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Brisbane, 27 September 2010. The US Charles River Watershed Association was awarded the Thiess International Riverprize 2011 for excellence in river management. The award was presented in Brisbane, Australia, on September 27. The $350,000 (approximately 250,000 EUR) award is divided between the winner and finalists, and is the most prestigious river prize in the world.

Bratislava, 13 September 2011. German children have won the „International Danube Art Master 2011“ competition, as the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) announced today.

Astana, 21 September 2011. The Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference is scheduled to take place in Astana (Kazakhstan) from 21 to 23 September 2011. The Conference is being prepared in accordance with the provisions of Reform Plan of the “Environment for Europe” process.

Danube Delta, 26 September 2011. A detailed analysis and assessment of the Danube Delta will be held within the project "Joint environmental monitoring, assessment and exchange of information for integrated management of the Danube delta region" from 26 September until l 7 October 2011.

The Secretariat of the ICPDR is located at the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). A team of approximately 10 staff members support the work of the ICPDR and its expert & task groups, assist with project development and implementation, and maintains the ICPDR's 'DANUBIS' information system.

The ICPDR comprises 15 Contracting Parties who have committed themselves to implement the Danube River Protection Convention.

The final goals are to co-operate on fundamental water management issues and to take all appropriate legal, administrative and technical measures to maintain and improve the quality of the Danube River and its environment.

Accidental pollution in the Danube River Basin can cause widespread damage to the environment, and endanger the health of local people and the state of local economies downstream. This was exemplified by the effects of the Baia Mare cyanide spill in Romania in 2000 or by the Hungarian redsludge accident at Ajka in 2010. The ICPDR is working to prevent accidental pollution and to improve response capability by compiling an inventory of all relevant "Accident Risk Spots".

Organic pollution has been on the rise in the Danube over the last century, as human activities have resulted in increasing loads of wastewater rich in organic matter. The most serious organic pollution problems occur in tributaries that regularly receive untreated or inadequately treated wastewater from industrial plants and municipalities. Thanks to the significant improvement of wastewater infrastructure and services in the Danube countries, the basin-wide organic emissions reduced by 60% since the mid 2000s.

Hazardous substances can remain in the environment for a very long time, and harm ecosystems and human health. Although monitoring indicates that the loads of some substances have been reduced in recent years, many problems still persist. The increasing number of these man-made substances present in the environment is a matter of concern, and calls for the application of the precautionary principle.