Today, as never before, the issue of environmental protection is becoming relevant and vital. As the heroine of one famous comedy film said, "a person needs to be protected from a person." Nature also needs protection from the results of human activities. Water occupies a special place among natural resources.
Water bodies under special protection
Water is the basis of human life, nourishes the earth, plants, fruits and seeds; without it, no life on Earth is unthinkable. That is why water resources and objects are taken under state protection, and special regulatory regulation has been established for them.
All sources and objects of water supply, water supply are subject to protection . The security zone is provided as one of the guarantees of clean surface and groundwater. The purpose of state protection in this area is not only the prevention of pollution of water sources, but also the preservation of purity, natural chemical composition of water, ensuring the safety of domestic and industrial water consumption.
Special legislation
The law provides for the protection of water resources at all levels, starting with the Water Code, the relevant law on drinking water, and ending with by-laws and regulations: Rules for the use of plumbing and sewer systems in settlements, the State Urban Planning Standards of 1992 and other executive acts.
A special normative act in this area is the Sanitary Norms and Rules "Sanitary Protection Zones for Water Supply and Water Supply Systems. SanPiN 2.1.4.1110-02", approved by the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation on February 26, 2002.
Protection of water bodies is inextricably linked with land relations, because water resources are inseparable from soil and soils of various depths. The water supply system, the protective zone of which passes through the land plot, becomes its integral part: this relationship with the land is the basis for the qualification of unlawful acts in this area and the appointment of a measure of responsibility.
The Basic Law also provides for a citizen's right to a safe environment, which the state must guarantee.
What are water and sewage protection zones
Each structure must be pre-designed. When constructing sketches of any objects - pipelines, sewage treatment plants, buildings, residential buildings and other structures - a water supply protection zone is necessarily provided. How many meters it makes up depends on the quality of the soil. The security zone is a normatively established distance from the water body to the nearest structure and is designed to provide sanitary and epidemiological reliability of water pipelines.
The project of sanitary protection zones is coordinated with the sanitary and epidemiological service and includes:
- demarcation of zones of the sanitary zone;
- list of engineering measures to improve the territory;
- Description of the special regime in each lane.
In protected areas, it is forbidden to store materials, install equipment, build any structures, including temporary ones: any such action can not only contaminate water bodies, but also create an additional load on the pipelines. Such unauthorized structures impede the free access of operating organizations that are obliged to eliminate accidents on networks and repair water supply.
The security zone involves the restriction of any economic activity, including construction: the placement of structures in violation of sanitary zone designs is prohibited.
The protection zone of the SNiP water supply system has been established - by sanitary norms and rules.
Health Guard Belts
The entire security zone of the object is divided into several bands:
- The first lane of the strict regime is a circle, including water intake and the site of waterworks. You can’t discharge wastewater, bathe, graze cattle, fish, equip piers, place buildings, apply any fertilizers, lay pipelines, or extract minerals here.
- The second and third zones of restriction and observation are the territory designated for the protection of water bodies and water sources. In the second zone, it is not allowed to place fuel and lubricants warehouses, fertilizers and other dangerous objects that pose a threat of chemical pollution of water; you cannot plow land, drain swamps, contaminate land with waste.
- In the third zone, it is also forbidden to store solid waste, develop subsoil, and dispose of waste water that does not comply with sanitary norms and rules.
What is the width of the water protection zone?
If the water supply passes through undeveloped territories, then the width of the protective strip depends on the quality of the soil and the diameter of the pipeline:
- in dry soils - 10 m with a diameter of up to 1000 mm and 20 m with large pipe sizes;
- in wet soils - at least 50 m.
Water supply, the protective zone of which runs in the development sectors, may carry additional environmental and production burdens. The water protection zone in the development areas may be reduced by agreement with the SES authorities.
The mandatory minimum is established by law, which cannot be reduced under any circumstances:
- from the foundation of buildings and structures - at least 5 m;
- from the foundations of fences, overpasses, supports - at least 3 m;
- from the side stone of the street - at least 2 m;
- from the supports of overhead power lines - from 1 to 3 m, depending on the power of the network.
Thus, the security zones of the water supply and sewage systems vary in width depending on external factors.
Responsibility for violation of protected areas
Various sanctions are provided for the placement of buildings, objects, materials in water protection zones:
- material - in the form of compensation for damage caused by unauthorized construction, storage of materials, objects, garbage closer than 5 m to the axis of the water supply;
- administrative - in the form of a fine for violation of building codes during the construction, including for the construction of facilities without an approved project or in violation of protected areas;
- criminal - in the form of imprisonment for self-seizure of a land plot located in the sanitary protection zones.
Security zones are a guarantee of protection of water from pollution. Their observance is mandatory for all participants in public and economic relations, not only public but also private.