THE FRESHWATER ATLAS OF HUNGARY

Introduction

The Freshwater Atlas of Hungary was produced by the end of 1989 at the Cartographic Institute of the Eötvös Loránd University, with financial support from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Water Resources. It was published in 1990 with explanatory texts and tabular data.
The data inventoried and processed in the atlas were placed at the disposal of the Cartographic Institute by the Institute for Environmental Management.
Public water supply takes place in Hungary for over 90 % from subterranean water reservoirs. The important role of the subterranean water reservoirs for the present and long term public water supply necessitates research cent and development of these natural sources.
The atlas and the water basis cadastre file belonging to it contribute to this development in a number of ways. The atlas presents both the water reservoirs with long term regional importance, the degree to which these have been researched, the depleted and potential local water reservoirs, all public reservoirs that have been developed on subterranean water bases and the more important water-intake points for manufacturing industry and agriculture. The maps in the atlas contain the most important information about the protection of water quality and the location of the present water protection and nature conservation areas.

Cartographic aspects

The maps of the Freshwater Atlas of Hungary are derived from the base map 1:150 000 of Hungary, which is assessable to the general public. The country is represented in the atlas on 18 map sheets, each with a format of 547 x 695 mm. An overview map on the first page of the atlas explains the nomenclature used and shows the location of the various map sheets (as can be seen on the coloured example taken from the atlas, opposite p. 42). On the individual maps the following indices are presented: nomenclature, location of the map sheet, scale and publisher's notes.

Because of the map sheet line system selected, the functional areas of the various regional offices for environmental protection and water resources, or those of individual water- and sewerage works could be covered with relatively few map sheets.
The base map shows the intersections of the 10 km grid lines. These intersections also represent the corner points of the elements of the hydro-geological model of Hungary. Within the 10 x 10 km grid cells water resources data are presented with an accuracy of 100 m (the data are drawn on the map adjusted to their environment; the relative location of the map elements is topologically correct).

The base map has been printed in 4 colours:

grey	All settlements and settlement names.
	The transportation infrastructure (all numbered highways, and the more important feeder roads and country roads.
light blue	Hydrography (grouped according to the multi-annual average flow of the watercourses).
lilac	Administrative boundaries. The map shows the situation of the administrative boundaries in January 1988 (and no longer represents the abolished county boundaries of the former system).
grey-green	Relief representation, forests and spate protection dams.

The shapes of the symbols as used in the base maps of the atlas conform to the design principles of symbols in the Hungarian topographic maps.

Thematic contents

The information on water management is classed on the map sheets of the atlas in the following categories, according to their contents:

• long term water bases of regional importance
• public water intake locations
• other water intake locations
• water quality protection areas
• nature conservation

Those areas of Hungary belong to the long term water bases of regional importance that prove to have favourable characteristics for water-output. Conditional on their extent the consist generally of a number of water bases with different degrees of exploitation and different uses. The designation "regional importance indicates that they not only assure the stocks for a long term supply of the settlement of the area concerned from the productive water reservoirs, but also for a supply of other areas with a drinking water shortage. The designation "long term indicates that water bases are meant that play a key role in the long term water supply of certain areas of Hungary, regardless of the present degree of exploitation of the potential water stocks.

The long term water bases of regional importance have been subdivided into four categories, depending on the degree of knowledge available about them:

• There are only few data available on the waterbases of the "forecasted" category. The analytical evaluation of the relevant water bases either has not been carried out yet o r had not been updated et from its evaluation more than ten years ago.
• Regional data on the water output and capacity of the water bases in the "studied" category have been researched and evaluated according to standardized criteria, within the last ten years. The exploitation is generally based on measurement and observation data collected by the local water authorities in charge. On the basis of an evaluation of these data research plans are drawn up for fixing the suitable locations for the construction of local water bases.
• Knowledge about water bases in the "researched" category stems from the results of executing the research plans, or from the data collected during the exploitation of already existing small local water bases. The data available enables one to forecast the productivity of the overall water base, by building a uniform hydrogeological model.
• The "known" category accommodates the water bases already functioning. Before extension systematic research activities are carried out, and the exploitation of the water basis is being checked by an extensive monitoring system. This monitoring system is set up for checking the boundaries of the real time and computed maximum capacities and the water table decline.

Differentiating local water bases within the long term water bases of regional importance necessitates no special explanation.
The explanatory text in the atlas and the 190 pages with tabular data contain the names and numbers of the 40 regional water bases of Hungary (local water bases included). It is here also that the categorization according to the amount of knowledge about the water bases and that according to the characteristic water types of individual stocks are explained.

Public water intake locations

The public water intake locations for the use of subterranean water reservoirs (either already operating or under construction) of the municipal water works, of those of the counties and regions of Hungary together constitute the bulk of the thematic contents of the atlas.

Both the grouped and the individual water intake locations have beech indicated on the maps.
As supplementary information the maps contain, next to the symbols for grouped water intake locations, also the code numbers of the productive wells, or the wells for the monitoring system. This makes it possible to retrieve on the map the detailed data on individual wells.
The areas served by water works and the water raising areas of mines have been indicated on the maps individually.
(The intake of water from the Karst areas in Transdanubia has led recently to violent discussions between environmental protectors and the manufacturing industry lobby.

Other water intake locations

As an additional element, the present work contains indications of other water intake locations approved by the water board, for agricultural and industrial purposes, if they have a capacity of more than 500 m3/d. The map sheets also show those areas irrigated with subterranean water (the relevant data have not been made available by the users but by those water boards in charge, that permitted these water intakes.

Water quality protection areas

Within this theme those areas are grouped that are subject to special water quality protection, hydrogeological preserves, and subterranean water intake locations with a vulnerable environment.
Within the category of areas subject to special water quality protection a differentiation between subterranean water bases of the reservoirs in gritty, carbonate and karst formations is made. Definition and determination of these areas was made on the basis of the Water Management Board Act, dating from 1984, relating to the effluent water fines and areas with special water protection.

Only those areas were indicated as hydrogeological preserves that were designated as such in 1987.
About 420 drinking water bases, that is 65% of the public capacity of Hungary, are drinking water intake locations within a vulnerable geological environment. For their protection a state project was completed in 1985. Within the framework of the project for the protection of the water bases the regional water management boards have defined the 50 areas subjected to special protective measures as well as the areas of the 6 endangered water bases (these have been emphasized in the atlas by underlining the code numbers of the water bases).

Nature conservation

This theme only marginally belongs to the thematic contents of this atlas, and incorporation of this part therefore necessitates an explanation. The protection from the influences of environmental degradation of those areas that need a special protection in the interest of the preservation of the human environment, the landscape and the cultural-historical keepsakes, also serves the protection of the drinking water basis. An important instrument for that purpose is the official designation of an area as nature conservation area, by which measure the natural environmental conditions will be preserved. The total surface of the nature conservation areas in Hungary amounts to 550 000 ha, that is about 6% of the surface area of the whole country. On the map sheets of the atlas 4 national parks, 38 landscape protection areas and 114 nature conservation areas have been indicated.

The tabular part of the atlas contains about 200 000 records, that have been analysed by the editorial team for the maps.
The tables on the first 43 pages contain data on the public, industrial and agricultural water intake and on the irrigated areas. The tables on the following 122 pages contain the more important data on the productive and monitor wells of the water intake locations (number of the well on the map, type of well, local name of the well, cadastral number, ground depth of the well and length over which the water is filtered. The next 24 pages contain the code numbers of the local water management boards and of the counties in charge, a settlement and name index of the water bases used by public water works, by manufacturing industry, agriculture and for areal irrigation.

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