Mats WallinSwedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences

Dept. of Environmental AssessmentCatarina Johansson

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Development of guidance document for identification of reference conditions, and

boundaries between high, good and moderate status in lakes and watercourses (REFCOND)

REFCOND

EU Water Framework Directive project with support from the European

Commission

Key priority in the EU Water Directors “Common Strategy on the Implementation of the

WFD”

• Lead country:– Sweden.

• Associated partners:– Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,

Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and UK.

• Candidate countries…….• NGO;s and stakeholders……….

REFCOND

Timetable01 December 2000 — 01 December 2002

What? When? Who?

1. Web-site Feb. 2001 Lead country

1. Detailed work programme Feb. 2001 Lead country

2. Review of techniques June 2001 All countries

2. Workshop 1 (Sweden, 14-15 May) May 2001 All countries

3. Evaluation of techniques Dec. 2001 Selected countries

3. Workshop 2 Nov. 2001 All countries

4. First draft guidance document May 2002 Lead country

5. Review and validation of guidance document Oct. 2002 All countries

5. Validation case studies Oct. 2002 Selected countries

5. Workshop 3 Sep. 2002 All countries

6. Finalisation of guidance document Dec. 2002 Lead country

• Develop and validate a guidance document for the identification of reference conditions and key class boundaries for the application of the classification regime for ecological status in the WFD;

• The study will focus on lakes and watercourses.

Objective

• The WFD requires Member States to identify, for each type of body of water, reference conditions for the purpose of identifying a reference biological community;

• The reference conditions must satisfy certain chemical and hydromorphological criteria set out in Annex V in WFD for each category of body of water.

Background

• Criteria for reference conditions:• Hydromorphological and the general physico-chemical

parameters should reflect totally, or nearly totally, undisturbed conditions;

• Specific synthetic pollutants should have concentrations close to zero or at any rate below the limit of detection of the most advance analytical techniques in general use;

• Specific non-synthetic pollutants should have concentrations within the range normally associated with background levels.

Background

• Identification of reference conditions:• Reference conditions can be either spatially-based or

based on modelling or using a combination of these;

• Reference conditions based on modelling can be derived using either predictive models or hindcasting methods, using historical, paleological and other available data;

• Where it is not possible to establish reliable reference conditions due to high degrees of natural variability in the element, the element can be excluded from the assessment of ecological status.

Background

Background• Classification and boundaries:

• For biological elements good status is based essentially on a slight departure from the reference biological population;

• For hydromorphological elements and general physico-chemical parameters, there are no separate criteria for good status, the condition being that the elements are such as to support a biological community of the requisite standard;

• For specific synthetic and non-synthetic pollutants the condition for good status is that waters comply with a quality standard for the relevant substance.

Classification

Classification of ecological statusDeviation Status

EQR=

Biological parameter value observed

Referencebiological value

No/minimal

Slight

Moderate

High

Good

ModeratePoor

Bad

0

1

Work programme

• (1) Elaboration of a detailed work programme which includes:

• Responsibility of different Member States to various programme activities;

• Proposal to a definition of reference conditions and the historical period or other circumstances corresponding to reference conditions;

• Completed during spring 2001.

Web-site

• (1) A web-site has been established.

• Project plans and results are available;

• Virtual forum for discussion and exchange of information;

• Completed February 2001.

• Web-site at:

http://www—nrciws.slu.se/REFCOND/index.htm

Review of techniques

• (2)Review of techniques for identification of reference conditions and principles for the identification of boundaries between classes.

• Principles and techniques used in Member States and elsewhere are reviewed;

• Each participating Member State has reported on their own procedures;

• Methods used elsewhere are reviewed by partners who volunteer to do so or as arranged by the leader.

WORK PROGRAMME

• The results are reported and discussed at a workshop, where further analyses and selection of principles and methods to be included in a final guidance document is discussed;

• Completed summer 2001 (workshop in Uppsala, Sweden, 14-15 May).

Review of techniques

WORK PROGRAMME

• (3) Evaluation of techniques used for identification of reference conditions and principles for delineation of quality classes.

• A comparison and evaluation of techniques and principles is performed, taking into account ecological realism, environmental relevance, need for supporting data, robustness and precision;

• The possibilities and limitations of different procedures will be highlighted;

WORK PROGRAMMEEvaluation of techniques

WORK PROGRAMME

• The evaluation is performed by selected Member States, on a voluntary basis and with tasks distributed among participants according to expertise and interest;

• The results will be reported and discussed at a workshop, where the outline of a common protocol for the assessment of reference conditions will also be discussed;

• To be completed in December 2001 (workshop November).

WORK PROGRAMMEWORK PROGRAMMEEvaluation of techniques

First draft gudiance document

• (4) Elaboration of first draft guidance document.

• Based on the findings in the previous stage, a first draft outlining a common procedure for identification of reference conditions and for identification of boundaries between high, good and moderate status will be produced and submitted to Member States for comments.

• The draft will be produced by the leader.

• To be completed in May 2002.

Validation of guidance document

• (5) Review and validation of guidance document.

• All Member States are expected to review and comment on the gudicance document, and those who want may perform one or several case studies;

• The results will be reported at a workshop, where modification of the draft that might be necessary will be discussed and the final guidance document outlined;

• To be completed in October 2002 (workshop September).

• (6) Finalisation of guidance document and termination of project.

• Based on the findings in the previous step the guidance document will be revised and a final report will be written;

• To be completed in December 2002.

Finalisation ofguidance document