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European Commission
Common Implementation Strategy for theWater Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)
Guidance document n.o2
Identification of Water Bodies
COMMON IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGYFOR THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (2000/60/EC)
Guidance Document No 2Identification of Water BodiesProduced by Working Group on Water BodiesDisclaimer:This technical document has been developed through a collaborative programme involving the EuropeanCommission, all the Member States, the Accession Countries, Norway and other stakeholders and Non-Governmental Organisations. The document should be regarded as presenting an informal consensus position onbest practice agreed by all partners. However, the document does not necessarily represent the official, formalposition of any of the partners. Hence, the views expressed in the document do not necessarily represent theviews of the European Commission.
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00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2003ISBN 92-894-5122-XISSN 1725-1087� European Communities, 2003Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
ForewordThe EU Member States, Norway and the European Commission have jointly developed acommon strategy for supporting the implementation of the Directive 2000/60/EC establishinga framework for Community action in the field of water policy (hereafter referred to asCommon Implementation Strategy (CIS) for theWater Framework Directive(WFD)). Themain aim of this strategy is to allow a coherent and harmonious implementation of thisDirective. Focus is on methodological questions related to a common understanding of thetechnical and scientific implications of theWater Framework Directive.One of the main short-term objectives of the strategy is the development of non-legallybinding and practical Guidance Documents on various technical issues of the Directive.These Guidance Documents are targeted to those experts who are directly or indirectlyimplementing theWater Framework Directivein river basins. The structure, presentation andterminology is therefore adapted to the needs of these experts and formal, legalisticlanguage is avoided wherever possible.In the context of the above-mentioned strategy, the European Commission (DirectorateGeneral for Environment, Unit B.1) was invited to set up an informal process for drafting ahorizontal Guidance on the application of the term “water body” which is defined in theDirective. This term is essential for several aspects of implementation, such as the typology,the reference conditions, the classification of the status and the monitoring.A drafting group was established in March 2002 and a first draft was discussed on theStrategic Co-ordination Group meeting in April 2002 and the meeting of the Water Directorsin June 2002. Following this meeting in Valencia, the members of the Strategic Co-ordinationGroup were invited to comment the draft paper in two rounds and revised versions werepresented in each meeting of the group. In addition, the Expert Advisory Forum (EAF) onGroundwater discussed and contributed twice to the refinement of the groundwater Sectionin this document.Due to the active and constructive contribution of all experts in the drafting group, the EAFGroundwater and the Strategic Co-ordination Group, it was possible to present the final draftof the horizontal Guidance Document on “water bodies” to the meeting in Copenhagen,where the Water Directors reached the following conclusions:“We, the water directors of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland and the countriesapplying for accession to the European Union, have examined and endorsed this Guidanceduring our informal meeting under the Danish Presidency in Copenhagen (21/22 November2002). We would like to thank the participants of the Working Group and, in particular, theleaders of the Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission forpreparing this high quality document.We strongly believe that this and other Guidance Documents developed under the CommonImplementation Strategy will play a key role in the process of implementing theWaterFramework Directive.This Guidance Document is a living document that will need continuous input andimprovements as application and experience build up in all countries of the European Unionand beyond. We agree, however, that this document will be made publicly available in itscurrent form in order to present it to a wider public as a basis for carrying forward ongoingimplementation work.Moreover, we welcome that several volunteers have committed themselves to test andvalidate this and other documents in the so-called pilot river basins across Europe during2003 and 2004 in order to ensure that the Guidance is applicable in practice.We also commit ourselves to assess and decide upon the necessity for reviewing thisdocument following the pilot testing exercises and the first experiences gained in the initialstages of the implementation.”i
CONTENTS
Page
FOREWORD..........................................................................................................................................................I1INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 11.11.21.322.12.23BACKGROUND TOGUIDANCE................................................................................................................ 1PURPOSE OFGUIDANCE....................................................................................................................... 1STRUCTURE OFGUIDANCE................................................................................................................... 1PURPOSE OF IDENTIFYING“WATER BODIES”.........................................................................................2TIMETABLE AND REFINEMENT FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF WATER BODIES........................................ 3
BACKGROUND...........................................................................................................................................2
SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON SURFACE WATER BODIES....................................................................53.1DEFINITION OF BODY OF SURFACE WATER........................................................................................... 53.2TECHNICAL INTERPRETATION OF DISCRETE AND SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT............................................. 53.2.1 Discrete element.............................................................................................................................53.2.2 Surface water categories...............................................................................................................63.2.3 Typology.......................................................................................................................................... 63.2.4 Physical characteristics delineating discrete and significant elements.................................. 63.2.5 Heavily modified and artificial water bodies................................................................................83.2.6 Summary..........................................................................................................................................83.3OTHER CRITERIA FOR DELINEATING SURFACE WATER BODIES............................................................. 93.3.1 Status criteria.................................................................................................................................. 93.3.2 Protected areas.............................................................................................................................103.4SUGGESTED PROCESS FOR THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE TERM SURFACE WATER BODY.... 113.5SMALL ELEMENTS OF SURFACE WATER.............................................................................................. 123.6COMPONENTS OF A“SURFACE WATER BODY”AND WETLANDS.......................................................... 13
4
SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON BODIES OF GROUNDWATER..............................................................154.1DEFINITIONS........................................................................................................................................ 154.2AQUIFERS............................................................................................................................................ 154.2.1 Significant flow.............................................................................................................................. 154.2.2 Abstraction of significant quantities of groundwater................................................................164.3DELINEATION OF BODIES OF GROUNDWATER..................................................................................... 164.3.1 Geological boundaries................................................................................................................. 174.3.2 Other hydraulic boundaries.........................................................................................................174.3.3 Taking account of differences in status.....................................................................................174.4UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES TO BODIES OF GROUNDWATER..................................................... 184.5ASSIGNMENT TORIVERBASINDISTRICTS.......................................................................................... 194.6TARGETING MEASURES WITHIN BODIES OF GROUNDWATER.............................................................. 194.7SUGGESTED PROCESS FOR THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE TERM BODY OF GROUNDWATER. 20
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AGGREGATION OF WATER BODIES................................................................................................. 21
ANNEX I REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................22ANNEX II LIST OF DRAFTING MEMBERS................................................................................................ 23
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WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 2Identification of Water Bodies
1 Introduction1.1Background to GuidanceTheWater Framework Directive(2000/60/EC) is a comprehensive piece of legislation thatsets out,inter alia,clear quality objectives for all waters in Europe. In order to make theimplementation of the Directive, and the compliance checking of its quality objectives,operational, the concept of “water bodies” has been introduced as the key units to which anumber of the Directive’s requirements are related.Several of the working groups of the Common Implementation Strategy for theWaterFramework Directive(2000/60/EC) have requested horizontal Guidance from the EuropeanCommission on the interpretation and application of the term water body. The workinggroups have asked for such Guidance in order to assist them in the preparation of their ownGuidance on issues such as reference conditions (WFDCIS Guidance Document No. 10)and intercalibration (WFDCIS Guidance Document No. 6).In addition, several Member States have contributed to discussions on the application of theterm water body, and a number of documents have been produced. These are listed in theAnnex to this paper, and are available on the WFD CIRCA system where electronic formatsare available. These discussions have revealed that there are different views among MemberStates on the interpretation, and consequently practical application, of the term water body.1.2Purpose of Guidance
The purpose of this Guidance Document is to build on these discussions to develop acommon understanding of the definition of water bodies and specific practical suggestions forthe identification of water bodies under theWater Framework Directive.1.3Structure of Guidance
The following Section on the background includes general considerations applicable tosurface and groundwater. However, the Directive’s requirements for characterising, and itsobjectives for surface water bodies and bodies of groundwater are different. Thesedifferences affect the way the respective water bodies should be identified. Hence, theGuidance paper is therefore divided into two main sections. Section 3 provides guidance onthe application of the term surface water body. Section 4 provides guidance on theapplication of the term body of groundwater.Each Section is structured so that it describes theprinciplesinvolved in, and ahierarchicalprocessfor, sub-dividing river basin districts into water bodies. The main steps in theproposed hierarchies are summarised inFigure 7andFigure 11.Look out! The methodology from this Guidance Document must beadapted to regional and national circumstancesThe Guidance Document proposes an overall pragmatic approach. Becauseof the diversity of circumstances within the European Union, Member Statesmay apply this guidance in a flexible way in answer to problems that will varyfrom one river basin to the next. This proposed Guidance will therefore needto be tailored to specific circumstances.Having said that, it should be clear that the identification of water bodies must be consistentand co-ordinated within a river basin district. In particular, international river basin districtsneed to develop common approaches for the whole river basin.
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2 Background2.1Purpose of identifying “water bodies”TheWater Framework Directivecoversallwaters, including inland waters (surface water andgroundwater) and transitional and coastal waters up to one sea mile (and for the chemicalstatus also territorial waters which may extend up to 12 sea miles) from the territorialbaseline of a Member State, independent of the size and the characteristics1.This totality of waters is, for the purpose of the implementation of the directive, attributed togeographical or administrative units, in particular theriver basin,theriver basin district,and the “waterbody”2. In addition, groundwaters and stretches of coastal waters must beassociated with a river basin (district).Whereas the river basin is the geographical area related to the hydrological system, the riverbasin district must be designated by the Member States in accordance to the directive as the“mainunit for management of river basins”3.One key purpose of the Directive is to prevent further deterioration of, and protect andenhance the status of aquatic ecosystems, and with regard to their water needs, terrestrialecosystems and wetlands directly depending on the aquatic ecosystems. The success of theDirective in achieving this purpose and its related objectives will be mainly measured by thestatus of “water bodies”. “Water bodies” are therefore the units that will be used for reportingand assessing compliance with the Directive’s principal environmental objectives. However, itshould be emphasised that the identification of a “water body” is a tool not an objective initself.The “water body” should be a coherent sub-unit in the river basin (district) to whichthe environmental objectives of the directive must apply. Hence, the main purposeof identifying “water bodies” is to enable the status to be accurately described andcompared to environmental objectives4.It should be clear that the identification of water bodies is, first and foremost, based ongeographical and hydrological determinants. However, the identification and subsequentclassification of water bodies must provide for a sufficiently accurate description of thisdefined geographic area to enable an unambiguous comparison to objectives of theDirective. This is because the environmental objectives of the Directive, and the measuresneeded to achieve them, apply to “water bodies”. A key descriptor in this context is the“status” of those bodies. If water bodies are identified that do not permit an accuratedescription of the status of aquatic ecosystems, Member States will be unable to apply theDirective’s objectives correctly (Figure 1). At the same time, an endless sub-division of waterbodies should be avoided in order to reduce administrative burden if it does not fulfil anypurpose as regards the proper implementation of the Directive. In addition, the aggregationof water bodies may, under certain circumstances, also help to reduce meaninglessadministrative burden, in particular for smaller water bodies (cf. Chapter 5).
