Water management is one of the main topics of the 21st century, since the amount of water resources is decreasing rapidly because of increased consumption, and above all, quality of those resources is compromised. The areas of Pomurje, Spodnje Podravje and Medžimurje are connected by many common geographical, cultural, developmental and environmental characteristics, and above all by their geographical position between the river basins of the Mura and Drava rivers. In order to achieve a sufficient level of sustainable demographic and economic development of the border area, it is necessary, among other things, to ensure adequate shared sustainable water resources management, in particular adequate waste water collection and treatment and protection of the water resources in the area. Groundwater and surface water pollution is mainly due to diffuse pollution sources from intensive farming and dispersed urbanization, typical for the whole cross-border project area.

In particular, the project addresses four identified sets of problems in the cross-border area as well as beyond:

• Addressing municipal waste water in dispersed settlements.
• Water pollution due to intensive farming and the problem of providing sufficient quantities of water.
• Lack of transfer of knowledge and good application models of conservation use.
• Insufficient information and awareness among population, public sector and economy about the importance and potential of sustainable water management.

The project target groups are:

• Local communities, rural frontier-zone residents, farmers, landowners, utility companies, non-governmental organizations (sustainable development, tourism, ecological unions, etc.).
• Representatives of the target groups from the area will gain direct experience with sustainable approaches in the field of waste water discharge and treatment, safeguard water resources and reduction of pollution from agriculture in rural area, and identification of their own opportunities for development towards sustainable development approaches.

The project is co-financed under the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Slovenia-Croatia, Operational Programme Slovenia-Croatia 2007-2013.