45 participants gathered in the Bulgarian town of Gorna Oryahovitsa for the second IDES stakeholders workshop. The theme of the debate was the improvement of water quality in the Yantra River Basin.

Local and regional authorities demonstrated high interest in the debates, held on on June 8, 2022, but institutions from other sectors were also well represented: the Danube River Basin Directorate, agriculture companies and authorities, water and sewage organisations, NGOs, academia. 

As different measures and pressures were debated, a hybrid scenario was approved (a mix of green and grey measures) - construction or upgrades of wastewater treatment plants and restoration of longitudinal connectivity.

As the largest contaminants of the water on the Yantra River are in flows of wastewater without treatment and as there is a biological treatment station removing nitrogen and phosphorus working at half capacity this could prove to be one of the solutions for raising water quality.

The use of flood-prone agricultural areas to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus instead of dykes building and river corrections is not yet applicable as there is no damage compensation rule.
For protection from floods and droughts, the construction of small retention volumes is recommended. Such a practice is not yet applied in the country, but is well known in other Danube countries.

Another opportunity identified in the workshop is the potential of partly re-connecting the riverbed of Rositsa River. 60-70 years ago corrections were applied to the Rositsa River and the old riverbeds were turned into fish ponds (currently dried out). Local authorities proposed that part of the waters of the Rositsa River be permanently returned to the old riverbed. The aim is to partially restore balance downstream by reviving the meanders and their natural variety.