Support came from the European Union under the environmental program LIFE. In 2003, the Association of Industry and Nature Protection (APOP) that groups together 23 outstanding companies in Bratislava received a grant to implement the project “Revitalization of Water Conditions in NNR Sur”. APOP succeeded in attracting the following partners: the Slovak Water Management Enterprise, Slovak Land Fund, Administration of Nature Protection Area Male Karpaty, and the municipality of Svaty Jur. The partners invested 3.8 million Sk (Slovak crowns; about 130,000 EUR) from their own sources, to add to the 11.4 million Sk (about 380,000 EUR) grant from the LIFE Nature 2003 program. The main objective of the project is to restore the water regime in the reserve and to achieve the appropriate status of the scarce wetland communities of alder swamp forests. The project period is 2003 – 2007. The destroyed and obsolete water facilities were reconstructed. The Fanglovsky creek supports the intake of water to the reserve. The Fofovsky creek passes the reserve. This creek was cleaned up and, an embankment was constructed at its end in order to trap the water in the reserve. It was also important to construct outlets on the Chlebnicky canal and to increase the dyke on Cierna Voda stream to avoid the drying up of turf-land in the reserve. In addition, the former “stukovod” (pike-canal) was reconstructed in order to hold the water in the meadows. At the same time, the facility allows the release of water in the high level period thus avoiding the deterioration of the surrounding land.
The technical design and layouts of water management facilities was developed by the Slovak Water Management Enterprise. The technical study the Restoration of the water regime in the Sur NNR was prepared in 2003 – 2004. The technical measures are an essential factor to preserve animal species and vegetation that are bound to the wetlands. Technical measures were proposed to supply the area with water. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) Study was developed to assess alternatives for intake and release of water. Impacts on individual compartments of the environment were quantified, including impacts on fauna, flora and biotopes.
An important part of the study deals with the impact on ground water and soils. The results showed that the implementation of the project will have a positive impact on biotopes in the Sur. The EIA study also recommended to establish a sound monitoring system of ground water levels to serve better tools for decision makers regarding expansion of urbanised areas.