse Source

Integrated Pressure

StatusRisk Status

Ahmetler TR04050231 High Pressure Middle Pressure High Pressure At RiskAliağa TR04050218 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskAltınova TR04050216 High Pressure Middle Pressure High Pressure At RiskArpaseki TR04050219 Middle Pressure Low Pressure Low Pressure At RiskAyvalık TR04050205 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskBademli TR04050220 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskBakırçayı TR04050221 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskBekirler TR04050232 Middle Pressure Middle Pressure Middle Pressure At RiskÇukuralan TR04050229 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskDalyan-Tuzla TR04050208 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskDavutlar TR04050233 No Pressure No Pressure No Pressure No RiskEdremit TR04050213 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskEzine TR04050210 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskFazlıca TR04050231 Low Pressure Low Pressure Middle Pressure Potential RiskGedik TR04050230 Middle Pressure Middle Pressure Middle Pressure Potential RiskGömeç TR04050206 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskKaralar TR04050211 Middle Pressure Middle Pressure High Pressure At RiskKaşıkçı TR04050228 Low Pressure Low Pressure Low Pressure Potential RiskKınık TR04050223 Middle Pressure Middle Pressure Middle Pressure At RiskKırkağaç TR04050224 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskKüçükkuyu TR04050214 High Pressure Low Pressure High Pressure At RiskKumkale-Geyikli TR04050207 High Pressure Middle Pressure High Pressure At RiskMenteşe TR04050225 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskPınarbaşı Mermerleri TR04050215 Low Pressure No Pressure Low Pressure No Risk

Samıç TR04050212 Middle Pressure Low Pressure Middle Pressure Potential RiskSavaştepe TR04050217 Middle Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskSoma-Yağcılar TR04050222 Middle Pressure High Pressure High Pressure Potential RiskUluköy TR04050209 Middle Pressure Low Pressure Middle Pressure Potential RiskYayakent TR04050234 Low Pressure Middle Pressure Middle Pressure No RiskYuntdağ TR04050226 High Pressure High Pressure High Pressure At RiskZeytindağ TR04050227 High Pressure Middle Pressure High Pressure At RiskSource: Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, TUBITAK

Between all, the NAP study focused on hot spots in the basin and pressure on these areas (threats as given in the right column of the table).



Table 16 : Hot Spots of the BasinNo Name Threats

1 Bakırçay River and Area

Urban wastewater (Soma)Industrial wastewater (Aliağa, Soma)Mining (Bergama)Agricultural activities (Bergama)

2 Menderes Creek AreaIndustrial wastewater (Bayramiç and Ezine)Landfill (Bayramiç)Agricultural activities (Bayramiç and Atıkhisar Dam)

3 Area of Edremit Creek and Havran Creek

Urban wastewater (Edremit)Industrial wastewater (Bayramiç, Ezine)Landfill (Altınoluk)Agricultural activities (Edremit, Havran and Gömeç)Atmospheric Convection (Bergama)

4 Tuzla Creek Area Industrial wastewater (Ayvacık)Source: Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, TUBITAK

Threats might be classified as diffuse (excess use of fertilisers and pesticides due to agricultural activities) and source (WW discharges) point pressures. There is agricultural activity in every region of Northern Aegean Basin. Vegetable farming is carried out especially in fertile plains irrigated by Bakırçay and its tributaries. The amount of fertilizer used in the areas within the basin is given below. Data based on cities and type of fertilisers are given in table below.



Table 17 : Fertilizer Consumption Details in the BasinPr

ovin

ce

Dist

rict

Amm

oniu

m n

itrat

e

Amm

oniu

m s

ulph

ate

Urea

Trip

le s

uper

phos

phat

e

Nitro

pow

er 3

3

Com

pose

20-

20-0

Com

pose

20-

20-0

+Zn

Com

pose

15-

15-1

5+Zn

Calc

ium

am

mon

ium

nitr

ate

(CAN

)

Com

pose

12-

20-1

2

Com

pose

10-

25-2

0

Diam

mon

ium

pho

spha

te

(DAP

)

pota

ssiu

m n

itrat

e 13

-0-4

6

Com

pose

15-

15-1

5

Com

pose

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Com

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25-

5-10

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İzmir Aliağa - 94.45 299 10.35 - 44.45 122.6 40.5 5.4 - - 18.7 1.27 56.4 - 58.35 - - - 751

İzmir Foça 13.5 240.25 473.78 - - 97.95 23.5 - 210.27 - - 17.9 15.65 5.78 25.7 - - - - 1,124

Manisa Soma 171 751 972 44 - 451 47 182 - 162 20 304 19 476 - - - - - 3,599

Manisa Kırkağaç 39 1270 1427 36 - 589 41 1,188 - 632 28 707 202 179 - - - - - 6,338

Manisa Yunusemre 31 307 654 2 - 87 0 174 5 65 14 136 12 204 - - - - - 1,691

Çanakkale Ayvacık - 395.3 299.4 3.9 - 201.15 - - - 8.05 30.35 133.3 8.8 257.05 53 - 35.1 17.25 0.7 1,443

Çanakkale Bayramiç 184.9 877.2 2,872 168.1 - 1,606 - - 184.9 - 931.3 344.85 1.35 1251.4 39 - - - 887 9,348

Çanakkale Ezine - 873.5 2,361 61.45 - 1,564 - - 105 17.3 33.6 734.6 39.15 909.7 172 - 0.6 - - 6,873

Çanakkale Merkez - 1,066 3,905 215.8 - 1,477 - - - - 443 1,569 78.85 1,353 - - 216 218 - 10,543

Balıkesir Ayvalık - 405.15 1,379 24 - 75.8 - 159.4 136.6 - - 226.6 11.43 739.87 - - 54.3 - - 3,212

Balıkesir Burhaniye 175 500 740 9 - 98 44 291 19 - - 136 7 134 - - - - - 2,153

Balıkesir Edremit - - - 5.1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5

Balıkesir Gömeç - 1,215 173.55 - - 41 - 51 - - - 117.55 0.8 808.15 - 205.2 - - - 2,613

Balıkesir Havran - 428.75 312.92 - - 123.8 1.35 300.2 58.35 - - 107 6.1 161.7 - - - - 1,500

Balıkesir İvrindi - 167.35 2,326 - - 43.45 - - 192.55 - - 192.8 - 294.65 - 16 - - - 3,625

Balıkesir Savaştepe 54.45 - - 12.65 - 19.7 - - - - - 176.6 0.6 - - - - - - 264Source: NIBIS, 2017



Table 18 : Livestock data of Northern Aegean BasinDistrict Province Large Ruminants

(Cattle, Buffalo, Cow)Small Ruminants(Goat, Sheep)

Poultry

Ayvalık Balıkesir 8,605 38,048 0Burhaniye Balıkesir 15,962 48,347 471,111Edremit Balıkesir 6,886 17,279 54,510Havran Balıkesir 16,304 33,078 0Savaştepe Balıkesir 10,483 20,767 1,714,482Ayvacık Çanakkale 26,230 126,562 7,407Bayramiç Çanakkale ,949 90,705 32,040Ezine Çanakkale 16,20315 118,325 172,720Aliağa İzmir 8,217 37,048 341,980Bergama İzmir 82,010 207,815 404,685Dikili İzmir 11,129 94,822 107,500Kınık İzmir 17,430 69,004 669,500Kırkağaç Manisa 6,500 57,216 197,810Soma Manisa 10,242 25,590 1,175,763Yunusemre Manisa 8,713 26,940 445,000Source: Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin based on HAYBIS 2018



4.4 NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES

Northern Aegean Basin is predominantly an agricultural basin (details are given in Section 4.9) i.e. in all settlements agriculture and agriculture related industry are the major economic activities. All the cities and their districts are well known with production areas for vegetable, fruit (olive, grape etc.), grains, cotton, tobacco etc. As known, in order to increase the efficiency of the agricultural production, fertilisers are widely used and there are studies for monitoring the nitrate concentration in the water bodies and mainly impact of fertilisers to water quality in the basin performed by MoAF, these include monitoring the surface waters (monthly basis) and ground waters (quarterly) even the fertiliser usage is not the only reason of increasing nitrate concentration, it is still the dominant factor for it.

