In December 2000, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) – Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council came into force. This directive introduced a transnational approach to water protection and significantly strengthened the environmental aspect of their protection throughout the European Union.

This resulted in the obligation for the Slovak Republic to incorporate these requirements into national legislation and precisely define groundwater bodies.

Levels of groundwater definition in Slovakia

The Slovak Republic divided groundwater bodies into three categories:

  1. Quaternary groundwater bodies

  2. Pre-Quaternary groundwater formations

  3. Geothermal groundwater formations

ℹ️ The delineation and monitoring of geothermal formations is provided by the Dionyz Štúr State Geological Institute (ŠGÚDŠ). Detailed characteristics of these specific bodies can be found directly in this application.

National legislation

The updated list and status of groundwater bodies is subject to the following legal regulations:

  • Regulation of the Government of the Slovak Republic No. 452/2019 Coll. (effective from 1 January 2020), amending and supplementing the original Regulation on Threshold Values.

  • Regulation of the Government of the Slovak Republic No. 282/2010 Coll. – in Annex No. 2 (Part C – Geothermal water bodies) you will find a complete list of bodies including their identification codes, names, relevant catchments and exact area in km2.

References and sources

  • Kullman, E., Malík, P., Patschová, A., Bodiš, D., 2005: Definition of groundwater bodies in Slovakia under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. Groundwater XI/2005 No. 1, Slovak Association of Hydrogeologists, Bratislava, pp. 5-18.

  • Marcin, D., Benková, K., Fričovský, B., Bodiš, D., Bottlik, F., Kordík, J., Stríček, I. 2020: Assessment of the status of geothermal groundwater bodies in the territory of the Slovak Republic. Geological study. Dionýz Štúr State Geological Institute, Bratislava. 295 pp., 22 appendices.

Useful link:

👉 [ Complete geological study ]

📅 About the application

Application launch: 08/2022

Expert Advisor:

  • RNDr. Daniel Marcin, PhD.

  • 📞 Tel.: 02/593 75 337

  • 📧 E-mail: daniel.marcin[at]geology.sk