The Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) is the most significant piece of European water legislation to be produced for over 20 years. It takes a holistic approach to water management so that surface and ground waters are considered together. It will rationalise and update existing European Commission (EC) water legislation and introduce an integrated and co-ordinated approach to water management in Europe based on the concept of the river basin. 

Objectives and key elements 
The WFD’s main aims are:

The overall requirement of the Directive is to achieve ‘good ecological and good chemical status’ by 2015 unless there are grounds for exemption. There is also a general ‘no deterioration’ provision to prevent deterioration in status. The Directive aims to require the reduction and ultimate elimination of priority hazardous substances and the reduction of priority substances to below set quality standards. The Directive also provides for protection to higher standards of waters with specific uses or vulnerabilities, for example water supply, recreation, nutrient sensitivity or nature conservation areas via the designation of protected areas. Assessment of surface water and ground water status

Surface water status is assessed using two components: ecological status and chemical (pollutant) status. Chemical status will be assessed by European-wide environmental quality standards (EQSs) which specify the concentrations of hazardous substances allowable in surface and groundwaters. The establishment of an EQS for a particular substance is based on a wide range of background data (chemical and physical properties, behaviour, fate and concentration in the environment etc.) combined with a range of toxicity tests on key flora and fauna. EQSs are derived for both acute (maximum allowable concentration of a substance in the aquatic environment) and chronic exposure (annual average concentration). To achieve ‘good chemical status’ the EQS must be met.

Ecological status will be assessed using biological, hydromorphological, and physico chemical measurements of quality. Natural ecological variability does not allow absolute EU-wide standards to be established, therefore biological quality (based on aquatic flora, macroinvertebrates and fish) will be judged against deviation of observed conditions from those expected in the absence of anthropogenic influence. Groundwater status is assessed by quantitative status and chemical (pollutant) status. Of the total annual recharge volume to a groundwater body a portion is needed to achieve the ecological quality objectives for connected surface waters or associated terrestrial systems such as wetlands. Only the volume above that required to sustain surface water ecology is available for abstraction. Direct polluting discharges to groundwaters are prohibited and groundwaters must be monitored for changes in chemical composition; any significant and sustained upward trend in a pollutant must be reversed. In addition, a separate groundwater ‘daughter’ directive is close to being agreed.

The river basin management planning (RBMP) cycle
One of the underpinning principles of the WFD is that of integrated river basin management. The Directive sets out arrangements for river basin administration and planning, based on, inter alia, common objectives for water status, and common monitoring and assessment strategies. River basin management takes place on a six year cycle, with the first plan published nine years after adoption of the Directive, and subsequently reviewed every six years to account for further measures needed to meet the environmental objectives for any particular water body. The first activity is for Member States to identify and assign water bodies to river basin districts (RBDs) based on hydrological catchments and to appoint Competent Authorities. This work has now been completed. Each RBD must be characterised to determine the factors influencing water quality and water quantity in both surface and groundwaters. This includes an assessment of the inherent natural characteristics of each basin, the impact of human activity and the economic usage of water within the basin. The Competent Authority for England and Wales has used modelling techniques to construct initial maps and these indicate areas at risk of failing the WFD’s objectives. For England and Wales this includes a map for agricultural pesticides and sheep dip based on usage patterns and toxicity to aquatic life. It does not currently include non-agricultural pesticides, such as those used to control weeds on roads and railways or domestic pesticides, because of a lack of data on geographical usage patterns of these products. The initial pesticide maps indicate that the highest risks are associated with sheep dip use, particularly in Wales where 49% of water bodies are ‘at risk’, and in Herefordshire, Kent and Lincolnshire associated with pesticide use in orchards and field vegetables.

The methodology and maps are currently being reviewed in a second phase of characterisation, with a view to providing more accurate and refined information. This information will then be used to design the monitoring programmes required by the WFD to determine if the objectives are being met. 

Monitoring
Monitoring programmes must be defined and ready to commence by the end of 2006. The main objectives of surface water monitoring programmes are to provide a comprehensive overview of ecological and chemical status of an RBD and to classify water bodies into five classes ranging from high to bad. Member States are also required to establish a groundwater monitoring network. This will provide a reliable and comprehensive assessment of both quantitative status and chemical status and enable detection of long-term anthropogenically induced upward trends in pollutants via both surveillance and operational monitoring programmes.

Programme of measures
Having determined the status of water bodies within a RBD, the Competent Authority is obliged to use this information to develop a programme of measures to meet the WFD’s environmental objectives, particularly ‘good water status’, within the basin. These will be made up of compulsory basic measures that include, inter alia, meeting the requirements of other relevant Directives including 91/414/EEC, the Plant Protection Products Directive. Where compulsory measures are insufficient to meet the environmental objectives supplementary measures can be taken. These could include codes of practice, guidance, local initiatives and economic instruments.

Priority substances and other polluting substances
One objective of the WFD is to eliminate dangerous substances from surface and ground waters and to reduce their levels in marine waters to near background. A combined modelling-based and monitoring-based priority setting (COMMPS) scheme has been used to derive a list of priority hazardous substances (PHS) and priority substances (PS). Thirty three substances have currently been identified including pesticides and industrial chemicals. Pesticides identified as PHS or PS are given in Table 1. PHSs must cease use and be eliminated from water bodies. PSs must be reduced to EQS level by 2015.The priority list will be reviewed every four years. Over several reviews it is anticipated that substances will be removed due to a decreased presence in the environment and/or their banning in future legislation. Substances may also be added that have yet to be approved or are identified in the WFD monitoring programme as an increasing presence in surface and/or ground waters.

In addition to this EU-wide priority substance identification procedure, Member States are also required to identify ‘other specific polluting substances’ that may be putting water bodies at risk of failing to meet the WFD’s objectives. These substances must also be reduced to EQS level by 2015 to ensure achievement of good ecological status.Plant Protection Products and Biocidal Products Directives

Relatively few of the total number of pesticides available within the EU are currently on the priority list of substances (Table 1). As part of the review of plant protection products under 91/414/EEC, many of these priority pesticides have now been banned or are currently being withdrawn. These include alachlor, atrazine, endosulfan, lindane and simazine. Up to now, only isoproturon and chlorpyrifos have made it through the review process and it is looking increasingly likely that no further priority pesticides will do so.Lindane, diuron, chlorpyrifos and isoproturon have all been ‘notified’ under the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC. They will be reviewed under this directive over the next ten years including a detailed evaluation of their risk to the environment.

Implementation timetable
The timetable for the implementation of the directive is challenging. In summary:

Conclusions
There can be little doubt that the WFD represents a major step forward for water management in general. Much pesticide use that may put the aquatic environment at risk should be adequately managed through the full implementation of directives 91/414/EEC and 98/8/EC. However in some cases, such as sheep dip use in Wales, further measures will be needed to ensure the objectives of the WFD are fully met. 

Dr Andy Croxford, Environment Agency, Bristol, UK, andy.croxford@environment-agency.gov.uk