Hydraulic Aspects of Cross-Border Cooperation in River Restoration Project

Presented project was elaborated in frame of the INTERREG IIIA Initiative between the Hungarian and Slovak Republic. It was concentrated on the region among the Latorica River from the North, the Tisa River from the South, Bodrog River from the West and the Slovak-Ukraine border from the East (Fig. 1). The confluence point of the Tisa and Bodrog rivers is the famous Tokaj town. The initiative came out from the Water Board enterprises in both countries - in Hungary as well as in Slovakia. The main reason for the project proposal was that in this region five flowing rivers were "alive" in this region fifty years ago. Except of the above mentioned Latorica, Bodrog and Tisa rivers there were another two rivers - Tice and Krcava - which were due to water management measures in the years 1946-64 more or less dried out. The reason for that is very simple - it was the construction of protection dykes on the Latorica and Tisa rivers and the consequent groundwater level decrease in the region between these two rivers due to decreased recharge of groundwater from surface flows. The goal of the project is the feasibility study of possibilities and design of possible technical measures for revitalisation of Tice and Krcava rivers. Due to research work the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Water Research Institute as well as Institute of Hydrology of Academy of Sciences has been involved into the project. After several discussions and consultations Ekovizig (North-Eastern Direction on Water and Environmental Issues in the River Basin in Miskolc) as the principal project proposer has been established - on the Hungarian side and the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava on the other side.