MODULE 1Water Framework

Directive

Senad Ploco

• Published in the official Journal of the European Union on 22nd December 2000.

• WFD has been developed over the past 14 years.• It is a result of the concerns of European Member States on the

deterioration of water resources• It is also an outcome of moving towards integrated water

management approach advocated by some World conferences• WFD applies its provisions to inland surface waters,

groundwaters, transitional (estuarine) and coastal waters• Aim to reach the „good status” of aquatic ecosystems by the

year 2015 and further preserve it.

WFD – Introduction

WFD, 2020 - “Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such”.

EU Population density

1838

1872

2014

River Rhine

Why WFD ?

A cooherent framework

Bathing WaterDirective

Birds ProtectionDirective

Habitats Directive

Seveso Directive

PesticidesDirective

IPPCDirective

NitratesDirective

Urban Waste Water Directive

Env. Impact

Assessment Directive Sewage Sludge

Directive

Drinking WaterDirective

WFDobjectives

andprogramme of

measures

This is an introductory presentation and it will include some elements that you will repeatedly have the opportunity to listen in more details in subsuqent presentations.

• Wat is an EU Directive (legal instrument)• Protecting all waters, surface and ground waters• covering all impacts on waters;• good quality (‘good status’) to be achieved, as a rule, by

2015;• water quality comprehensively defined in terms of biology,

chemistry and morphology;• water management based on river basins; • monitoring programmes for surface and groundwaters,

both as a planning tool and as an assessment instrument;• economic instruments: getting the prices right - to

promote prudent use of water;• mandatory public participation;• … and complemented/guided by an unprecedented

cooperation on implementation.

WFD Objectives

Ecological Objectivesalt

era

tion

s

HIGH

GOOD

MODERATE

POOR

BAD

No

n-d

ete

riora

tion

Re

sta

ura

tion

Ecological status

Slight {

Moderate{

Major {

Severe {

No orminimal {

• Good surface water status = good ecological + good

chemical status

• Good groundwater status = good quantity + good

chemical status

• Good ecological potential for ‘heavily modified and

artificial water bodies’

• Priority “hazardous” substances reduced (for both)

• „One out all out”

Good Surface Water Status

• Good quality in general

• Specific quality for drinking water

• Sufficient recharge

• Sanitation of polluted aquifers

• Standards for quality given by existing regulations

and directives

Good status of groundwater

Observed problems

Problems: Solutions:

• Overuse of assigning AWB or HMWB status as reason of less stringent ‘good ecological potential’ objective

• Only when justified and mitigation measures for improvement undertaken

• Reasons stated in RBMP• Control and public review

• Lack of common and homogenous approach in reaching the good status objective (EQR, class boundaries)

• Extensive cooperation and intercalibration exercises from early stages of implementation

• Overuse of extensions and derogations for achieving good ecological water status

• Enhancing public participation, consultation and review process

Objectives of intercalibration

13

Setting of good status class boundaries:• Consistent with WFD

definitions• Comparable between all

28 Member States

IC is required by WFD

high

good

moderate

poor

bad

1.0

0.0

OK

Restorationneeded

EQR

The River Basin Concept

Shared River Basins

WFD – Integrated water management

Legal and administrative integration• WFD as umbrella for other directives and regulations• River Basin District chosen as logical unit of management• Unification and harmonization of national water management legislation• International harmonization and integration - the chalange of shared

river basins• Cost Recovery and Equitable Charging• Public participation

Hydrological cycle managed as a whole• Surface and subsurface water• Coastal and transitional waters

Water quality, quantity and aquatic environment • Ecological and environmental objectives

WFD – Integration is the concept

Multi-sectoral approach and co-ordination• Land, atmosphere, biosphere

Multi-disciplinary perspective • Integration of land, water and air

• Integration of technical, behavioral, gamma sciences

Holistic and cross-cutting integrating approachInternational harmonization and balanceIntergenerational sustainability