In addition to fertilizers, animal husbandry and specifically the management of animal manures is a major issue to be controlled as per By-law on Protection of Water Bodies as per nitrate. All nitrogen sources should be limited specifically around NVZs and as mentioned before in Section 3, nitrogen compounds in water and soil should be monitored. Protection of Water Bodies.

As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, in the basin, threshold value for nitrate was not exceeded for surface waters (15 mg NO3/lt), whereas there are groundwater bodies that are exceeding the threshold value (37 mg NO3/lt). Hence, with the NAP, it is expected to take actions for mitigating the excess nitrate in the defined water bodies. Based on the actual status, below are the Nitrate Sensitive Areas defined by the “Basin-Based Determination of Sensitive Areas and Water Quality Objectives in Turkey Project” in Northern Aegean Basin (Figure 21) Total nitrogen load in the basin is shown in Figure 22.

Figure 21: Nitrate Sensitive Areas in Northern Aegean Basin, 2016Source: Remediation of Vulnerable Water Bodies, Northern Aegean Basin, MoAF



Figure 22: Diffuse Total Nitrogen Load in the basin, 2016Source: Remediation of Vulnerable Water Bodies, Northern Aegean Basin, MoAF



Table 19 : Total Annual Amount of Pure Nitrogen Load Produced by Manure in the Northern Aegean BasinProvince İlçe TN

(kg/year)TN

(ton/year)Province-based Percentage (%)

Balıkesir

Ayvalık 695,605 696 16Burhaniye 1,182,152 1,182 28Edremit 460,579 461 11Gömeç 158,066 158 4Havran 706,267 706 17Savaştepe 1,016,602 1,017 24

Manisa

Kırkağaç 645,203 645 29Yunusemre 704,037 704 32Akhisar 35,258 35 2Soma 808,707 809 37

İzmir

Aliağa 658,313 358 8Bergama 5,326,529 5,327 63Dikili 1,146,216 1,146 14Foça 110,170 110 1Kınık 1,216,954 1,217 14

ÇanakkaleAyvacık 2,034,169 2034 37Bayramiç 1,355,347 1355 25Ezine 1,567,814 1568 29

Source: Draft NAP for Northern Aegean Basin, TUBITAK

4.5 COASTAL WATERS

In the basin, there is a long coast shore covering Kumkale (Çanakkale) in the north and Aliağa in the south with coasts in Aegean Sea. Kumkale, Ezine, Ayvacık, Edremit, Burhaniye, Gömeç, Ayvalık, Altınova, Dikili, Bademli, Zeytindağ and Aliağa, Bozcaada and Alibey Island are the main settlements having coast to Aegean Sea.

Between these, specifically Edremit Gulf (of Balıkesir) is under the risk of pollution due to tourism originated wastewater and black water generated during olive oil production process.24 In addition to Edremit, there are numerous hotels in other parts of Balıkesir (Ayvalık, Burhaniye, Alibey Island), in Çanakkale (Bozcaada, Ayvacık), and in Izmir (Dikili), generating municipal wastewater in tourism season.

Figure 23: Vulnerable and Less Vulnerable Areas in the basinSource: Communiqué on Vulnerable and Less Vulnerable Water Areas of By-Law on Urban Wastewater Treatment, Annex-4

24 Northern Aegean Basin Pollution Prevention Action Plan, July 2016, MoEU, DG Environmental Management



The Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan points out that there are several (major) WWTPs affecting the quality of coastal waters; namely; TUPRAŞ Aliağa Refinery, PETKIM Aliağa Facilities, SEAŞ Soma Thermal Power Plant, TARİŞ SS. Küçükkuyu Olive and Olive oil production cooperative, Viking Pulp & Paper A.Ş. having industrial WWTPs discharging their effluent to Aegean Sea.25 In the table below, list of WWTPs discharging their effluent to Aegean Sea are given.

Table 20: WWTPs discharging the effluent to Aegean SeaName of the WWTP Type of WWTP

Balıkesir Edremit / Akçay Biological

Balikesir / Burhaniye Biological

Balıkesir / Gömeç Biological

Balıkesir/Ayvalık/Altınova Advanced Biological

Balıkesir/Ayvalık/Küçükköy Advanced Biological

Izmir / Aliağa OIZ BiologicalSource: Contractor Data

According to the information taken from the Swimming Water Monitoring System of the GD of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, it is clear that there is not any problem in the quality of swimming water at the beaches within the basin boundaries that will affect public health. The data for 2016, 2017 and 2018 are given in the Annex III and according to these data, in 2018, only the Yeni Sakran Beach in Aliağa should not be used for swimming purposes.

4.6 ECOSYSTEMS & BIODIVERSITY

The mountainous areas where the Mediterranean climate is dominant in Turkey have significant biodiversity. These are also areas where endemic species are more common. As mentioned earlier, the Northern Aegean Basin is located in a transition zone between the Mediterranean climate and the Marmara climate. Although it is explained in detail below, it is known that the Kaz (Ida) Mountains, which are located within the boundaries of the basin, are very important in terms of ecological and biodiversity. Below, fauna and flora features of the basin are presented.

Fauna: As a result of the monitoring within the scope of the Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 32 taxa in fish, 184 taxa in phytoplankton, 233 taxa in macrophage, 229 taxa in phytobenthos, 58 taxa in macroalgae, and 65 taxa in macrophytes were determined.

In the Northern Aegean Basin, 31 species of fish were obtained within the scope of the River Basin Management Plan monitoring studies. While 9 of these species are endemic, 3 are invasive. The invasive fishes caught in the basin are Carassius gibelio, Pseudorasbora parva and Gambusia holbrooki. One of the most important steps in the fight against invasive fish species on the basin level is to control the spreading process. For this purpose, the transfer / transport of invasive fish from their water resources to other regions should be prevented. Specifically, Carassius gibelio species can be transported consciously or unconsciously between water resources due to its growth potential and similarity to carp. For this reason, the authorities should take measures against the transition, transportation and spread of invasive species. Another issue in the fight against invasive fish is the determination of the biological cycles (growth, nutrition, reproduction, etc.) of the existing species and their ecological effects. The stock status and bio-ecological characteristics of invasive fishes should be specified and then their fighting strategies should be determined. Another stage of the fight against invasive fish species is the determination and application of effective hunting methods. Especially fish such as Carassius gibelio, which can grow and have economic returns on a local scale, can be weakened by catching stocks. Apart from these, it is very important and necessary to preserve the reference habitats where there are particularly endemic fish species and there are no invasive species and ecologically ideal conditions are experienced.26

Flora: In the forested areas of the basin, vegetation generally consists of Calabrian pine, scotch pine, olive, chestnut, larch and oak. As mentioned earlier, 53.53% of the basin is defined as forest or semi-natural areas. Forest areas include coniferous and leaved forests, mixed forests, areas covered by maquis and herbaceous plants. The figure shows the distribution of the forests in the Northern Aegean Basin.

