6.1 Integrated Water Management for Quality and Quantity
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all water bodies with the central aim that the environment is protected to a high level in its
entirety.
The Directive also provides a framework for integrated management of ground water
and surface water for the first time at European level. For this reason the implementation
of the WFD is aiming at the achievement of a good ecological status and a good chemical
status.
Surface Water
Ecological Protection
The good ecological status is defined in Annex V of the WFD. It comprises the quality of
the biological community, the hydrological characteristics and the chemical characteristics. Because of ecological variability no absolute standards for biological quality can be
set which apply across the Community.
Chemical Protection
Good chemical status is defined in terms of compliance with quality standards established
for chemical substances at European level. The Directive provides a mechanism for renewing these standards and establishing new ones by means of a prioritization mechanism
for hazardous chemicals.
Other Uses
The other uses or objectives for which water is protected apply only in specific areas.
Therefore, the obvious way to integrate them is to designate specific protection zones to
meet different objectives. The overall plan of objectives for the river basin will then require
ecological and chemical protection everywhere as a minimum, but where more stringent
requirements are needed for particular uses, zones will be established and higher objectives
set within them.
A set of uses which adversely affect the status of water but which are considered essential on their own terms are, for example, flood protection (see Flood Risk Management
Directive on p. 139) and drinking water supply. Less apparent cases are navigation and
power generation, where the activity is open to alternative approaches (transport can be
switched to land, other means of power generation can be used). Interferences may be acceptable, but have to pass three tests: that the alternatives are technically impossible, that
they are prohibitively expensive or that they produce a worse overall environmental result.
Ground Water
Chemical Status
The general target to ground water protection is that it should not be polluted at all.
For this reason, setting chemical quality standards may not be the best approach, as it
gives the impression of an allowed level of pollution. A few standards have been established at European level for particular issues (nitrates, pesticides and biocides). The
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all water bodies with the central aim that the environment is protected to a high level in its
entirety.
The Directive also provides a framework for integrated management of ground water
and surface water for the first time at European level. For this reason the implementation
of the WFD is aiming at the achievement of a good ecological status and a good chemical
status.
Surface Water
Ecological Protection
The good ecological status is defined in Annex V of the WFD. It comprises the quality of
the biological community, the hydrological characteristics and the chemical characteristics. Because of ecological variability no absolute standards for biological quality can be
set which apply across the Community.
Chemical Protection
Good chemical status is defined in terms of compliance with quality standards established
for chemical substances at European level. The Directive provides a mechanism for renewing these standards and establishing new ones by means of a prioritization mechanism
for hazardous chemicals.
Other Uses
The other uses or objectives for which water is protected apply only in specific areas.
Therefore, the obvious way to integrate them is to designate specific protection zones to
meet different objectives. The overall plan of objectives for the river basin will then require
ecological and chemical protection everywhere as a minimum, but where more stringent
requirements are needed for particular uses, zones will be established and higher objectives
set within them.
A set of uses which adversely affect the status of water but which are considered essential on their own terms are, for example, flood protection (see Flood Risk Management
Directive on p. 139) and drinking water supply. Less apparent cases are navigation and
power generation, where the activity is open to alternative approaches (transport can be
switched to land, other means of power generation can be used). Interferences may be acceptable, but have to pass three tests: that the alternatives are technically impossible, that
they are prohibitively expensive or that they produce a worse overall environmental result.
Ground Water
Chemical Status
The general target to ground water protection is that it should not be polluted at all.
For this reason, setting chemical quality standards may not be the best approach, as it
gives the impression of an allowed level of pollution. A few standards have been established at European level for particular issues (nitrates, pesticides and biocides). The