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Articles 2 (1), (2) and (3)Articles 2 (13), (15), (10), and (12) respectivelyArticle 2 (15)
An estimate of the status of water bodies will be required to assess the likelihood that they will fail to meet theenvironmental quality objectives set for them under Article 4 [Article 5; Annex II 1.5 & 2]. The status of waterbodies must be classified using information from the monitoring programmes [Article 8, Annex V 1.3, 2.2 & 2.4].The status of water bodies must be reported in the river basin management plans [Article 13, Annex VII] and,where necessary, measures must be prepared [Article 11, Annex VI].
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Look out!The Directive only requires sub-divisions of surface water andgroundwater that are necessary for the clear, consistent and effectiveapplication of its objectives. Sub-divisions of surface water andgroundwater into smaller and smaller water bodies that do not supportthis purpose should be avoided.
Figure 1: Illustration of the implications for the objectives of the Directive if “waterbodies” do not provide for the accurate description of surface water status
2.2
Timetable and refinement for the identification of water bodies
The identification of water bodies should be an iterative and on-going process. Thewater bodies that Member States are required to identify by 22 December 20046andreport to the Commission by 22 March 20055will be only a first step. Wherenecessary, water body identification should be verified and refined in the periodbefore the publication of each river basin management plan.The Directive requires Member States to identify “water bodies” as part of the analysis of thecharacteristics of the river basin districts6. The first such analysis must be complete by 22December 2004. The analysis must be reviewed, and where necessary, updated by 22December 2013 and then every six years.However, identifying water bodies that will provide for an accurate description of the status ofsurface water and groundwater will require information from the Article 5 analyses andreviews, and the Article 8 monitoring programmes. Some of the necessary information willnot be available before 2004. The information that is available is likely to be updated andimproved in the period prior to the publication of each river basin management plan.
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Article 15.2Article 5, Annex II 1.1 & 2
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It is evident that for the first RBMP, all waters must be assigned to water bodies and theirstatus must be described7. However, practical approaches may be required in particular forlarge numbers of pristine waters in remote areas where it can be demonstrated that nosignificant pressure exist (see also Section 5).In conclusion, verification and refinement steps of water body identification should beforeseen in the implementation process.
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cf.WFD CIS Guidance Document No 7.
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WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 2Identification of Water Bodies
3 Specific Guidance on surface water bodies3.1Definition of body of surface waterArticle 2.10 of the Directive provides the following definition of a body of surface water:“Body of surface water” means adiscrete and significant elementof surface water such asa lake, a reservoir, a stream, river or canal, part of a stream, river or canal, a transitionalwater or a stretch of coastal water.The application of the definition requires the sub-division of surface water8in river basin(districts9) into “discrete and significant elements”. Although examples of such elements aregiven (“such as a lake, a reservoir, a stream, river or canal “), the Directive does not provideexplicit guidance on how to identify the elements that should be regarded as “discrete andsignificant”, and hence “water bodies”. For example, it does not specify how to identifypartof a river, stream or canal that represents a “discreteand significant element”.The use of the terms “discrete and significant” in the definition of “surface waterbody” means that “water bodies” are not arbitrary sub-divisions of river basindistricts. Each water body should be identified on the basis of its “discreteness andsignificance” in the context of the Directive’s purposes, objectives and provisions.3.2Technical interpretation of discrete and significant element
General considerations in relation to the definition and the characterisation requirements forsurface water bodies10establish a number of specific requirements relevant to theidentification of discrete and significant elements. These also present a certain hierarchy ofdefinitions which should be in the identification process. They are summarised in thefollowing paragraphs.3.2.1Discrete element
For a surface water body to be a discrete element of surface water, they must notoverlap with each other or be composed of elements of surface water that are notcontiguous.It is evident that a water body must be discreteandsignificant at the same time, the elementof discreteness is not sufficient on its own. In addition, the considerations regarding theaggregation of water bodies may be applied under certain circumstances, in particular forsmall “water bodies” (cf. Chapter 5).
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Article 2.1Article 3.1Annex II 1
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WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 2Identification of Water Bodies
3.2.2
Surface water categories
A surface water body must not be split between different surface water categories(rivers11, lakes12, transitional waters13and coastal waters14). It must be of onecategory or another15. The boundary of a water body may be established where twodifferent category “meet” (Figure 2).
Figure 2: The boundaries to the categories of surface water create boundaries towater bodies
3.2.3
Typology16
A surface water body must not cross the boundaries between surface water bodytypes. It must be of one type or another since one purpose of characterising surfacewater bodies is to differentiate them into types17.3.2.4Physical characteristics delineating discrete and significant elements
Physical features (geographical or hydromorphological) that are likely to besignificant in relation to the objectives of the Directive should be used to identifydiscrete elements of surface water.
111213141516
Article 2.4Article 2.5Article 2.6Article 2.7Annex II 1.1(i)
CIS WGs 2.3 and 2.4 are developing Guidance on the application of typology systems (WFDCIS GuidanceDocument No. 10and5)17
Annex II 1.1 (ii)
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Geographical or hydromorphological features can significantly influence surface waterecosystems and their vulnerability to human activities. These features can also differentiatediscrete elements of surface water. For example, the confluence of one part of a river withanother could clearly demarcate a geographically and hydromorphologically distinctboundary to a water body (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Example of the sub-division of a river on the basis of physical features – inthis case a river confluence.
