10.2 Water Quality Protection
137
transboundary water bodies in the EU also benefit from numerous other environmental measures such as the control of diffuse agricultural pollution, nature
conservation, industrial emissions, waste management, etc. (see Sect. 8.3.3).
In summary, the elaborate water quality objectives, the iterative planning process,
the detailed reporting requirements of EU water law and the systematic compliance
checks by the European Commission have resulted in a significant reduction in the
pollution of transboundary waters in Europe as well as the improvement of the quality
of the aquatic environment.
10.2.3.2 UNECE Law
The UNECE Water Convention builds on earlier efforts undertaken by UNECE
member states for “the prevention, control and reduction of transboundary pollution, sustainable water management, conservation of water resources and environmental protection” (Recital (4)). Consequently, the tasks of riparian governments
centre around a number of general environmental requirements such as pollution
prevention and control, ecologically sound water management or the conservation
of aquatic resources and ecosystems (Art. 2.2.). To that end the Convention requires
the introduction of a range of national legal, administrative, economic, financial and
technical measures, including the prior licensing of waste water discharges, various emission limits for the discharge of hazardous substances, the collection and
treatment of municipal waste, reduction of nutrient inputs, etc. (Art. 3.1.). Not only
are riparian states required to control the discharge of pollutants into transboundary
waters, they are also obliged to adopt quality objectives that limit the amount of pollutants present in the aquatic environment (Art. 3.3.). Examples of such environmental
measures include:
– the protection and restoration of a given percentage of surface water bodies with
the aim of achieving good surface water status by a certain date,
– the protection and restoration of a given percentage of groundwater bodies, and
ensuring a balance between abstraction and recharge of groundwater,
– the provision of access to a given percentage of the population to improved sanitation systems by a certain date,
– the termination of the discharge of untreated urban wastewaters into natural water
bodies from a given number of wastewater treatment plants by a certain date,
– the identification of a given percentage of particularly contaminated sites (pesticides, oil products, or certain hazardous chemicals) by a certain date (UNECE
2011).
Even though these water quality and ecological requirements are rather general in
nature, they nonetheless still constitute one of the most environmentally conscious
multilateral water governance regimes (Giordano 2003). Importantly, however, in
the context of EU member states the Water Framework Directive and the various
other EU directives fully implement and, even, take further the general ecological
137
transboundary water bodies in the EU also benefit from numerous other environmental measures such as the control of diffuse agricultural pollution, nature
conservation, industrial emissions, waste management, etc. (see Sect. 8.3.3).
In summary, the elaborate water quality objectives, the iterative planning process,
the detailed reporting requirements of EU water law and the systematic compliance
checks by the European Commission have resulted in a significant reduction in the
pollution of transboundary waters in Europe as well as the improvement of the quality
of the aquatic environment.
10.2.3.2 UNECE Law
The UNECE Water Convention builds on earlier efforts undertaken by UNECE
member states for “the prevention, control and reduction of transboundary pollution, sustainable water management, conservation of water resources and environmental protection” (Recital (4)). Consequently, the tasks of riparian governments
centre around a number of general environmental requirements such as pollution
prevention and control, ecologically sound water management or the conservation
of aquatic resources and ecosystems (Art. 2.2.). To that end the Convention requires
the introduction of a range of national legal, administrative, economic, financial and
technical measures, including the prior licensing of waste water discharges, various emission limits for the discharge of hazardous substances, the collection and
treatment of municipal waste, reduction of nutrient inputs, etc. (Art. 3.1.). Not only
are riparian states required to control the discharge of pollutants into transboundary
waters, they are also obliged to adopt quality objectives that limit the amount of pollutants present in the aquatic environment (Art. 3.3.). Examples of such environmental
measures include:
– the protection and restoration of a given percentage of surface water bodies with
the aim of achieving good surface water status by a certain date,
– the protection and restoration of a given percentage of groundwater bodies, and
ensuring a balance between abstraction and recharge of groundwater,
– the provision of access to a given percentage of the population to improved sanitation systems by a certain date,
– the termination of the discharge of untreated urban wastewaters into natural water
bodies from a given number of wastewater treatment plants by a certain date,
– the identification of a given percentage of particularly contaminated sites (pesticides, oil products, or certain hazardous chemicals) by a certain date (UNECE
2011).
Even though these water quality and ecological requirements are rather general in
nature, they nonetheless still constitute one of the most environmentally conscious
multilateral water governance regimes (Giordano 2003). Importantly, however, in
the context of EU member states the Water Framework Directive and the various
other EU directives fully implement and, even, take further the general ecological