Educating and raising public awareness about floods with uniformed high-water marks

In the last ten years, the Slovenian Environment Agency, in cooperation with the Association of Slovenian Geographers and Ministries, has implemented an action: placing high-water marks on flooded areas near rivers, lakes, and the sea. The action aims to educate and inform the inhabitants about the natural phenomenon of high waters, improve their knowledge of the regular impoundments of karstic poljes, flooded areas near rivers, lakes, and sea, and raise awareness that, more or less frequently, the water needs its natural extended space —floodplains. The placement of high-water marks on flooded sites links various activities of public institutions, organizations, and local communities to manage water resources and improve flood safety responsibly. Besides the official institutions, local stakeholders are also included in the action because their role is crucial in the bottom-up approach.  The local population, schools, local government, and real estate owners are the first whose involvement in the action is needed for their knowledge of the water level situation during floods in the areas. Physical markings as a lasting reminder in space are a part of the process of raising awareness and educating about high waters. Visible and uniformed high-water marks on the field raise awareness of the locals and visitors. Informing, educating, and raising public awareness about water, are of great importance for the preparation of long-term and sustainable River basin management plans, and for Spatial plans on a regional level. Until now more than 70. high water marks were placed in Slovenia. All installed marks are also displayed online. The activity is well-recognized in Slovenia, and abroad. Uniformed marks were already placed in the partnership with countries in the Sava River Basin, on the Mura River in cooperation with Austria, and well accepted in the working groups of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), as well as in the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Regional Strategy (EUSAIR).