However, the Directive does not exclude other elements, such as a part of a lake or part oftransitional water, from being considered as water bodies. For example, if part of a lake is ofa different type to the rest of the lake, the lake must be sub-divided into more than onesurface water body (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Sub-division of a lake on the basis of a type boundary
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3.2.5
Heavily modified and artificial water bodies18
Heavily modified water bodies may be identified and designated where goodecological status is not being achieved because of impacts on thehydromorphological characteristics of a surface water resulting from physicalalterations (Figure 5).Heavily modified and artificial water bodies19must be (at least) provisionally identified duringthe characterisation of surface waters20. Their identification and designation should befinalised for the purposes of the first river basin planning cycle on publication of the riverbasin management plans in 2009. The designations must be reviewed every six years21.The identification of heavily modified water bodies must be based on the designation criteriaset out in Article 4.3. In principle, the boundaries of heavily modified water bodies areprimarily delineated by the extent of changes to the hydromorphological characteristics that(a) result from physical alterations by human activity and (b) prevent the achievement ofgood ecological status.
Figure 5: The establishment of water body boundaries through the identification andsubsequent designation of heavily modified water bodies
3.2.6
Summary
The above-mentioned criteria can be directly drawn from the Directive. They represent ahierarchy of definitions that is already sufficient to enable a first identification of “waterbodies” in the river basin (districts). As first step, the water category and the water body typeCIS Working Group 2.2 is developing detailed Guidance on the identification and designation of heavilymodified water bodies (WFDCIS Guidance Document No. 4)19202118
Article 2.9Annex II 1.1(i)Article 4.3
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should be used to draw the boundaries resulting in discrete “water bodies”. In a subsequentstep, geographical and hydromorphological elements could be considered. However, if suchan approach does not lead to a meaningful delineation of “water bodies”, other criteria couldbe used. These other criteria are described in the subsequent Section.3.3Other criteria for delineating surface water bodies
TheWater Framework Directiveprovides for the above-mentioned criteria (cf. Section 3.2) toidentify water bodies. However, there are other considerations or parameters which will helpto improve the delineation of meaningful water body boundaries. One requirement that isimplicit in the Directive is that the purpose of identifying “water bodies” is to enable thestatus22of surface waters to be accurately described. Related to this requirement, there areconsiderations regardingpressuresandimpacts.Furthermore, differentuses(e.g. drinkingwaters) and existing or newprotected areas(e.g. Natura 2000 sites) may be used in therefinement of the “water body” identification. The subsequent Sections will focus on aspectsof status and protected areas. However, it should be noted that the questions of pressures,status and impacts are closely inter-linked. In the absence of sufficient information on thewater status, the results of the pressure and impact analysis may be used for identifyingmeaningful water body boundaries (WFDCIS Guidance Document No. 3).This will mainlyapply for the preparation of the first characterisation.Member States may identify “surface water bodies” using additional criteria designedto take account of local circumstances and therefore assist in the river basinmanagement planning process.3.3.1Status criteria
A discrete element of surface water should not contain significant elements ofdifferent status. A “water body” must be capable of being assigned to a singleecological status class with sufficient confidence and precision through theDirective’s monitoring programmes23.Although effects of human activities will always vary no matter what the size of a water body,major changes in the status of surface water should be used to delineate surface water bodyboundaries as necessary to ensure that the identification of water bodies provides for anaccurate description of surface water status (see Section 2 and Figure 6).It is clearly possible to progressively subdivide waters into smaller and smaller units thatwould impose significant logistic burdens. However, it is not possible to define the scalebelow which subdivision is inappropriate. It will be necessary to balance the requirement toadequately describe water status with the need to avoid the fragmentation of surface watersinto unmanageable numbers of water bodies. In addition, the aggregation of water bodiesmay be appropriate, under certain circumstances, to reduce meaningless administrativeburden (cf. Chapter 5). In the end, it is a matter for Members States to decide on the basis ofthe characteristics of each River Basin District.Initially, Member States will not have sufficient information to accurately define the status ofwaters. Consequently, especially during the period prior to the publication of the first RiverBasin Management Plan, it may be appropriate to use the analysis on pressures and impacts2223
respectivelypotentialfor artificial and heavily modified water bodies
WFD CIS Guidance Document No.s 5 6, 7and10provide Guidance on the classification of ecological status andmonitoring.
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as a surrogate for status. As understanding of status improves, the boundaries of waterbodies can be adjusted. Contiguous elements of surface water within a type that are of thesame status may be recombined to avoid unnecessary sub-division of surface waters.Finally, it is emphasised that the scale chosen for a particular “water body” will haveinfluence on the management of the active involvement of stakeholders and the public (WFDCIS Guidance Document No. 8provides guidance on Public Participation).
Figure 6: Identification of water bodies according to differences in status
3.3.2
Protected areas
Protected areas are identified under various pieces of legislation such asinter aliaNatura2000 sites designated under the Habitat Directive - (92/43/EC). Under theWater FrameworkDirective,all the protected areas must be considered for an integrated river basinmanagement24. Specific objectives25were defined and various provisions specify morespecific requirements for protected areas (e.g. monitoring26). In consequence, there areadditional objectives to be considered for water bodies which are also fully part of a protected
242526
Article 6, 7 and Annex IVArticle 4 (1) cAnnex V, point 1.3.5
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WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 2Identification of Water Bodies
area. Hence, the existing boundaries of protected areas may be considered for theidentification of water bodies under theWater Framework Directive.The boundaries of water bodies and protected areas will, in most cases, notcoincide because both geographical areas are being defined for different purposeson the basis of different criteria. In case a water body would not fully be inside oroutside a protected area, it may be considered to sub-divide the water bodies intotwo parts so that the boundaries coincide.3.4Suggested process for the practical application of the term surface water body.