25 Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 2019, MoAF, DG Environmental Management26 Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 2019, MoAF, DG Environmental Management



The Kaz (Ida) Mountains, which dominate the high regions in the northern part of the basin and its ecosystem, are located at the intersection point of the important plant communities of Europe – Siberia, Mediterranean and Iran – Turanian flora regions. Different climate types due to its geographic location and paleogeographic evolution are among the most important factors increasing the plant diversity of the mountain. Therefore, while the European and Siberian elements are widespread in the northern and eastern parts of the mountain, Mediterranean elements and vegetation are dominant in the southern parts and the summit. The Kaz (Ida) Mountains are home to a group of ecosystems with unique values in terms of forest composition. In this context, Kaz (Ida) Mountains exhibits the mosaic of rich forest ecosystems consisting of Calabrian pine, larch, beech, oak, hornbeam, chestnut and Kaz Mountains’ Fir according to the heights and directions. In the lower and coastal strip of the basin, maquis vegetation dominates under the Mediterranean climate. The maquis formation in the region is mostly distributed and decreased as a species and lost from its elevation in the destroyed areas of the Calabrian pine forests, as compared to the southern and middle Aegean regions. Carob (Ceratonia ilique), Pırnal Oak (Quercus ilex) and Boz Pirnal (Quercus aucheri), which are more intense in the central and southern Aegean regions, decrease in the north. In the northern part of the Aegean region, the maquis is seen up to an altitude of 500 – 550 m and forest formations start to be seen in the higher parts.27

Figure 24: Distribution of the forests in the basinSource: Northern Aegean Basin Drought Management Plan

4.7 PROTECTED AREAS

The Northern Aegean Basin has a total of 12 protected areas: 2 national parks, 1 nature conservation area, 4 natural parks, 1 natural monument, 1 wildlife development area, 2 wetlands and 1 special environmental protection area.

Table 21: Protected areas in the basinProtected Areas Location

Troy National Park Çanakkale

Kaz Mountains National Park Balıkesir

Kaz Mountains Fir Nature Conservation Area Balıkesir

Ayazma Pınarı Natural Park Çanakkale

27 Northern Aegean Basin Drought Management Plan



Protected Areas Location

Ayvalık Islands Natural Park Balıkesir

Darıdere Natural Park Balıkesir

Sarımsaklı Natural Park Balıkesir

Taşdede Pırnal Oak Natural Monument İzmir

Narlı Wild Boar Hunting Ground Balıkesir

Kalkım Wild Boar Hunting Ground Çanakkale

Ayvalık Wetlands Balıkesir

Bakırçay Delta İzmir

Güzelhisar Delta İzmir

Foça Special Environmental Protection Area İzmirSource: Northern Aegean Basin Drought Management Plan

Troy National Park, which contains the Archaeological City of Troy in the World Heritage List, covers an area of about 135 km2. The Menderes Delta, which is located in this national park, hosts important waterfowl. 28

Kaz Mountains National Park is located within the borders of Balıkesir province in the transition zone of Marmara and Aegean regions. The surface area is about 210 km2. Kaz Mountains, known as Ida Mountain in ancient times, is the highest mountain of Biga Peninsula. The national park, which contains the endemic tree species known as Kaz Mountains Fir and has a rich flora, also varies in terms of mammals, birds and reptiles.29

Kaz Mountains Fir Nature Conservation Area: Kaz Mountains Fir which is an endemic and endangered species, Larch and Oriental Beech are the main tree species. Wolf, Beech Marten, Coyote, Brown Bear, Red Deer, Hare, Squirrel and Roe are the fauna groups within the area.30

Figure 25: Kaz Mountains National Park Figure 26: Ayvalık Islands Natural Park

Ayazma Pınarı (Balıkesir) Natural Park has tourism potential due to its natural and cultural riches. It has a rich resource value in terms of forest, mountain and water landscapes.

Ayvalık Islands (Balıkesir) Natural Park covers 19 of the Ayvalık islands and there are 752 plant species, some of which are aromatic, 5 of which are endemic.29

Darıdere (Balıkesir) Natural Park is located on the southern slopes of Kaz Mountains and north of the Gulf of Edremit. Forest ecosystem constitutes the main resource value of the region.

Sarımsaklı (Balıkesir) Natural Park is located within the borders of Ayvalık district of Balıkesir province and has gained this status in 2011.

Taşdede (İzmir) Pırnal Oak Natural Monument, which is 250-year-old, is 8 m tall, 1 m in diameter and 3 m in circumference. 29

28 Troya.tabiat.gov.tr. (2019). Korunan Alanlar - Troya Tarihi Milli Parkı. [online] Available at: http://troya.tabiat.gov.tr/ 29 Kazdagi.tabiat.gov.tr. (2019). Korunan Alanlar - Kazdağı Milli Parkı. [online] Available at: http://kazdagi.tabiat.gov.tr/30 Northern Aegean Basin Drought Management Plan



Narlı (Balıkesir) Wild Boar Hunting Ground is located 45 km from Edremit district of Balıkesir province and gained this status in 2004.

In and around Ayvalık Wetlands (Balıkesir), there are more than 170 bird species, including endangered crested pelicans, small kestrels, peregrine falcons and curlews. It is possible to see insects and frogs, water snakes and water turtles in the reeds by the wetlands. Ayvalık Wetlands include Devil's Table (Şeytan Sofrası) Lagoon, Sarımsaklı Subasar Meadows and Ayvalık Saltern.

Güzelhisar Delta (İzmir) is located within the boundaries of Aliağa district of İzmir province. This area was specified as wetland in 2014.

Foça (İzmir) Special Environmental Protection Area covers an area of 227 km2. Foça is a well-known region in terms of Monachus monachus (Mediterranean monk seal) which is among the endangered species it hosts. Pine forests and maquis form vegetation and create habitats for living creatures such as wolves, foxes, jackals, marten partridges, pigeons and quails.

4.8 AIR QUALITY

According to the National Air Quality Index, if the air quality index is in the range 0-50, it means "Air quality is satisfactory and air pollution is low risk or no risk" and is shown in green. If this value is in the range of 51-100, it means that "Air quality is appropriate but for a very small number of people susceptible to air pollution, there may be moderate health concerns due to some pollutants" and is shown in yellow.

As can be seen in the Figure 27 made by using the Continuous Monitoring Center application of the MoEU by the Contractor, there are two air quality measuring stations in the Northern Aegean Basin. One of them is located in Edremit district of Balıkesir and the air quality index is generally in the range of 0-50 according to the data of the Continuous Monitoring Center of the MoEU. The other one is located in the Soma district of Manisa and although it appears yellow, the air quality index is generally close to 50. Since there is no city centre within the basin, the air quality of the basin is not affected by intensive human activities. As a result, according to the data obtained from the measurement stations in the basin, there is no risk to the air quality of the basin.

