EUROPEAN WATER FRAMEWORK

DIRECTIVE (EFDW)

JOUKE HERINGA SEPTEMBER 24 2013

European Water Framework Directive

• Goals

• Time schedule

• Terms

• Quality assessment

• Time schedule

• River Basin Management Plan (RBMP)

Europe

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

Water Framework Directive

Protection and improvement of quality of surface and ground water for water related ecocsystems and sustainable use

Water Framework Directive

Principle:

River Basin Management

Every water body must be in a :

• Good Ecological State (GES)

• Good Chemical State (GCS)

River basins in Spain

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Water Framework Directive : Riverbasins in the Netherlands

National Catchment

Water body River Basin District

River Basin Mangement : 4 key scales

Water Framework Directive Terms: Watertypes

Main types surface waters:

• rivers

• lakes

• transitional waters

• coastal waters

Water Framework Directive Terms: Category

• Natural

• Heavily Modified (HM)

• Artificial (A)

Consequences for targets:

• Natural: Good Ecological State (GES) and Good Chemical State (GCS)

• HM and A: Good Ecological Potential (GEP) and GCS

Good Ecological State

• Good population of fish

• Good population of algae

• Good population of waterplants

• Good population of macrobenthos

• All other chemical substances meet the standards

Good Chemical State

• 33 priority substances from WFD meet the standards (PCB, Dioxine, et)

Surface waters - ecological status

Reference condition

(article 5: analysis of river basin characteristics)

Characterisation of water body type

Classification (high, good, moderate, poor , bad)

Biological parameters (aq. flora, invert., fish) Hydromorphological and physico-chemical parameters (supporting)

Reference

• Oder river

Water Framework Directive Quality assessment

1 Chemistry:

• EU prioritairy substances

2 Ecology:

• 4 Biological elements

• Ecology supporting chemistry

• Rest micropollutants

3 Hydromorology

Water Framework Directive Quality assessment

Classification:

• Chemistry: 2 classes (Good/Bad)

• Ecology Natural Waters: 5 classes

• Ecology Heavily Modified and Artificial:

4 classes (maximum is Maximum Ecological Potential: MEP)

Bad status Good status

Bad status

Poor status

Moderate status

(differs moderately from type specific

conditions)

Good status

(slight changes from type spec.

conditions)

High status

(close to undisturbed conditions)

Chemical status

Ecological status target status

max. ecol. potential

reference

biotic

elements

abiotic

elements

Water-quality status = Chemical status + Ecological status / potential

Ecological assessment (EU Water Framework Directive) classification & presentation

yardstick

Ecological Status for Surface Waters

Pass WFD

Fail WFD

Water Framework Directive Quality

assessment

One out, all out principe:

All quality elements, including all

substances, must have the score GOOD (GES of GEP) at minimum

Implementation

2009 2015 2021 2027 2005 2006

Identify

Risks

Monitor

“Water

Status”

1st

River

Basin

Plan

2nd

River

Basin

Plan

3rd

River

Basin

Plan

The WFD specifies three planning cycles of six years each up to the year 2027

Water Framework Directive Time Schedule

As European legislation superimposed on national law

• 2000 Into force

• 2005 Characterising riverbasin (present state)

• 2006 Monitoring program ready

• 2009 River basin management plan with measures

• 2015 Targets achieved = All waters have to be in good quality (chemical and ecological)

• 2015 Adaption RBMP

• 2021 Targets achieved

T=0 (Present Status) in 2005

• Per waterbody all chemical and ecological data is collected.

• Test if parameters meet the standards

• All sources of pollution have been identified for the substances who do not meet the standards.

• Risks: what waterbodies are not in good quality in 2015?

• What are we going to do improve the bad quality?

Strictly Enforced

The strategy that will implement the Directive has milestones and dates for achieving them.

If we ‘fail’ the EU Commission will immediately initiate legal action against the Member State. Actions have already commenced against some states.

What’s in the RBMP?

• Characteristics of the district;

– pressures and impacts

– risk assessment based on water quality, ecology, quantity and hydro-morphology factors

– including protected areas

– economic assessment of water services

• Environmental objectives and timescale for achieving

• Programme of measures to achieve objectives

• Monitoring networks and programmes

• Consultation & participation opportunities for “interested parties”

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TYPE OF MEASURES (in basin and waterbody)

• Technical measures:

– Fish ladder

– against soil erosion

– ………

• Economical instruments

– Fertilizer taxation

– ……..

• Non technical measures:

– Raising awareness of farmers

– ………………………

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TECHNICAL MEASURES

EWFD WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25

EWFD WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25

Recovering the Costs

• Water charges

• Polluter Pays: polluters and users should pay for the natural resources they use and the damage they create

• Economic efficiency and reduction of the financial burden on public authorities.

Economical Implications

• cost-effectiveness analysis for selecting the measures

• cost-recovery analysis

• implementation of an incentive pricing policy

• Costs versus benefits (or avoiding costs)

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Cost-effectiveness and EU rules

• It is allowed not to take measures for the following reason:

• ‘completing the improvements within the timescale would be disproportionately expensive’

• Member States may aim to achieve less stringent environmental objectives for specific bodies of water when they are so affected by human activity or their natural condition is such that the achievement of these objectives would be infeasible or disproportionately expensive

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The development of PoM and Economic analysis

1. Identify basic measures and their

cost

2. for the water bodies with risk of

non compliance, identify

supplementary measures (cost &

efficiency)

Draft of PoM

• Select the most

cost-effective set

of measures

• assess the cost

impacts of the

PoM on

economic

sectors (e.g on

water price paid

by households)

Programme of measures development

process

Economic analysis

The Water Framework Directive, economic elements and derogations

Programme of measures (cost in million euros)

Total Per year

Basic measures 879 146

Supplementary

measures 3 929 655

Illustrations from Artois-Picardie River Basin and the development of the programme of measures

Impact on economic sectors

Households Industry Agriculture

80% 10% - 15% 5% - 10%

WWTP

Sewerage network

Water bill • investments

• fees

• investments

• fees

Illustrations from Artois-Picardie River Basin and the development of the programme of measures