The principles described above for the identification of surface water bodies can be appliedin a hierarchical process (see Figure 7).
Figure 7: Summary of suggested hierarchical approach to the identification of surfacewater bodies
To ensure that water bodies do not cross the boundaries of surface water categories(Paragraph 3.2.2), thesuggested first stepin delineating surface water bodies is to identifythe boundaries of the surface water categories.To ensure that water bodies do not cross the boundaries of surface water types(Paragraph 3.2.3), thesuggested second stepin delineating surface water bodies is toidentify the boundaries of the surface water types in each river basin district.To ensure that water bodies represent discrete and significant elements of surface waters,thesuggested third stepin delineating them is to identify boundaries using distinct physicalfeatures (Paragraph 3.2.4) that are (a) likely to be significant in the context of aquaticecosystem characteristics, and (b) are consistent with the examples of discrete andsignificant elements of surface water given in the Directive’s definition (see Section 5.1).
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In order to ensure that water bodies are identified in a meaningful way, thesuggestedfourth stepin identifying surface water bodies is to identify boundaries on the basis of otherrelevant criteria (cf. Section 3.3). This approach is also necessary for the identification ofheavily modified water bodies (see Section 3.2.5). Initially, in the case of absence ofinformation on status, the pressure and impact assessment27procedure required underArticle 5 will provide estimates of status changes (refer toWFD CIS Guidance DocumentNo.3).The monitoring programmes28will provide the information necessary to confirm status-based boundaries. Hence, an iterative approach for identifying water bodies should beapplied. At the same time, it is evident that the delineation of water bodies must be finallyagreed at a certain point in time in order to enable the preparation of the river basinmanagement plan. The competent authorities of a river basin district will have to ensure thata balance between an iterative identification and the final assignment of water bodies isachieved.3.5Small elements of surface water
The purpose of the Directive is to establish a framework for the protection ofallwatersincluding inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater29.Member States must ensure that the implementation of the Directive’s provisions achievesthis purpose. However, surface waters include a large number of very small waters for whichthe administrative burden for the management of these waters may be enormous. .The Directive does not include a threshold for very small “water bodies”. However, theDirective sets out two systems for differentiating water bodies into types30, System A andSystem B. Only the System A typology specifies values for size descriptors for rivers andlakes. The smallest size range for a System A river type is 10 – 100 km2catchment area31.The smallest size range for a System A lake type is 0.5 – 1 km2surface area32. No sizes forsmall transitional and coastal waters are given. The application of system B must achieve, atleast, the same level of differentiation as system A. It is therefore recommended to use thesize of small rivers and lakes according to system A. However, it is recognised that in someregions where there are many small water bodies, this general approach will need to beadapted. Having said that, it may be appropriate to aggregate water bodies into groups forcertain purposes as outlined in Chapter 5 in order to avoid unnecessary administrativeburden.However, there are still large numbers of discrete rivers and lakes that are smaller than thesethresholds. A possible approach for the protection of these waters is outlined below.Member States have flexibility to decide whether the purposes of the Directive,which apply to all surface waters, can be achieved without the identification of everyminor but discrete and significant element of surface water as a water body.
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Annex II 1.5Article 8Article 1Annex II 1.2Annex II 1.2.1Annex II 1.2.2
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A suggested approach (see Figure 8) is to:•include small elements of surface water as part of a contiguous larger waterbody of the same surface water category and of the same type, wherepossible;where this is not possible, screen small elements of surface water foridentification as water bodies according to their significance in the context ofthe Directive’s purposes and provisions (e.g. ecological importance;importance to the objectives of a Protected Area, significant adverse impactson other surface waters in the river basin district). In such a case, smallelements; (1) belonging to the same category and type, (2) influenced by thesame pressure category and level and (3) having an influence on another well-delimited water body, may be grouped for assessment and reportingpurposes;for those small elements of surface water not identified as surface waterbodies, protect, and where necessary improve them to the extent needed toachieve the Directive’s objectives for water bodies to which they are directly orindirectly connected (i.e. apply the necessary basic control measures underArticle 11)33.
•
•
Figure 8: A suggested approach to ensuring appropriate protection of smallestsurface waters
3.6
Components of a “surface water body” and wetlands
A “surface water body” comprises the quality elements described in the Directivefor the classification of ecological status34.
The Article 4.1(a)(iii) priority substances objectives apply to all surface waters regardless of whether they areidentified as surface water bodies.34
33
Annex V 1.1 & Annex V 1.2
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In concrete terms this means that, e.g., a river water body comprises:(a) the hydromorphological quality elements, which include the water flow, the bed ofthe channel, that part of the land adjacent to the channel that’s structure andcondition is directly relevant to the achievement of the values for the biologicalquality elements (i.e. the riparian zone); and(b) the relevant biological elements.In relation to wetlands, this means that those wetlands must be associated with a “waterbody”, which are directly influencing the status of the related “water body”. The boundaries ofsuch wetlands must be identified in a pragmatic way in order to meet the requirement of a“discrete and significant” element.The question of wetlands in the context of theWater Framework Directivewill be subject to aseparate Guidance Documents (currently in preparation) under the umbrella of the CommonImplementation Strategy. It is recommended that this Guidance on wetlands, which willemerge in the first half of 2003, should develop the understanding of wetlands as acomponent of a surface water in more detail.