Figure 27: Location of air quality measuring stations in the basinSource: Contractor

4.9 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS

4.9.1 Demography



In order to examine the demographic structure of the basin, population records of all districts that are in whole or in part within the basin boundaries were examined. According to the data taken from the TURKSTAT, the proportion of male and female in the basin is almost the same as in Turkey in 2018. There is a clear gender balance in the Northern Aegean Basin and in Turkey.

Figure 28: Proportion of male and female in the basin and TurkeySource: TURKSTAT

When looking at the age distribution in the basin and in Turkey for the year of 2018, it can be clearly observed that the elderly population in the basin is more than the elderly population in the country.

Figure 29: Age distribution in the basin and TurkeySource: TURKSTAT

4.9.2 Health

Major environmental factors affecting human health in the basin could be classified as; water quality problems related to the excessive use of artificial (inorganic) fertilizers (and animal manure), leachate leaking from dumpsites, municipal or industrial wastewater discharges. These are also the factors affecting the soil structure (i.e. salinity of soil, accumulation of heavy metals in soil, soil loss due to erosion- which is also affecting the

vegetation and crops) and resulting in eutrophication in the water bodies. In addition to water related problems due to nitrate in different water bodies, its impact that affect via digestion should be taken into consideration. Nitrate is found in many foods, with the highest levels occurring in some green leafy and root vegetables. This is mainly due to excess fertiliser application to lands (or when fertiliser application is not needed). It is known that excess nitrate triggers the digestion problems which create blue baby syndrome in the babies (infant methemoglobinemia). Risk of specific cancers and birth defects may be increased when nitrate is ingested under conditions that increase formation of N-nitroso compounds. Considering the recent studies, the strongest evidence for a relationship between drinking water nitrate ingestion and adverse health outcomes (besides methemoglobinemia) is for colorectal cancer, thyroid disease, and neural



tube defects.31 Impact of excess nitrate on animals should be also considered, major ones are; defects in liver metabolism, poisoning and reduction in fertility.32

Although there is no record available specific to the health problems occurred due to water (and directly due to nitrate accumulation etc.) in the Northern Aegean Basin, with the NAP, it is expected to have positive impact on water quality (specifically related with nitrate) as the excess use of fertilisers, and adverse effects shall be limited as a result of the NAP implementation.

4.9.3 Economic Profile of the Likely Affected Areas

Agriculture and animal husbandry:

The agricultural areas in the Northern Aegean Basin are approximately 418,300 ha and constitute approximately 42.43% of the basin. The most important agricultural products grown in the basin are olive, cotton, tobacco, cereals, tomatoes and peppers.33 However, this value is approximately 314,428 ha in accordance with the TURKSTAT. The reasons for this difference are that the applications used in the calculation are not the same and the data obtained from TURKSTAT is district-based. It is not known exactly how much of the agricultural areas of these districts are within the basin boundary. According to the TURKSTAT, when the distribution of agricultural land in the basin is examined, it is seen that 50.7% of the land is composed of fruit, plants for beverage production and spice crops. In addition, another important share of agricultural land use is the area covered by cereals and other crop products (39.4%). In the basin where the fallow area has a very low share (2.74%), vegetable gardens area constitutes 7.2% of the total agricultural land.

Table 22: Distribution of agricultural areas in the basin, 2018 (in decare)

Province DistrictFruit,

Beverage,Spice Area

Fallow Area Vegetable Area

Ornament Plants Area

Cereals & Other Crop Products

AreaTotal Area

Balıkesir

Ayvalık 174,413 0 6,813 2 17,327 198,555

Burhaniye 186,503 3,000 17,147 52.9 25,182 231,884.9

Edremit 203,212 0 4,291 21 9,691 217,215

Gömeç 115,595 0 4,345 1.3 11,040 130,981.3

Havran 95,687 11,277 9,629 21 19,340 135,954

Savaştepe 9,535 8,000 12,043 0 71,088 100,666

İvrindi 5,506 3,000 2,342 0 146,585 157,433

ManisaSoma 75,663 2,395 17,482 0 115,345 210,885

Kırkağaç 117,674 800 30,941 50.7 59,779 209,244.7

Çanakkale

Ayvacık 127,951 45,336 12,413 0 59,187 244,887

Bayramiç 110,373 2,285 16,639 0 181,526 310,823

Bozcaada 13,886 1,622 104 0 1,046 16,658

Ezine 129,907 622 22,891 0 111,516 264,936

İzmir

Aliağa 50,844 3,900 1,960 0 53,675 110,379

Bergama 118,653 500 42,400 0 237,916 399,469

Dikili 48,718 1,450 5,093 0 61,865 117,126

Kınık 9,156 1,954 18,926 0 57,148 87,184

Total 1,593,276 86,141 225,459 148.9 1,239,256 3,144,281

Turkey 34,623,870 35,127,733 7,836,320 51,744.3 154,214,967 231,854,634.3

31 Drinking Water Nitrate and Human Health: An Updated Review, 2018, Article by Ward et al

32 Studies for prevention and management of pollution in water generated via agricultural activities, 2019, Presentation by O.Sezgin, MoAF, DG Agricultural Reform 33 Scoping Report of Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, 2019, MoAF, DG Environmental Management



Province DistrictFruit,

Beverage,Spice Area

Fallow Area Vegetable Area

Ornament Plants Area

Cereals & Other Crop Products

AreaTotal Area

Ratio of Basin toTurkey (%) 4.60% 0.25% 2.88% 0.29% 0.80% 1.36%

Source: TURKSTAT

Since the basin-based data could not be found, the following table has been created considering the provinces within the basin boundaries and Turkey. The most current data published is from 2018, share of agriculture in the GDP in the basin is approximately 10-15% while this ratio is 5.82% for Turkey. As can be seen here, agriculture is very important for the Northern Aegean Basin.

Table 23: Data for agriculture GDP Province Agriculture GDP

(1000 TL)Total GDP(1000 TL)

Percentage

Turkey 216,666,387 3,724,387,936 5.82%

Balıkesir 5,359,585 45,577,580 11.76%

Çanakkale 3,745,242 24,532,654 15.27%

İzmir 9,329,721 233,514,796 4.00%

Manisa 9,572,942 63,435,912 15.09%Source: TURKSTAT

The Northern Aegean Basin includes provinces that have an important place in animal husbandry throughout the country;

Cattle, goat, sheep breeding and poultry production are the main animal production in Çanakkale. It has also an effective place in milk production. Çanakkale, which has a coast on the Aegean and Marmara seas, is also very important in the production of seafood classified under the main headings of sea, fresh water and aquaculture.

Poultry has the highest share in İzmir's Aliağa, Bergama, Dikili, Foça, Menemen and Kınık districts. Then, this order is followed by sheep breeding mostly performed in Bergama, Dikili and Menemen districts.

In addition to bovine and ovine breeding, poultry and aquaculture production is also carried out in Manisa. However, it should be noted that while the whole province is developed in animal husbandry, the parts in the basin are less developed than other basin provinces.

Balıkesir is developed in red meat production and poultry farming.

