According to Section 24 of Act No. 254/2001 Sb. on Water, as amended, the Plan of main river basins of the Czech Republic is a strategic planning document in the field of water determining the framework objectives for managing surface water and ground water, protection and improvement of the condition of surface water and ground water and aquatic ecosystems, based on the objectives of the water protection according to Section 23a (1) of the Act, sustainable use of the water, protection against adverse effects of water and improvement of water conditions and protection of the ecological stability of the country. The Plan of main river basins of the Czech Republic includes framework measure programmes to enforce the public interests which are binding on the preparation of the river basin district plans, including resources and their funding. The Plan of main river basins of the Czech Republic must be in compliance with the international agreements which the Czech Republic is committed to.

The Plan of main river basins of the Czech Republic represents the main framework of the uniform policy of the Czech Republic in the field of water going beyond the measures of departmental policies of the central water authorities and it determines possibilities of areas in the field of water for coordination with other intensions within the zoning policy.

The Plan of main river basins of the Czech Republic is developed by the Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and other central water authorities and regional authorities for 3 main river basins in the Czech Republic, being the Elbe river basin (it flows into the North Sea), the Moravia river basin, including other river basins of the Danube tributaries (it flows into the Black Sea) and the Odra river basin district (it flows into the Baltic Sea), which are national parts of the international river basins of the Elbe, Danube and Odra.

According to Section 25 of Act No. 254/2001 Sb. on Water, as amended, the Odra river basin district plan sets out specific objectives for the Odra river basin district, on the basis of the framework objectives and framework measure programmes of the Plan of the main river basins of the Czech Republic, the needs and identified conditions of the surface and ground water, the needs of using the water in the relevant locality, including the measure programmes which are necessary to achieve the specific objectives.

The Odra river basin district plan is developed by the Povodí Odry, státní podnik, in cooperation with the regional authorities of cooperation with the regional offices of the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions and in cooperation with the central water authorities.

The Odra river basin district plan is developed in three stages:

a) preparatory work which must contain:

1. time schedule and programme of work for the development of the river basin district plan which must be published and made accessible to the users of water for comments no later than 3 years before the start of the period related to the river basin plan,
2. analyses of general and water management characteristics of the river basin district, evaluation of the impacts of human activities on the condition of surface water and ground water, economic analyses of water use, and based on this a preliminary overview of significant waste handling problems detected in the river basin district, including determination of strongly affected water bodies and proposals for special objectives of water protection, no later than 2 years before the start of the period related to the river basin district plan,

b) proposal for the river basin district plan which must be developed, published and made accessible to the users of water for comments no later than 1 year before the start of the period related to the river basin district plan,

c) final draft river basin district plan.

The preparation of each stage of the river basin district plan is discussed with other river authorities, regional authorities responsible for the individual main river basins of the Czech Republic, administrative bodies responsible for zoning and the Czech Environmental Inspectorate. The river basin district plans are subject to the environmental impact assessment under special legal regulations.

The stages of preparing the river basin district plans are approved by the regional authorities (as well as the final draft) following a positive statement by central water authorities and the central administrative body responsible for zoning. Binding parts of the plan for the administrative district of the region are issued by the regional council via a directive issued for the water authorities and prescribing their decision-making, issuing of statements and implementation of measures under the Water Act.

The Plan of the main river basins of the Czech Republic and the river basin district plans including applicable measure programmes serve as supporting documents for the execution of state administration, above all with respect to zoning, zoning decision-making, permitting of constructions, and environmental objectives in the field of water. The objectives are as follows:

a) for surface water

1. prevention from deterioration of the condition of all surface water bodies
2. protection, improvement of the condition and renewal of all surface water bodies in order to achieve a good condition of surface water
3. protection and improvement of the condition of all artificial and strongly affected water bodies in order to achieve a good ecological potential and good chemical conditions of surface water
4. targeted reduction in pollution caused by hazardous substances and limitation or gradual removal of emissions, discharges and escapes of especially hazardous substances

b) for ground water

1. limitation or restriction of the escape of pollutants to ground water and prevention from deterioration of the condition of all ground water bodies
2. protection and improvement of the condition of all ground water bodies and provision of a balanced condition between ground water abstraction and its replenishing in order to achieve a good condition of ground water
3. prevention from any significant and lasting rising trend of pollutants concentrations as a result of the impacts of human activities in order to ensure efficient reduction in ground water pollution

c) provision of compliance with the objectives identified for surface and ground water in the area defined under provisions of Section 28, 30 - 35 of the Water Act as especially protected areas and areas under the NATURA 2000 sites (Act No. 114/1992 Sb., as amended)