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4 Specific Guidance on bodies of groundwater4.1DefinitionsThe application of the term body of groundwater must be understood in the context of thehierarchy of relevant definitions provided under Article 2 of the Directive.••Article 2.2:Groundwatermeans all water, which is below the surface of theground in the saturated zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil;Article 2.11:Aquifermeans a subsurface layer or layers of rock or othergeological strata of sufficient porosity and permeability to allow either asignificant flow of groundwater or the abstraction of significant quantities ofgroundwater;Article 2.12:Body of groundwatermeans a distinct volume of groundwaterwithin an aquifer or aquifers.
•
A body of groundwater must be within an aquifer or aquifers. However, not allgroundwater is necessarily within an aquifer.The environmental objectives of preventing deterioration of35,and protecting, enhancing andrestoring36good groundwater status apply only to bodies of groundwater. However, allgroundwater is subject to the objectives of preventing or limiting inputs of pollutants37andreversing any significant and sustained upward trend in the concentration of any pollutant38.4.2Aquifers
As a consequence of the hierarchy of definitions (Section 4.1), thesuggested first stepinthe identification of bodies of groundwater requires a general interpretation of the termaquifer, in respect what constitutes a significant flow of groundwater and what volume ofabstraction would qualify as a significant quantity (see Figure 9).4.2.1Significant flow
The significance of groundwater flow should be understood in the context of thepurpose and provisions of the Directive. Accordingly, a significant flow ofgroundwater is one that, were it from reaching an associated surface water body ora directly dependant terrestrial ecosystem, would result in a significant diminutionin the ecological or chemical quality of that surface water body or significantdamage to the directly dependent terrestrial ecosystems.A key purpose of the Directive is to prevent further deterioration of, and protect and enhancethe status of aquatic ecosystems, and with regard to their water needs, terrestrialecosystems directly depending on aquatic ecosystems39. The objective of protecting andrestoring good groundwater status40is designed to help achieve this purpose. It applies to all
353637383940
Article 4.1(b)(i)Article 4.1(b)(ii)Article 4.1(b)(i)Article 4.1(b)(iii)Article 1(a)Annex V 2.1.2 & 2.3.2
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bodies of groundwater. Consequently, to ensure that the purpose of the Directive can beachieved, the definition of significant flow must encompass all groundwater flow that isimportant to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Geological strata that permit such flowshould therefore qualify as aquifers.4.2.2Abstraction of significant quantities of groundwater
Article 7 requires the identification of all groundwater bodies used, or intended to beused, for the abstraction of more than 10 m3of drinking water a day as an average.By implication, this volume could be regarded as a significant quantity ofgroundwater. Geological strata capable of permitting such levels of abstraction(even only locally) would therefore qualify as aquifers.If either of the criteria described in Paragraphs 4.2.1 or 4.2.2 are satisfied, the geologicalstrata should be regarded as an aquifer. Most geological strata would be expected to qualifyas aquifers as most supply or are intended to supply 10 m3a day as an average or couldserve 50 or more people.However, it is clear that the requirements are different as regards those groundwater bodieswhich are being used or are intended to be used for drinking water abstraction (cf. Article 7)and those bodies where groundwater is abstracted for other uses (cf. Annex II 2.3). For thelatter, not all groundwater bodies would be identified. The criteria in Annex II 2.3 specify, thatonly those groundwater bodies must be addressed “whichcross the boundary between twoor more Member States or are identified [...] as being at risk of failing to meet the objectivesset for each body under Article 4”.
Figure 9: The Directive’s definition of aquifer requires two criteria to be considered indetermining whether geological strata qualify as aquifers. If either of thecriteria is met, the strata will constitute an aquifer or aquifers. In practice,the criteria mean that nearly all groundwater in the Community would beexpected to be within aquifers.
4.3
Delineation of bodies of groundwater
The Directive’s definition of the term body of groundwater does not provide explicit Guidanceon how bodies should be delineated.