When the animal products value per capita of the provinces within the basin borders is examined, it can be seen that the province of Çanakkale is higher than the Turkey’s average, the provinces of İzmir and Manisa are low and Balıkesir is almost the same with the country’s average in 2018.



Çanakkale

Balıkesir

Turkey

İzmir

Manisa

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Animal Products Value per Capita (TL/cap)

Figure 30: Animal products value per capitaSource: TURKSTAT

Tourism: Balıkesir, Çanakkale, İzmir and Manisa provinces in the Northern Aegean Basin are of great importance for tourism.

Balıkesir, which has the largest number of islands in the country and has a coastal length of approximately 300 km and approximately half of which is within the basin boundaries, is a tourism center in terms of natural and cultural assets.

In addition to historical and cultural tourism in Çanakkale, there are bays which are suitable for sea tourism and various recreational activities such as sunbathing, swimming and water sports.

Aliağa, Bergama and Dikili, which are the districts of İzmir and within the basin boundaries, are important for tourism. These districts attract attention with their historical and natural beauties.

Although Manisa province is rich in terms of tourism resources and natural beauties, it has not developed in terms of tourism due to the insufficient promotion of its historical and natural values and the lack of accommodation facilities. Manisa is located in an area rich in healing waters in general and is home to thermal tourism with its thermal springs and baths.

Industry:

One of the largest companies in the petrochemical sector, representing 25% of the total chemical production in the country, is located in the Aliağa district of İzmir within the basin boundaries. There is an organized industrial zone (OIZ) in the Aliağa and the main sector groups in this OIZ are metal industry and chemical industry. Also, Ovacık Gold Mine is located in the north of Izmir, between Bergama and Dikili.

In Balıkesir, due to the wide spread of agriculture and its diversity, agriculture-based industry is highly developed. Olive production has an important place in provincial agriculture and economy. Especially in the districts of the province within the basin boundaries, the olive and olive oil industry, which has been continuing for centuries, is at the forefront.

In the districts of the province of Çanakkale, which are within the boundaries of the basin, food industry is generally observed. Especially cheese, wine and meat production are quite high.

The economy of the districts of Manisa within the basin is based on mining. Lignite deposits in Soma district have been operated since 1910 and some of the extracted coal is used in Soma Thermal Power Plant.

Table 24 has been created in accordance with the TURKSTAT data for the year of 2018 to show the percentage of the industry GDP to total GDP of the provinces.



Table 24: Data for industry GDP Province Industry GDP Total GDP Percentage

Turkey 1,097,683,431 3,724,387,936 29.47%

Balıkesir 12,864,786 45,577,580 28.23%

Çanakkale 8,114,825 24,532,654 33.08%

İzmir 80,309,321 233,514,796 34.39%

Manisa 26,797,795 63,435,912 42.24%Source: TURKSTAT

Employment:

In terms of employment, no data could be found on the basis of basin or provinces, TURKSTAT publishes such data in sub-regions. On the other hand, Table 25 shows the total employment rate for the sub-regions and Turkey, and the percentage of those employed in agriculture, industry and services in 2018 for the age of 15 and over.

Table 25: Total employment and employment in agriculture, industry and services rateTotal

Employment Rate

Agriculture Rate Industry Rate Service Rate

TR - Turkey 47.4% 18.4% 26.7% 54.9%

TR 22 - Balıkesir, Çanakkale 46.3% 28.6% 21.7% 49.8%

TR 31 - İzmir 48.5% 8.5% 32.4% 59.1%

TR 33 - Manisa, Afyon, Kütahya, Uşak 50.3% 30.7% 27.7% 41.6%

Source: TURKSTAT

Furthermore, according to the information obtained from TURKSTAT, average monthly wages paid to the permanent agricultural workers in the provinces within the boundaries of the Northern Aegean Basin are considerably higher than the other provinces in Turkey. In fact, when the provinces that have data are examined, these provinces constitute 4 of the top 5 in 2018.34 As mentioned earlier, due to the widespread and diversification of agriculture, the agriculture-based industry in the basin has developed considerably, and it can be understood from these data that agriculture within the basin is also very important for the country.

Çanakkale Balıkesir Manisa İzmir Turkey0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Average monthly wages of permanent agricultural men workers (TL)

Figure 31: Average monthly wages of permanent agricultural men workersSource: TURKSTAT

34 These data were published by TURKSTAT separately for the men and women, but with the data on women workers were not available in most provinces. Therefore, the data on male workers only were used for this particular comparison.



4.9.4 Cultural Heritage

The Northern Aegean Basin is home to many cultural assets, archaeological sites and protected areas.

The province of Balıkesir, which has the largest number of islands in the Turkey, is rich in natural and cultural assets. Historically, Balıkesir can be regarded as one of the centres of cultural tourism due to its proximity to monasteries, martyr memorials, museums and ancient cities and cultural tourism routes.

Figure 32: Troy Ancient City in Çanakkale

As another province located in the basin, Çanakkale is a favourite of domestic and foreign tourists with its historical, touristic and cultural riches. In addition to the presence of the ancient cities of Troy and Assos, Troy National Park are also located within the basin boundaries. As a result of the studies carried out in Troy National Park, 9 culture levels were identified and more than forty settlement phases were unearthed. The city of Troy, immortalized by Homer's epic works Iliad and Odysseia, has a history of three thousand years and constitutes the resource value of the national park.

The ancient city of Pergamon, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 and was the capital of the Hellenistic Pergamon Kingdom, is within the borders of İzmir and Northern Aegean Basin. It contains traces of the Hellenistic and Roman periods along with the cultural landscape around it.

Manisa is located in an area rich in healing waters in general and is home to thermal tourism with its thermal springs and baths.

5. INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF PRIORITY ISSUES

5.1 SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

The following section is providing an overview of relevant strategic documents and their environmental objectives. The identified environmental objectives will serve as a basis for the development of the framework of reference in the context of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the evaluation of the NAP and formulating proposals for its optimization.

Turkey is one of the founding countries of the United Nations (UN), founded in 1945. The Global Goals for Sustainable Development, prepared by the UN in September 2015, call for universal action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people live in peace and prosperity. This document, which consists of 17 goals and their targets, has been examined and the ones related to NAP are given below.

These targets are aimed at ending hunger for all and ensuring access to nutritious and sufficient nutrients by 2030. Furthermore, it is aimed to implement resilient agricultural practices for sustainable food production.



It is aimed to combat waterborne diseases and to reduce the number of diseases and deaths caused by hazardous chemicals and water and soil pollution by 2030.

Ensuring equal access to safe drinking water for all, minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals, improving water quality by 2030, and protecting water ecosystems covering mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes by 2020 are among the main objectives.

Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage is important to reach sustainable cities and communities.

It is aimed to achieve the sustainable management and effective use of natural resources by 2030, and to minimize the negative effects of chemicals on the environment and reduce their release to water and soil by 2020.

It is aimed to reduce the marine pollution caused by the activities of terrestrial origin by 2025, to ensure the sustainability of marine and coastal ecosystems and to make the transition to sustainable fishing by 2020.

Ensuring the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services; taking urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats and biodiversity; reducing the impact of invasive alien species on water ecosystem by 2020 are among the main objectives.

