The Balaton Integration and Development Agency, a working organisation of the Balaton Development Council, together with the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), organised the 19th World Lake Conference on "Beyond the Lakes: linking science, culture and governance for sustainable use of lakes" in Balatonfüred, Hungary, from 7-9 November 2023.
The World Lake Conference is a globally recognised event where scientific and socio-economic issues related to the management and sustainability of lakes and their catchments are widely discussed. The conference aims to present the latest scientific research findings in a practical and easy-to-understand way to lake professionals, policymakers, regional decision-makers and civil society. The conference will go beyond the strictly pond management issues.
Participants also drew attention to the fact that lakes are bodies of water and ecosystems. Aquatic, riparian and terrestrial ecosystems are equally important. The catchment areas of lakes are at the heart of the ecosystem goods and services that are vital to humanity and catchment management goes beyond lake management, as particular attention needs to be paid to balancing conservation objectives with sectoral and natural use/integration objectives.
Our presentation focusing on the cleaning of precipitation falling on paved surfaces, given by Péter Dózsa, Managing Director of Pureco IDEA Kft., fitted very well into this concept.
The presentation highlighted what is the rapid and easy way to ensure that rainwater falling on roads is properly treated in compliance with standards and limits. The equipment is a sludge and oil separation technology that can be installed in open surface watercourses and drainage ditches. Innovative and cost-effective systems can be built that can be operated efficiently over the long term.
Installed in trenches along linear installations (motorways, airports, railway tracks), even within municipalities, the equipment protects receiving watercourses, groundwater and the geological medium from pollution washed off by stormwater run-off from the surface. Innovative, cost-effective, and long-lasting, it is quick and easy to install and can be efficiently operated, maintained, and cleaned afterwards.