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The delineation of bodies of groundwater must ensure that the relevant objectives ofthe Directive can be achieved. This does not mean that a body of groundwater mustbe delineated so that it is homogeneous in terms of its natural characteristics, or theconcentrations of pollutants or level alterations within it. However, bodies should bedelineated in a way that enables an appropriate description of the quantitative andchemical status of groundwater.The delineation of bodies of groundwater should ensure that groundwater quantitativestatus41can be reliably assessed. In some circumstances, quantitative status may bedetermined using long-term monitoring data. In other cases, an estimation of the availablegroundwater resource will require a water balance calculation (seeWFD CIS GuidanceDocument No. 7- Chapter 4).Delineating bodies of groundwater in such a way that anygroundwater flow from one groundwater body to another (a) is so minor that it can be ignoredin water balance calculations; or (b) can be estimated with adequate precision will facilitatethe assessment of quantitative status.Member States will need to take into account the particular characteristics of their aquiferswhen delineating bodies of groundwater. For example, the flow characteristics of somegeological strata, such as karst and fractured bedrock, are much more complex and difficultto predict than others. The delineation of water bodies should therefore be regarded as aniterative process, refined over time to the extent needed to adequately assess and managerisks to the achievement of the Directive’s objectives.It may also be the case that there is substantial flow between strata with very differentcharacteristics (e.g. karst and sandstone). The properties of these different strata may meanthat they require very different management approaches to achieve the objectives of theDirective. In such cases, Member States may wish to delineate water body boundaries thatcoincide with the boundaries between the strata. In doing so, Member States should ensurethat their ability to adequately assess quantitative status is not compromised.4.3.1Geological boundariesBearing in mind the above, the starting point for identifying the geographical boundaries of agroundwater body should be geological boundaries to flow, unless the description of statusand the effective achievement of the Directive’s environmental objectives for groundwaterrequire sub-division into smaller groundwater bodies.4.3.2Other hydraulic boundariesSub-divisions of an aquifer or aquifers that cannot be based on geological boundaries shouldbe based initially on groundwater highs or, where necessary, on groundwater flow lines(Figure 10).4.3.3Taking account of differences in statusThe objectives for bodies of groundwater, and the measures required to achieve them,depend on the existing status of the bodies. The bodies should be units of one chemical andone quantitative status that can be characterised and managed to allow the effectiveachievement of the Directive’s objectives. Major changes in the status of groundwater shouldtherefore be taken into account when delineating groundwater body boundaries to ensurethat, as far as practical, water bodies provide for an accurate description of groundwaterstatus. In doing so, Member States should bear in mind the need to ensure that groundwaterquantitative status can be reliably assessed (see Section 2). Where status is consistent,large bodies of groundwater may be delineated. Where status differences are reduced during41
Annex V 2.1.2. Quantitative status requires assessment of the available groundwater resource [Article 2.27].This requires a water balance calculation.
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a planning cycle, Member States may recombine subdivisions of groundwater of the samestatus for the purposes of subsequent planning cycles.However, water bodies must atleast be fixed for each plan period.Initially, Member States will not have sufficient information to accurately define the status ofgroundwater. Consequently, especially during the period prior to the publication of the firstRiver Basin Management Plan, it may be appropriate to use the analysis of pressures andimpacts42as an indicator of status. As understanding of status improves, the boundaries ofgroundwater bodies should be reviewed as part of the analyses required under Article 5 priorto the publication of each river basin management plan.It is clearly possible to progressively subdivide the groundwater in aquifers into smaller andsmaller units and thereby create significant logistical burdens. However, it is not possible todefine a universally applicable scale below which subdivision is inappropriate.The degree of subdivision of groundwater into bodies of groundwater is a matter forMembers States to decide on the basis of the particular characteristics of their RiverBasin Districts. In making such decisions, it will be necessary for Member States tobalance the requirement to adequately describe groundwater status with the need toavoid the fragmentation of aquifers into unmanageable numbers of water bodies.
Figure 10: Sub-division of aquifers into bodies of groundwater using hydraulicboundaries
4.4
Upper and lower boundaries to bodies of groundwater
Groundwater bodies should be delineated in three dimensions43.The depth of groundwater within an aquifer or aquifers that needs to be protected and, wherenecessary, enhanced through its inclusion in a body of groundwater should depend on therisks to the Directive’s objectives. This is a matter for Member States to decide based on
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Article 5 and Annex II(2)e.g. Annex II 2.2
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WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 2Identification of Water Bodies
their assessments of groundwater characteristics and the risks to the Directive’s objectives44.It should be noted that all groundwater is subject to the ‘prevent or limit’ objective [Article4.1(b)(i)] whether or not it is identified as being part of a body of groundwater.Although most pressures will affect the relatively shallow component of a groundwater flow,groundwater flow at depth can still be important to surface ecosystems - even though thismay be over an extended timescale. Human alterations to groundwater flow at depth canaffect shallow groundwater and thus potentially the chemical and ecological quality ofconnected surface ecosystems. Deep groundwater may also be an important resource fordrinking water or other uses. However, Member States would not be expected to identifydeep groundwater as water bodies where that groundwater (a) could not adversely affectsurface ecosystems; (b) are not used for groundwater abstraction; (c) was unsuitable fordrinking water supply because of its natural qualities or because its abstraction would betechnically unfeasible or disproportionately expensive; and (d) could not place theachievement any other relevant objectives at risk.The Directive’s definitions of aquifer and body of groundwater (see Section 4.1) permitgroundwater bodies to be identified either (a) separately within different strata overlying eachother in the vertical plane, or (b) as a single body of groundwater spanning the differentstrata. This flexibility enables Member States to adopt the most effective means of achievingthe Directive’s objectives given the characteristics of their aquifers and the pressures towhich they are subjected. For example, where there are major differences in status of thegroundwater in strata at different depths, it may be appropriate to identify different bodies ofgroundwater (i.e. one on top of another) to ensure the status of groundwater can beaccurately described, and the Directive’s objectives appropriately targeted.Similar criteria should be applied in defining the upper and lower boundaries of thegroundwater body as to the geographical boundaries (Section 4.3). In other words, tofacilitate the estimation of quantitative status, the upper and lower boundaries should bebased first on geological boundaries and then on other hydraulic boundaries such as flowlines.4.5Assignment to River Basin Districts
Groundwater bodies must be assigned to a River Basin District45.4.6Targeting measures within bodies of groundwater
The analyses undertaken in accordance with Article 5 and Annex II of the Directive (seeWFD CIS Guidance Document No. 3 - IMPRESS),and supplemented by information fromthe monitoring programmes established under Article 8 (seeWFD CIS Guidance DocumentNo. 7 - monitoring)will identify those bodies at risk of failing to achieve the Directive’sobjectives because of specific pressures. This information together with the identification ofProtected Areas under Article 6 will enable Member States to target measures on the rightpressures in the right parts of their bodies of groundwater. To assist this targeting, MemberStates may establish zones within which specific measures are required to achieve theDirective’s objectives. For example, Article 7 indicates that Member States may establishsafeguard zones to help protect water intended for human consumption46.