The 11th Development Plan prepared in 2019 is a good document for understanding the sustainable development goals on a national basis since it includes a section called Sustainable Development Goals and it is the main objective to reflect the Sustainable Development Goals in the policies in line with the priorities of the country and to establish an effective follow-up and review mechanism. This plan covers the years 2019-2023 and specifically includes the following objectives related to the NAP.



Agriculture: The main objective is to create an efficient agricultural sector that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, has increased its international competitiveness with its production structure that considers supply and demand balance as well as adequate and balanced nutrition of the people of the country, has solved the infrastructure problems and has high organizational and productivity.

Health: The main objective is to increase the quality of life, to increase the quality of physical infrastructure and human resources and to improve the distribution of regions with a quality, reliable, effective, financially sustainable health service provision supported by evidence-based policies in order to ensure the active and healthy participation of the individuals in economic and social life.

Water Infrastructure: The main objective is to provide the population with access to healthy and reliable drinking and potable water and to minimize the effects of wastewater on human and environmental health and to achieve effective management.

Environmental Protection: The main objective is to protect the environment and natural resources, improve its quality, ensure effective, integrated and sustainable management, implement environmental and climate-friendly practices in all areas, and increase environmental awareness and sensitivity of all segments of the society.

5.2 SCOPING MATRIX

The table below represents the proposed scope of SEA for the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin (see Table 26). It indicates key environmental concerns relevant to the NAP and provides reference to the relevant environmental goals that will be taken into account in the strategic environmental assessment of the NAP.



Table 26: Scoping Matrix


Water Quality

Water pollution from point and diffuse sources- affecting the water use (intended for human consumption, irrigation and aquatic life) these are:

Identification of pollution hot spots (NVZs) and setting necessary measures such as:

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Real-time monitoring stations and early warning systems should be deployed to

detect pollution.• Basin monitoring programs should be revised periodically in line with changing

conditions and needs. (3.4 Politics of the plan)• Quality should be improved by preventing pollutants at source, periodical quality

differences should be eliminated and water supply of the required quality should be provided in all sectors. (9.4 of the plan)

By-Law on protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016• Identification of pollution (Article 5): All surface and ground waters containing more

than 50 mg/l nitrate and which may contain nitrate at the limit value determined if no action is taken according to Article 8, and whether natural freshwater lakes, other freshwater resources, estuaries, coastal waters and sea waters are eutrophic or if no precautions are taken according to Article 8, they will become eutrophic in the near future are determined by MoAF.

• NVZs (Article 6) shall be determined by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this regulation and announced by a communiqué to be published. The identified zones are reviewed at least every four years, revised or added are made if necessary.

National Biodiversity Plan, MoAF, 2018-2028• Obj 8.1 – to strength technical and institutional capacity for the conservation and

sustainable use of inland waters biological diversity• Obj 8.2 – to take actions for the conservation and sustainability of inland waters

biological diversity and reduce threats to it• Obj 9.3- to combat against the threats to coastal and marine biological diversity

- Excess use of fertilizers and animal manure


- Evaluation of effectiveness of NAP measures

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• In order to preserve and increase the quantity of water used in agriculture, the

“Program for the Activation of Water Use in Agriculture" should be implemented, measuring systems should be expanded and water tariffs should be developed in order to save water in agricultural irrigation. (4.4.2 of the plan)





plans.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• Prevention of misuse of agricultural land, soil and water pollution, dissemination of


Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• Construction of WWTPs with nutrient removal units for minimization of diffuse

pollution



Northern Aegean Basin Pollution Prevention Action Plan, MoEU, 2016• Presents several scenarios for short term pollution prevention for the districts in the

basin• Plans and measures for diffuse and point source polluters focusing municipal WW

management via prioritization the actions in short –medium and long term• Plans and measures for diffuse and point source polluters focusing industrial WW

management via prioritization the actions in short –medium and long term focusing organized industrial zones and inspection modality needed to implement

• Waste management planning including transfer stations and sanitary landfills to be commissioned

- Improper WW discharge - Determination of gaps about capacity and efficiency of WWTPs

- Proposing WWTPs (to be renovated or constructed)

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Efficient operation of urban and industrial WWTPs should be ensured, online

monitoring systems should be expanded and supervision activities should be enabled.

• Receiving environment-based discharge standards should be developed, measures should be taken to implement these standards and necessary legal and administrative arrangements should be made.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• To ensure the establishment and operation of waste water collection and treatment

systems for all settlements throughout the country by 2023 and to ensure that




standards are met.

- Leachate leaks from dumpsites- Amendment in solid waste disposal,- Closing the dumpsites and

increasing the landfills

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• The total share of solid waste leachate, atmospheric transport and septic tanks in

distributed N loads is up to 12% in the basin.

National Waste Management Action Plan, MoEU, 2016-2023• It is aimed to rehabilitate the wild dumpsites and to recycle 35% of the waste

generated in 2023 and to dispose 65% of it with sanitary landfilling.

Water Quantity Impact of nitrate pollution to quantity of safe water

- Minimise the nitrate pollution of water resources

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023In order to preserve and increase the quantity of water used in agriculture, the “Program for the Activation of Water Use in Agriculture" should be implemented, measuring systems should be expanded and water tariffs should be developed in order to save water in agricultural irrigation.

Soil Degradation Deterioration of ecosystems due to excess use of fertilizers and improper wastewater discharge resulting with increasing nitrate on soilSoil pollution due to excess fertilizers and pesticides


- Promoting efficiency in irrigation techniques and controlling the recirculating irrigation waters

- Ensuring sufficiency of WWTPs in number and treatment efficiency

- Evaluation of NAP effectiveness

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Efficient operation of urban and industrial WWTPs should be ensured.• Necessary financing mechanisms should be developed for the modernization of

existing irrigation systems.• In agricultural irrigation; studies should be developed to evaluate alternatives to

reduce and reuse water returning from irrigation.


water conditions of the basin, improvement of irrigation systems and irrigation efficiency

• To ensure the establishment and operation of waste water collection and treatment systems for all settlements throughout the country by 2023 and to ensure that standards are met.

• To ensure the use of treated waste water in agricultural irrigation by 2023• Prevention of misuse of agricultural land, soil and water pollution, dissemination of



Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016




• The code of good agricultural practices, which includes measures to be taken by farmers to protect water against pollution from agricultural activities, shall be announced by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this Regulation.

Strategic Plan, MoAF, 2018-2022Responsibilities of MoAF include detailed analyse of soil structures and irrigation water. Specific aims of the plan focus to:• In parallel to 10th Development Plan, protect the soil, water resources and biodiversity

and ensure sustainable use of each (Aim H4.3)

Climate

Impact on water quantity and quality

- Promoting efficient use of safe water

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• In order to reduce the pressure of climate change and its effects on water resources,

sectoral vulnerability levels should be determined, adaptation plans should be implemented accordingly and studies should be carried out to implement drought risk management plans and early warning systems.Considering the impacts of climate change, the principle of using groundwater reservoirs as a strategic resource should be adopted.


water conditions of the basin, improvement of irrigation systems and irrigation efficiencyContinuously assess the potential impacts of climate change on water resources and protected areas, taking into account climate change scenarios.

Turkey's Climate Change Action Plan (MoEU), 2011-2023• Aim US2.2- Increase the pilot projects devoted to minimise the reuse of waters ie.

