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Role of monitoring programmes Role of monitoring programmes developed under the Water developed under the Water Framework Directive for future data Framework Directive for future data flowflow

Tim Lack

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Technical Report No. 7- EUROWATERNET design

• A network fully representative of the differences in, and variability, of quality,quantity and pressures found in all water body types across Europe would be expected to answer most questions asked of the EEA.

• It was the long-term aim to make EUROWATERNET fully statistically representative.

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0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

FI

SI

IT

NL

LU

LT

EE

ES

FR

GB

NO

SE

HU

BG

AT

PL

SK

LV

CZ

DE

DK

Percentage of water bodies

Downward

No trend

Upward

Trends in nitrate concentrations in river water bodies, 1992 to 2003

Representative assessment of water bodies rather than monitoring stations

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Eionet-WaterEionet-Water• Collects data and information from national

monitoring networks• National monitoring networks established to

supply the data and information required for national and international policies

• Changes in national monitoring networks have been previously coped with by Eionet-Water, and incorporated into Waterbase, and will continue to do so

• Major changes in national monitoring networks likely to arise from Water Framework Directive requirements

• How much monitoring in addition to that required by WFD will still be undertaken by countries e.g. for Nitrates Directive?

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Article 8 – MonitoringArticle 8 – Monitoring

• for surface water status, groundwater status and protected areas

• to establish a coherent and comprehensive overview of water status within each river basin district

• For EU Member States needs to be operational by 22 December 2006Changes in Eionet-Water stations leading up to and after this date?

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Types of monitoringTypes of monitoring

Surface waters• surveillance• operational• investigative

Protected Areas

Groundwater• water level• surveillance for

chemical status• operational for

chemical status• significant long

term trends in pollutants

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Future data flows from WFD Future data flows from WFD monitoring networks will be monitoring networks will be influenced by national differences in influenced by national differences in

• Categories/Types of water bodies• Types and distribution of pressures• Identification of water bodies – sizes

and numbers• Interpretation of requirements for

monitoring

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Monitoring Guidance Document (7) Monitoring Guidance Document (7) proposes an overall pragmatic proposes an overall pragmatic approachapproach

• Because of the diversity of circumstances within Europe

• Guidance may be applied in a flexible way in answer to problems that will vary from one river basin to the next

• Guidance should be tailored to specific circumstances

• Any adaptations should be justified and reported in a transparent way

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““Acceptable", "adequate" and "sufficient" Acceptable", "adequate" and "sufficient" levels of precision and confidence in levels of precision and confidence in status and trends assessments affects:status and trends assessments affects:

• Number of water bodies included in the various types of monitoring

• Number of stations that will be required to assess the status of each water body, and

• Frequency at which parameters indicative of surface water and groundwater quality elements will have to be monitored.

• Choosing levels of precision and confidence would set limits on how much uncertainty (arising from natural and anthropogenic variability) can be tolerated in the results of monitoring programmes and the subsequent (mis)classification of status

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Key PrincipleKey Principle

• The actual precision and confidence levels achieved should enable meaningful assessments of status in time and space to be made

• Member States will have to quote these levels in RBMPs and will thus be open to scrutiny and comment by others. This should serve to highlight any obvious deficiencies or inadequacies in the future

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Objectives of surveillance monitoringObjectives of surveillance monitoring

• Supplementing and validating the impact assessment procedure detailed in Annex II

• Designing efficient and effective future monitoring programmes

• Assessing long term changes in natural conditions and those resulting from widespread anthropogenic activity

• Undertaken for at least a period of one year during the period of a RBMPOnce every 6 years will not be adequate for European assessments if this is what countries implement, and if only surveillance data are reported

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Objectives of operational monitoringObjectives of operational monitoring

• Establish status of those water bodies identified as being at risk of failing to meet their environmental objectives

• Assess any changes in the status of such water bodies resulting from the programmes of measures

• Results of operational monitoring used to classify status of water bodies at risk

• Results of surveillance monitoring used to classify status of water bodies not at risk

Risk of failing WFD objectives

Number of WBs

% Number of WBs

AT RISK 383 5 PROBABLY AT RISK

1859 24

PROBABLY NOT AT RISK

3015 39

NOT AT RISK

1393 18

NOT ASSESSED

1166 15

TOTAL 7816 100

Pressures from diffuse sources of phosphorus in rivers

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Where to monitor? Where to monitor? Surveillance – surface watersSurveillance – surface waters

In sufficient water bodies to provide an assessment of the overall surface water status within each catchment and sub-catchment within the river basin district• Only monitoring in waters bodies not at risk

