The Sava River Basin is a major drainage basin of the South Eastern Europe covering the total area of

approximately 97,713.20 km2 (Figure I-2). Geographically, it spreads between 13.67 ºE and 20.58 ºE
longitude and between 42.43 ºN and 46.52 ºN latitude, and represents one of the most significant
subbasins of the Danube River Basin, with the share of 12 %.

The basin area is shared between five countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro
and Serbia, while a negligible part of the basin area also extends to Albania

The middle and lower part of the Sava River drainage area is characterized by flat plains and low
mountains. This area is part of Pannonian Plain, a low-lying, fertile, agricultural region.
For an overview of the land cover/land use in the Sava River Basin, the EEA Corine database for Europe
was used, and prepared for the entire area of the Sava RB, as shown in Figure I-6 and in Table I-3.
The Sava River Basin is of important significance due to its outstanding biological and landscape
diversity. It hosts the largest complex of alluvial wetlands and large lowlands forest complexes. Some of
these floodplains are still intact and support flood alleviation and biodiversity. Wetlands are cradles of
biological diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which countless species of plants
and animals depend on survival. They support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. Wetlands are also important storehouses of plant genetic
material.
These functions, values and attributes can only be maintained if the ecological processes of wetlands are
allowed to continue functioning. Unfortunately, and in spite of important progress made in recent
decades, wetlands continue to be among the most threatened ecosystems, owing mainly to ongoing
drainage, conversion, pollution, and over-exploitation of their resources.

Along the Sava River bed, there are dikes for protection against Sava River flood waters in total length of
175 km, i.e. ca. 52.7 % of the total river course length, since the most fertile agricultural RS and FB&H
land is situated in this area.
Beside this, almost along the entire Sava River course and along its main tributary mouths, there are
significant flood protection systems against external (upland) and inland waters, whose total area in direct
Sava River Basin is ca. 109,000 km2, and in entire Sava River Basin it is ca. 133,000 km 2. Flood
protection system against inland and external waters are made of: dikes for defense against river flood
waters, canal network and drainage systems for protection against external and inland waters and systems
of 23 pump stations for pumping the external and inland waters out to the Sava River. Total capacity of
pump stations for flood protection is 135.25 m3/s.

For collection of the external (upland drainage waters) and for collection of the own (inland) waters in
zone of protected area, there was canal network constructed, 74.18 km long. Main protection is provided
by main boundary canals: Upper boundary canal 8.7 km long, Hatinovac canal 2.57 km long, Lower
boundary canal 12.5 km long with network of secondary canals 34.64 km long, Stara Rakovica canal 5.54
km long, with network of secondary canals 4.45 km long and Virovska canal 4.01 km long with network
of secondary canals in total length of 2.71 km.

Constructed flood protection systems along the Sava River in RS-B&H and FB&H consist of Sava River
dikes and dikes along the Sava River tributaries in lower (flood prone) part of the course. Flood zones
were formed in polders, so called „kasete” which are independently protected against floods.
Protection against external upland waters and inland waters is provided by 19 pump stations in total
capacity of 136.4 m3/s. Total length of the Sava River dikes is 202.85 km.
For collection of external (upland drainage) waters, a system of main boundary canals was constructed, in
total length of 223.24 km. For collection of inland waters in zone of the Sava River protected area, a main
canal network has been constructed, in length of 230.2 km in total.
Total protected area in Sava River system covers 919.9 km 2.

Amelioration drainage systems are constructed for the purpose of rapid and efficient drainage of excess
water
from agricultural and other lowland areas. The prerequisite for their construction is previous protection of
amelioration areas from the floods of external waters.
The total amelioration area of the Sava River Basin is identified as a lowland and gently rolling area
below the
top topographic limit of 200 meters above sea level. Its total area is 955,334 hectares, which accounts for
around
42 % of the total basin area on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The area can be divided into 22
natural,
traditional or design units defined by the constructed structures of watercourse regulation and flood
protection
systems (Figure Ap2-5).
Amelioration drainage systems are fully or partially constructed on 348,363 hectares, on 74,919 hectares
of
which land drainage and regulation are covered by a combined drainage method (surface drainage +
underground drainage + agricultural engineering measures). An impressive scope of the constructed
structures
and amelioration works carried out, particularly intensive in the 1980-ies e.g. a network of main first- and

second-category amelioration structures in the length of around 1,696 km – does not have a proper impact
on
agricultural production within the area and in general on the drainage of the area. The reason for this is, in
addition to certain uncompleted systems, poor condition of the constructed structures, which is the result
of
insufficient funds required for the regular maintenance of the structures, i.e. unresolved land use structure
within
the constructed systems. In order to improve the efficiency of these systems, a program of clearly
required
construction measures by which the functionality of basic amelioration structures would be increased by
the
year 2015 has been prepared. Under that program, Hrvatske vode would have to invest HRK 116 million
in the
rehabilitation of amelioration watercourses and canals of first and second category, reconstruction

Drainage water from dense channel network is discharged into the

Sava River by gravity or pumping.

Significant and organized efforts on reclamation of large wetlands along the Sava River started in 18 th and
19th centuries, simultaneously with flood protection works. After the erection of the Iron Gate Dam,
riverine areas were protected from the adverse effects of high groundwater levels by suitable structures
and systems (i.e. reconstructed old and newly built drainage systems, drainage wells, pumping stations).
Presently, the most dense drainage network is built in the area of Srem: „Galovica” system in Lower
Srem covers 194,341 ha, while two separate systems in Upper Srem cover 159,000 ha. These systems are
characterized by very long main channels, which have a dual function (drainage and transport of surface
waters from the Fruška Gora mountain).
On the right side of the Sava River, drainage is needed in the lowlands of Maĉva (and further upstream
along the Drina River to Loznica) and in the Kolubara River Basin. Numerous small rivers are collecting
drainage water from channel network, while the Cer peripheral channel transports it to the Sava River.
Present drainage conditions within the Sava River Basin are presented in Table Ap3-2,
Sediment quality monitoring in the Sava Basin is conducted by Croatian Waters on seven locations as
part of the general plan for water quality monitoring (according to WFD requirements). The chemical
analysis of sediments includes total nitrogen, total phosphorus, cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury, mineral
oil, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, alachlor, triazine pesticides,
pentachlorobenzene. As there is no standards for the assessment of the sediment quality, the content of
substances are compared between different streams. Besides the regular monitoring, periodic chemical
analysis are performed by different institutions on a project-to-project basis.

Soil erosion surveys are currently non-existent in Croatia. The soil erosion potential is presented in the
Water Management Strategy by Croatian Waters (2009). Figure 22 shows that out of six categories of
soil erosion potential, the Sava River Basin in Croatia has low erosion potential on 20% of the area and
moderate potential on 40% of the area which comprise the lowland continental parts (green). The
middle erosion potential is founded on 20% of the area for the hilly parts of the basin.

Reservoir sedimentation measurements have been performed on a reservoir upstream of the Novska
lake in order to control intake of sediment load into the lake.

Active locations of suspended sediment measurements on the Sava River in Croatia