Cooling waters or high water consuming sectors

Emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture

- Improvement of N2O and CH4 control in agriculture practices

Turkey's Climate Change Action Plan (MoEU), 2011-2023Aim T.2 - To minimise GHGs generated due to agricultural activities

Livelihood Sustainability of the production - Impacts of the NAP on the sustainability of the agricultural production

- Protection of agricultural areas to have sustainable development through agricultural production

- Knowledge transfer

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• In order to protect the ecosystem, especially in periods of high-water demand,

alternating irrigation should be started and more water should be left in the water beds.





- Awareness Raising on good agricultural practices

plans.


water conditions of the basin, improvement of irrigation systems and irrigation efficiency,

• Conservation, improvement, development and sustainable use of agricultural areas,• To ensure that agricultural methods suitable for the structure of the region are

preferred in regions where there is low rainfall.



Strategic Plan, MoAF, 2018-2022In line with 4.1.2 –Food Security – with the aim to provide safe food for the inhabitants, MoAF plans to control the food starting from the agricultural activities till consumption. Hence excess nitrate in the crops shall affect the sustainability of the food, production and the agricultural economy.

Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Deterioration of coastal ecosystems in line with increasing municipal WW discharge

Lowering pressure from agriculture on coastal ecosystems

National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023• Receiving environment-based discharge standards should be developed, measures

should be taken to implement these standards and necessary legal and administrative arrangements should be made.

• A holistic ecosystem approach should be considered when developing policies.

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• Protection and management of biological diversity, natural and cultural landscape

resource values of watersheds and ensuring sustainability of ecosystem services.

National Biodiversity Plan, MoAF, 2018-2028• Objective 3.1- identify, record, protect and manage the components of genetic

diversity which have importance of biological diversity, agriculture, food and economic value

Impacts of the water quality on Reducing water pollution via National Water Plan, MoAF, 2019-2023




the aquatic ecosystems

- good agricultural practices- sufficient treatment of wastewater

generated- Identification of risks from NAP to

Biodiversity protection (if any)

• In the Special Environmental Protection Areas, in relation to the River Basin Management Plans, site-specific standards should be introduced taking into account the flora, fauna and ecosystem integrity of the site.

• The receiving environment-based discharge standards should be determined at the basin and sub-basin scale, taking into account ecosystem needs and natural background concentrations.

• A holistic ecosystem approach should be considered when developing policies.National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023• To ensure the establishment and operation of waste water collection and treatment

systems for all settlements throughout the country by 2023 and to ensure that standards are met.

• Ensuring sustainable management of protected and vulnerable areas in the basin by 2023


Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, MoAF, 2016The code of good agricultural practices, which includes measures to be taken by farmers to protect water against pollution from agricultural activities, shall be announced by the MoAF within two years from the date of publication of this Regulation.

National Biological Diversity Action Plan; MoAF, 2018-2028Objective 4.1 - identify, protect and monitor the biological diversity elements which have importance for agricultural biological diversity

Human HealthIncreasing pollution of the water and soil due to increased fertiliser application

Reducing contamination of water resources for human consumption- limiting the excess fertilizer and

animal manure- prevention of Improper wastewater

discharge- Reduction of health risks from crops

contamination

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023• By the end of 2023, it is planned to provide wastewater treatment services to the

whole population of the municipality.

Strategic Plan, MoH, 2013-2017• Objective 1.1.3 – participate to sectoral coordination for improvement of food safety

and quality• Objective 1.7.3 – decreasing the impacts of water, air and soil pollution over

environment and human health• Objective 1.9.3 – developing programmes for the diseases born due to water and

food




Air QualityEmissions of Ammonia (NH3)Emissions of other odour-causing substances

Improving NH3 emissions control in the agriculture practices.Odour control enhancement

Clean Air Action Plan, MoEU, 2010-2013

Marine and Coastal Areas - Impact of water pollution

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023By the end of 2023, it is planned to provide wastewater treatment services to the whole population of the municipality.

Cultural Heritage - Shall not be considered for SEA context -

Source: Contractor



5.3 ALTERNATIVES

This part shall be developed after the draft NAP is ready with the alternatives.

5.4 STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

This section provides information concerning the consultation process associated with the SEA for the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin. Consultation with the concerned public, relevant institutions and authorities is a standard component of the SEA process. To facilitate a participatory SEA process, initial analysis was carried out by the SEA team in order to identify all potentially relevant stakeholders.

Considering the nature of the concerned strategic document, the Northern Aegean Basin can be regarded as potentially affected by the implementation of the NAP of Northern Aegean Basin.

Table 27: Key Stakeholders in SEA on the Strategy and the Action PlanStakeholder (institution/

representative)Interest/concern Contact person Contact details

MoAF, Department of Agricultural Reform

Responsible for review of the NAP, implementing measures related with NAP

Mr. Ali Kılıç ÖzbekMr. Yusuf Gürbüz

[email protected]@tarimorman.gov.tr

[email protected]

MoEU, Department of EIA

Responsible for carrying out implementation of SEA in Turkey on behalf of Turkish Government

Responsible for ensuring a safe environment. The MoEU develops environmental quality standards, including those for drinking water, surface waters, groundwater and coastal waters.

Ms. Nihan Ş. Hamamcı [email protected]

Ms. Ozge Erdem [email protected]

Ms. Aysun Boşça [email protected]

Mr. Hakan Acar [email protected]

MoAF, DG of Agricultural Research and Policies

Responsible for provision of access to safe food and quality agricultural products & sustainable use of agricultural and ecological sources.

TBD

MoAF, DG of Nature Protection and Wet lands

Responsible for protection of biodiversity, sensitive ecosystems, determination and protection of wetlands

TBD

TUBITAK MAM Responsible for preparation of NAP on behalf of MoAF

Ms. Aslı Suha DönertaşMr. Cihangir Aydöner

[email protected]

[email protected]

Union of Farmers Information dissemination about NAP TBD

NGOsGetting involved in the development of NAP, commenting as necessary, provision of public participation

TBD

AcademiciansProvision of specific feedback on the NAP and basin, hot spots of basin etc.

TBD

Source: Contractor



6. NEXT STEPS

After the completion of scoping report, necessary meeting with stakeholders shall be done to proceed SEA report.