(high and good status)?• Or in water bodies across a full range of

different statuses (high to poor)?• For European assessments need data from

water bodies representing full range of statuses

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Where to monitor? Where to monitor? Operational – surface watersOperational – surface waters

• For all water bodies identified as being at risk of failing EOs

• For all water bodies into which priority substances are discharged

• Not necessarily in ALL such bodies as grouping of water bodies allowed but must be technically or scientifically justifiableNeed to know if and how monitoring results from any particular water body represents a group of similar water bodies – removal of bias in assessments, extrapolation to other water bodies for a representative overview

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Where to monitor? Where to monitor? Operational – surface watersOperational – surface waters

• Monitoring at operational monitoring stations may not be undertaken over a complete River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) period (6 years) because for example:• Monitoring results indicate that water body is not at

risk (status is good or above, and there is no risk of deterioration)

• Measures have improved status to good or above

European reporting and assessments must take account of this (flexible approach and audit trail of submitted stations)

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What to monitor?What to monitor?

Surveillance• Parameters indicative

of all biological, hydromorphological and general physico-chemical quality elements

• Priority List substances if discharged in River Basin

• Other pollutants if discharged in significant quantities

Operational• Parameters indicative

of those biological and hydromorphological quality elements most sensitive to the pressures to which the body(ies) are subject

• Only priority substances and other pollutants (including nutrients) that might cause failure of EOs

Differences in the numbers and types of available determinands from monitoring stations

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Frequency of monitoringFrequency of monitoring

• Can tailor monitoring frequencies according to conditions and variability within their own waters

• Frequencies to achieve an acceptable level of confidence and precision in assessing a water body’s status

• Levels of confidence and precision achievable will be balanced against the costs of monitoring

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Frequency of monitoringFrequency of monitoring

• Minimum monitoring frequencies for all the quality elements given in Annex V

• Minimum frequencies may not be adequate to detect long term changes

• MSs may have to undertake additional surveillance monitoring at least during the first 3 years from 2006 to 2008

• Greater intervals may be justifiable on the basis of technical knowledge and expert judgementData from every station for every determinand and year may not be available because of variable and different monitoring frequencies

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Groundwater monitoringGroundwater monitoring

• Based on conceptual model/ understanding of groundwater system

• Quantity: Enough groundwater bodies or groups of groundwater bodies to provide a reliable assessment of the quantitative status of all groundwater bodies or groups of bodies

• Chemical Surveillance monitoring required in bodies or groups of bodies both at risk and not at risk of failing WFD objectives.

• Chemical Operational monitoring required only in bodies at risk of failing to meet WFD objectives.

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Groundwater: quantity Groundwater: quantity

• Minimal monitoring in GWBs not at risk• Greater density of sites in more

spatially variable systems and in relation to pressures

• Determinands: e.g. GW and/or SW levels, spring flows

• Frequency: Daily preferred, minimum monthly

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Groundwater - surveillanceGroundwater - surveillance

• Includes stations that are included in operational monitoring

• More stations in “not at risk” GWBs where confidence in risk assessments is low than where confidence is high

• Core parameters (nitrate, NH4, O2, pH, conductivity, temperature and relevant major and trace ions

• Selected parameters indicative of specific pressures

• 2 times a year in confined aquifers, quarterly in unconfined aquifers – less frequent over longer term

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Groundwater - operationalGroundwater - operational

• Points representative of key receptors (e.g. dependent surface WBs) and pressures

• For diffuse pollution distributed across GWB• Core and selected case specific parameters• Annual samples in confined aquifers• Unconfined aquifers: quarterly to annually

depending on groundwater vulnerability and nature of pressures (intermittent or continuous)

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Concluding commentsConcluding comments

• Not clear what the impact on data flows will be – should be become more evident in 2007

• Will there be an increase/decrease in national monitoring programmes in terms of numbers of stations, frequency of monitoring and determinands monitored?

• Will there just be WFD monitoring programmes?

• Will current Eionet-Water stations be relocated or lost?

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Concluding commentsConcluding comments

• Likely to need data and information from both surveillance and operational monitoring networks

• Reporting of data and information from all national monitoring stations?

• Will require flexible approach and audit trail to allow for periodic changes in reporting of stations

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Concluding commentsConcluding comments

• Will need more interpretative/ contextual information such as on type of monitoring, significant pressures, and representation of groups of water bodies, for representative and reliable European assessments

• Improved confidence and precision in monitoring data and results!

• Better quality data because of improved AQC/QC

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Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!