444546
Article 5 and Annex II 2Article 3.1Article 7.3
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4.7
Suggested process for the practical application of the term body of groundwater
Figure 11 suggests an iterative, hierarchical process for identifying bodies of groundwaterbased on the principles described in this Guidance paper.
Figure 11: Summary of the suggested hierarchical approach to the identification ofbodies of groundwater
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5 Aggregation of water bodiesSurface water bodies or bodies of groundwater may each be grouped for thepurposes of assessing the risk of failing to achieve the objectives set for themunder Article 4 (pressures and impacts)(refer toWFD CIS Guidance DocumentNo. 3)47. They may also be grouped for monitoring, reporting and managementpurposes where monitoring sufficient indicative or representative water bodies inthe sub-groups of surface water or groundwater bodies provides for an acceptablelevel of confidence and precision in the results of monitoring, and in particular theclassification of water body status refer toWFD CIS Guidance Document No. 7)48.It is clear that, for management purposes, it may be useful to aggregate water bodies. Firstpractical indications suggest that such an aggregation will also be inevitable when it comesto reporting to the European Commission. At the same time, there are no criteria whetherand when such an aggregation is acceptable.Where contiguous elements of surface water within a type are of the same status, theircombination in a single water body will provide for an accurate description of surface waterstatus.In addition, it will be necessary to apply this aggregation on the basis of clear criteria agreedon river basin district level and in a transparent way. Further details on whether and howaggregation of water bodies for the purpose of reporting is possible need to be discussedand elaborated in the context of the Expert Advisory Forum on Reporting. In the meantime itis recommended to focus particular attention on this issue when testing this GuidanceDocument, e.g. in the pilot river basins.
4748
Annex II 1.5, 2.1 & 2.2.Annex V 1.3, 2.2 & 2.4.
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ANNEX I
REFERENCES
WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 3 (Dec 2002).Analysis of Pressures and Impacts.Published by the Directorate General Environment of the European Commission, Brussels,ISBN No. 92-894-5123-8, ISSN No. 1725-1087.WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 5 (Jan 2003).Transitional and Coastal Waters, Typology,Reference Conditions and Classification Systems.Published by the Directorate GeneralEnvironment of the European Commission, Brussels, ISBN No. 92-894-5125-4, ISSN No.1725-1087.WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 6 (Dec 2002).Towards a Guidance on establishment ofthe intercalibration network and the process on the intercalibration exercise.Published by theDirectorate General Environment of the European Commission, Brussels, ISBN No. 92-894-5126-2, ISSN No. 1725-1087.WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 7 (Jan 2003).Monitoring under the Water FrameworkDirective.Published by the Directorate General Environment of the European Commission,Brussels, ISBN No. 92-894-5127-0, ISSN No. 1725-1087.WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 8 (Dec 2002).Public Participation in relation to the WaterFramework Directive.Published by the Directorate General Environment of the EuropeanCommission, Brussels, ISBN No. 92-894-5128-9, ISSN No. 1725-1087.WFD CIS Guidance Document No. 10 (April 2003).Rivers and Lakes – Typology, ReferenceConditions and Classification Systems. Published by the Directorate General Environment ofthe European Commission, Brussels, ISBN No. 92-894-5614-0, ISSN No. 1725-1087.
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ANNEX IIName, ForenameD’Eugenio, Joachim
LIST OF DRAFTING MEMBERSRepresentationDrafting Group leaderc/o European Commission, DGEnvironment B.1, Brussels,BelgiumWG leader 2.6c/o European Commission, DGEnvironment A.1, Brussels,BelgiumWG leader 2.5c/o Joint Research Centre-Institute for Environment andSustainability, Ispra, ItalyWG leader 2.2c/o Umweltbundesamt (UBA),Berlin, GermanyWG leader 2.1c/o Environment Agency forEngland and Wales, UKWG leader 2.2c/o Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency, Stirling,Scotland, UKWG leader 2.1c/o Umweltbundesamt (UBA),Berlin, GermanyWG member 2.6 and 2.9c/o Ministry of Environment, Paris,FranceWG member 2.7c/o Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency, Stirling,Scotland, UKEAF Groundwaterc/o European Commission; DGEnvironment B.1, Brussels,BelgiumEAF Groundwaterc/o Ministerium für Umwelt, Kiel,GermanyWG leader 2.7c/o EEA-European Topic Centreon Water, WRc plc, Swindon, UKWG leader 2.2c/o Environment and HeritageService, Belfast, Northern IrelandAddress and contact+32-2-299.03.55joachim.d’[email protected]
Davy, Thierry
Heiskanen, Anna-Stiina
Irmer, Ulrich
Isobel, Austin
Marsden, Martin
Mohaupt, Volker
Noel, Coralie
Pollard, Peter
Quevauviller, Philippe
Rosenbaum, Sabine
Steve, Nixon
Vincent, Claire
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14KH-51-03-172-EN-N
OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONSOF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIESL-2985 LuxembourgISBN: 92-894-5122-XISSN: 1725-1087See our publications catalogue at:http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/pubs/home.htm