SEA for the NAP includes following steps:

→ Drafting the SEA Report,

→ Regular meeting with MoAF’s team to provide data and discuss about strategic assessment during the preparation of SEA report,

→ Submission of the draft SEA Scoping Report to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation and MoAF for review,

→ Site meeting with relevant stakeholders,

→ Revision of SEA report considering the comments received

→ Submission of the final SEA Scoping Report to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation for approval



7. ANNEXES

ANNEXES

ANNEX I: SUMMARY OF CONSULTATIONS DURING SCOPINGANNEX II: MOMsANNEX III: STATUS OF WATER QUALITY IN THE COASTS OF THE BASINANNEX IV: BIBLIOGRAPHY



ANNEX-I SUMMARY OF CONSULTATIONS DURING SCOPING



ANNEX-II MOMS



ANNEX-III STATUS OF WATER QUALITY IN THE COASTS OF THE BASIN

Quality ClassProvince District Name of Beach 2016 2017 2018 Distance (m)

İzmir

Aliağa Ön Plajlar A A A 1500Aliağa Arka Plajlar A A A 1500Aliağa Yeni Sakran Plajı A A C 1500

Total Coastal Distance of Aliağa 4500Dikili Çandarlı Kale Önü A A A 2000Dikili Bimeyko Tatil Sitesi A A A 1500Dikili Denizköy Halk Plajı A 800Dikili Kalem Adası A A A 200Dikili Deçemko Tatil Köyü A A A 200Dikili Kayra Plajı A A A 400Dikili Yakamoz Plajı A A A 500Dikili Belediye Plajı A A A 500Dikili Mysia Plajı A A A 3000Dikili Ayazma Plajı A A A 100Dikili Salihler Altı Halk Plajı A 4000Dikili Bademli Mahallesi Pissa Koyu Halk Plajı

Total Coastal Distance of Dikili 13200Total Coastal Distance of İzmir 17700

Balık

esir

Ayvalık Uzungöl- Belediye Plajı A A A 300Ayvalık Profosörler Sitesi A A A 250Ayvalık Kumadası- Belediye Plajı A A A 750Ayvalık Tuzla Blentur Plajı Sarımsaklı A A A 500Ayvalık Grand Temizel Otel Önü Plajı A A A 200Ayvalık Oteller Önü Plajı A B A 1000Ayvalık Vilayetler Kampı Önü Plajı A A A 300Ayvalık Badavut Plajı A A A 500Ayvalık Murat Reis Plajı A A A 500Ayvalık Paşa Limanı A A 3Ayvalık Deniz Otel Önü Plajı Alibey Adası A A A 50Ayvalık Doğaköy Ortunç Plajı Alibey Adası A A A 150Ayvalık Cunda Halk Plajı Alibey Adası A A A 200Ayvalık Çataltepe Tatil Sitesi Plajı Alibey Adası A A A 500Ayvalık Haliç Park Otel Önü Plajı A A A 100Ayvalık Ayvalık Belediye Halk Plajı A A A 250Ayvalık İğdeli Plajı A A A 200Ayvalık Şirinkent Tatil Sitesi Plajı A A A 350Ayvalık Düçmen Tatil Sitesi Plajı A A A 340Ayvalık Engürü Tatil Sitesi A A A 377Ayvalık Kuşkent Sitesi Plajı A 500Ayvalık Kapri Plajı A A 3

Total Coastal Distance of Ayvalık 7323Gömeç Kız Çiftliği Travla Plajı A A A 200Gömeç Derkent Sitesi A B A 200Gömeç Intaland Plajı A A A 150Gömeç Güvercin Koyu Plajı A A A 400Gömeç Martı Koyu Plajı A A A 200Gömeç Gemiyatağı Koyu Plajı A A A 200




Gömeç Bünül Karaağaç A A A 200Gömeç Turkuaz Sitesi Plajı A A A 150

Total Coastal Distance of Gömeç 1700Burhaniye İçmeler Plajı A A A 759Burhaniye Bağlarburnu Plajı A A A 1266Burhaniye Yalılar Mutlukent A A A 865Burhaniye Adyar Plajı A A A 1188Burhaniye Ören Artemis Otel Plajı A A A 591Burhaniye Ören Belediye Halk Plajı A A A 1440Burhaniye Club Orient Plajı A A A 834Burhaniye Denetko Sitesi Plajı A A A 1003Burhaniye Orjan Sitesi Plajı A A A 1574Burhaniye Haberkent Sitesi Plajı A A A 776Burhaniye Öğretmenevleri Plajı A A A 660

Total Coastal Distance of Burhaniye 10956Edremit Akçay Resort OtelPlajı A A A 300Edremit Zeytinli Belediye Plajı B A A 300Edremit Etibank Halk Plajı A B A 100Edremit Akçay Belediye Halk Plajı A B A 150Edremit Güneş Pansiyon Önü Plajı A A A 50Edremit Yeni Mahalle Plajı A B A 200Edremit Üçgen Cafe Önü Plajı A B A 200Edremit Melek Hanım Sitesi Önü Plajı A B A 300Edremit Körfez Tatil Sitesi A A A 150Edremit SSK Kampı B A B 150Edremit Heramis Tatil Köyü Plajı B A A 250Edremit Fener Sahil Sitesi Plajı B A A 200Edremit Sir Motel Önü Plajı B A A 150Edremit Afrodit Tatil Köyü Plajı B A A 200Edremit Özdemir Sitesi Önü Plajı A A A 500Edremit Vali Konağı Antandros Plajı A A B 800Edremit Sahin Deresi Yanı Plajı B B A 300Edremit Akçam Otel Önü Plajı A A A 200Edremit Narlı Plajı A A A 150Edremit Altınel Otel Plajı A A A 150Edremit Güven Pansiyon Önü Plajı A B A 300

Total Coastal Distance of Gömeç 5100Total Coastal Distance of Balıkesir 25079

Çana

kkal

e

Ayvacık Akarsu (rena) Önü A A A 1000Ayvacık Gültur Önü A A B 3000Ayvacık Kanara Önü A A A 750Ayvacık Eden Garden Önü A A B 750Ayvacık Teras Motel B A A 3000Ayvacık Assos Albena ve Eden Beach A A B 2000Ayvacık Assos Antik İskele B A A 500Ayvacık Sokak Ağzı Plajı A A A 250Ayvacık Ak Liman Plajı A A A 1500

Total Coastal Distance of Ayvacık 12750Ezine Geyikli Odunluk İskele Plajı A A 800




Ezine Geyikli Yeni İskele Plajı A A A 3000Ezine Yeniköy Papaz Plajı A A A 3000

Total Coastal Distance of Ezine 6800Bozcaada Korukçu VillasBozcaada Ayazma Plajı A A A 2000

Total Coastal Distance of Bozcaada 2000Total Coastal Distance of Çanakkale 21550

Total Basin 64329A: Perfect (high quality water)B: Good (Well quality, swimmable)C: Bad (Beach must not be used)Source: https://yuzme.saglik.gov.tr/


https://yuzme/


ANNEX-IV BIBLOGRAPHY

By-law on Protection of Water Bodies against Nitrate Pollution Generated due to Agricultural Activities, Official Gazette No, 25377, 2004 – amended in 2016 with Official Gazette no 29779.

Determination of Nitrate Sensitive Zones and Preparation of Action Plans - Gediz Basin, MoAF, 2019

Determination of Nitrate Sensitive Zones and Preparation of Action Plans – Northern Aegean Basin, MoAF, 2020

National Water Plan for year 2019-2023, MoAF

National Biodiversity Plan, MoAF, 2018-2028

National Waste Management Action Plan, MoEU, 2016-2023

National River Basin Management Strategy, MoAF, 2014-2023

Scoping Report for Northern Aegean Basin Management Plan, MoAF, 2018

Strategic Plan, MoAF, 2018-2022

Turkey's Climate Change Action Plan (MoEU), 2011-2023

Wastewater Treatment Action Plan, MoEU, 2017-2023




The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Consortium led by Eptisa Mühendislik and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union

Documents

csb.gov.tr · Web viewWhile 9 of these species are endemic, 3 are invasive. The Kaz (Ida) Mountains, which dominate the high regions in the northern part of the basin and its ecosystem,