The general economic state and accordingly falling-off of production continue to influence the state of water supply system’s activity in the region. In 1997 the tendency to decrease sweet water intake volumes from nature sources of water supply system and their use was preserved. Thus, the general intake of water in comparison with 1996 diminished to 11.46 million m³ and made 96.94 million m³ . It is one of the biggest decreasing of water volume during 90-s. However, the decrease in general water use volume took place along with increase in water intake volume for production needs. Thus, water supply volume for production needs increased to 7 million m³ in comparison with 1996 at the expense of enterprises and organization of Khust district, of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod. The water intake volumes were reduced for domestic drinking needs, agricultural needs and irrigation needs.

The general reduce of intake and water use volumes influenced the water-way volumes. Thus, the water-way volume reduced to 3 million m³ and made 64.73 million m³ in comparison with 1996. Accordingly 57.61 million m³ were thrown out to the surface reservoirs of the region which is 0.9 less than in 1996. The discharge of polluted sewage has reduced accordingly to 3 million m³ and volume of normative-purified sewage discharge has increased to 21.8 million m³. But it is early to say about improvement of state of sewage treatment in the region. The state of sewage treatment by sewage purification works of public services and enterprises of the regional populated areas is still unsolved problem. In 1997 the disbalance between treatment works capacities and the number of sewages coming to them is decreased. The decrease took place mainly at the expense of water intake volume reduction but not at the expense of expansion of treatment works capacities. One has to take into consideration that almost all treatment works on the territory of the region require repair for which there are no funds and water intake volume increase in the future that will lead to the increase in volume of polluted sewage discharge.

The state of sewage treatment is still serious problem in the sewage purification works (KOS) of Uzhgorod. From the general volume of polluted sewage which thrown out to the surface reservoirs of the region in 1997, the part of Uzhgorod is made 10.86 million m³ or 85%. Uzhgorod local sewage purification works are twice as overburdened. Measures which were taken by the State board for ecological safety made it possible to avoid accident discharges into the Uzh river. But repeated appeals of the State board for ecological safety to different departments with letters requiring allocation funds for building of the third phase of the sewage purification works (KOS) of Uzhgorod did not give the positive results. The proprietor of the Uzhgorod VUVKG - the local executive committee of Uzhgorod did not take unauthorized measures for solving this problem for the best two years. The building of the sewage purification works (KOS) of Mizhgirya town was not realized because of absence of money. The building or reconstruction of the sewage purification works (KOS) of Tyachiv was also not planned for 1997.

There was no improvement of situation in sewage treatment from the sanatorium - health resort and tourist units of complex and units of overproduction sphere in 1997. Making treatment works of the “Sonyachne Zakarpattya” (“Sunny Zakarpattya”) sanatorium available was failed because of absence of necessary financing. Unsteady work of fruit-tinning factories, imprefection of sewage treatment technologies and obsoleted constructions of treatment works - all these did not give the chance to achieve effective work of treatment works.

Taking into account existing situation and following the decision №5 of the Ministry for Ecological Safety of Ukraine collegium dated 9.04.97 building, reconstruction and expantion of production and housing-social installations were reduced before the buildings of treatment works will be completed in Uzhgorod, Tyachiv, Chop and Mizhgirya and Perechyn towns by decisions of the State chief inspector for environmental protection in Zakarpattya region.

Taking measures in time lead to improvement of work of sewage purification work in Chop. During last years the building was practically not realized because of absence of funds. The building of sewage purification works (KOS) in Chop was continued after a series of sanctions by the State board for ecological safety.

Aerotanks were repaired and work of biofilter was resumed. At the expense of it discharge of not fully purificated flows in the volume of 150000 m³ a year was held up. It is necessary to complete the building of a new complex of sewage purification works (KOS) conducted by Lvov railway to stop the discharge of non-purificated sewage in general in Chop.

Regular control over building of treatment works of 4000 m³ per day capacity in Perechyn town which was established by the State board, repeated appeals to the regional authorities, financial help within their powers gave its own results. At the end of 1997 the sewage purification works of Perechyn town were made available.

The situation with treatment of sewage in Mukachevo is going on to improve. The works by workers of the sewage purification works (KOS), regular control over gradual improvement of technological purification on the State board part made possible the following: on increasing in general volume of sewage discharge in comparison with 1996 to 1.4 million m³ avoid the discharge of not fully purificated and crude sewage into the Latorytsya river. But completing of department building for sludge dewatering is still urgent problem as because from 10 existing sludge beds only one is remained free.

The work was going on for regulation and improvement of payment system for water resources use, for increasing of incoming funds to the local and state budget by means of setting limits for water intake and sewage discharges in permits for special water use. In 1997 108 permits for special water use were issued and 14 projects of GDS ( maximum permissible discharge) were approved, from which there are 7 in the Tysa basin, 1 - in the Uzh basin, 5 - in the Latorytsya basin, 1 - in the Borzhava basin.

Zero limit of water intake was set in the enterprises which made special water use without necessary permit. Consolidated information was given to the taxation administration of the region and districts for control over payments for water resources use. Such information was given in addition to the interdistrict Nature Protective Public Prosecutor’s Office.

With the purpose of working out of the regional program for water supply sewarage system development in 1997, the present state of existing sewarage systems and effectiveness of their work was estimated.

The information and proposals of the State board for ecological safety were reported to the regional board of housing-municipal services.