• Integration in time

In summary: integration in space, interest, time, law and administration

1. Formal transposition into national law

2. Environmental analysis, economic analysis

3. Monitoring programmes operational

4. Public participation at the latest

5. Identify water management issues/projects

6. Draft river basin management plans

7. Final river basin management plans

8. Implementation, assessment and adjustment

WFD Implementation - Continuos Process

WFD Implementation - Key Phases

Public Participation

River Basin Management Plan

Environmental objectives

Gap analysis

Programme of Measures

Current status of waters

RBMP update

Monitoring Programmes

Interim report on implementation

status

Water issues revision

Implementation of Programme of

Measures

Phases of implementation process:

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

Key Implementation Steps

• Challenges for all administrations/stakeholders

• Many large river basins in Europe are shared

• Common understanding of the Directive is critical

• Has led to: The Common Implementation Strategy

• Involves all stakeholders

• Example of Good European Governance

CIS – Common Implementation Strategy

• WFD is a central piece of EU environmental policy with

links to many other EU actions.

• The CIS is an extremely effective vehicle for supporting

the implementation of the directive.

• The CIS involves all Member States and all stakeholders.

• 28 EU Member States

• Industry - EUREAU, CEFIC, ECPA, EURELECTRIC, Irrigators,

Land-Owners etc etc

• NGOs - WWF, EEB, BirdLife, etc

• In total over 1000 people actively involved

WFD and CIS

• 29 Guidance documents (economy, water bodies, typology, IMPRESS, HMWB, Transitional and Coastal Waters, Monitoring, Public participation, GIS, RBM Planning, Wetlands, Groundwater; ...)

• More than 10 technical reports

• WISE – Water Information System

CIS Guidances

Pilot River Basins

B, F, NL (Scheldt), D, F, L (Moselle-Sarre)F (Marne)IRL (Shannon)DK (Odense Fjord) SF (Oulujoki)P (Guadiana)E (Júcar)GR (Pinios) H, RO (Somes)CZ, D, PL (Neisse)I (Tevere, Cecina) N ( Suldalsvassdraget)UK (Ribble)

Good status of surface water:• Good ecological status for ‘natural water bodies’• Good ecological potential for ‘heavily modified and

artificial water bodies’• Good chemical status (for both)• Priority substances contained (for both)• Priority “hazardous” substances reduced (for both)

WFD – EU Wider Dimension

Dealing with pollution of waters at two levels: the Water Quality Objective approach (WQO), and the Emission Limit Value (ELV) approach.

WFD – EU Wider Dimension

Water Quality Objectives (WQO)

Emission Limit Values (ELV)

WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE+

• WQO defines the minimum quality requirements of water to limit the cumulative impact of emissions;

• ELV focuses on the maximum allowed quantities of pollutants that may be discharged from a particular source into the aquatic environment.

• WFD deals both with the WQO and ELV resulting in a more rigorous approach

Water pricing and cost recovery of water

resources

Full cost recovery for water including environmental and resource costs

Possible exemptions due to social, environmental, economic, climatic, geographic reasons

Public participation

The provisions of the Directive will not be successful unless proper information, consultation and involvement of different sectors of interest including public and users from the earliest stages of WFD implementation is ensured

Rehabilitation of Rivers

Removal of fish bariers

EU Significant pressures

% of river WBs (65 000) being affected by pressures

Preliminary results from analysis of 144 RBD reported by 24 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

(number of Member States)

Ecological status/potential in EU

Preliminary results from analysis of 144 RBD reported by 24 EU Member States to the WISE-WFD database

Ecological status of rivers in EU

(number of Member States)

• WFD is innovative instrument to address

challenges of water management for the next generations

• Environmental objectives and integration of managements

are key elements

• Common Implementation process is essential to ensure

success – example for good governance

• Analysis reports will provide important results – crucial

first step

WFD – Summary / Conclusion

• Protection of all waters across Europe, based on

comparable principles and objectives

• Binding objectives, at the same time providing flexibility

on the tools how to achieve them

• Implementation with full participation of all interested and

involved parties

• Long-term planning basis for technical, financial and

political decisions

WFD – Outlook

References and links

• http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/index_en.htm