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How to manage transnational rivers under the Water Framework Directive? Discover the secrets of river basin areas!
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC is a directive designed to protect all water bodies in the European Union, covering marine waters from the coast to a depth of immersion. The directive requires member states to develop river basin management plans by 2009 and aims to achieve "good status" for all water bodies by 2015. However, disappointingly, 47% of EU water bodies have so far failed to meet this target.
Goal of directive
The purpose of the Water Framework Directive is to ensure that all surface water and groundwater reach a "good status". This includes the ecological and chemical status of rivers, lakes, transitional waters and coastal waters, assessed by the following criteria:
Biological quality (fish, benthic invertebrates, aquatic plants)
The hydromorphological quality of a water body, including bank structure, river continuity, or riverbed substrate
Physical-chemical qualities such as temperature, oxidation and nutrient conditions
Chemical quality determined by environmental quality standards for specific pollutants in water bodies
If any of these standards exceed specifications, the water body is no longer considered to be in "good ecological status." The directive also requires groundwater to achieve "good quantitative status" and "good chemical status" by 2015.
Spatial management of river basins
The Water Framework Directive defines river basin areas as the main units for managing river basins. These areas are not defined based on administrative or political boundaries, but rather on the physiographic and hydrological units of the river. Because rivers often cross national boundaries, multiple member states must work together to manage these basins, which are called transboundary basins. The management of a river basin relies on a river basin management plan, which clearly states how to achieve set targets within a specific time frame.
The list of priority substances and pollutants is reviewed every six years.
To facilitate data recording, each water body is assigned a "Water Framework Directive ID" (WFDID). For example, the section of the River Tamme in the West Midlands region of England from the River Blythe to Anker is designated GB104028046440.
Review of violations
Spain's 2001 Ibro River diversion plan was heavily criticized for violating the principles of the EU Water Framework Directive, and the plan was ultimately shelved. The plan aims to divert large amounts of water from the Ibro River to southeast Spain by building 120 dams. In addition, the European Commission issued a formal notification to Ireland in October 2007 that its initial adoption of the legislation was insufficient, followed by a reasoned opinion in November 2011. Although Ireland passed several legislative changes between 2009 and 2014, the EU still considered the efforts of local authorities to be insufficient and ultimately referred Ireland to the court for a ruling.
Post-Brexit Water Framework Directive
The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 update the 2003 framework for England and Wales, with different regulations applicable in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Before Britain joined what was then the Common Market, management of water bodies was organized by river basins. This management tradition will continue in the UK's spatial approach to river basin management, with each River Basin District (RBD) still required to develop a River Basin Management Plan.
A river basin region is defined as an area consisting of one or more adjacent river basins and their associated groundwater and coastal waters.
These plans not only ensure that the interests of all parties are aligned, but also promote cross-border cooperation to achieve common water quality goals. However, with the world facing water shortage and pollution challenges, can we ensure that all parties can work together within this framework to jointly protect precious river resources?
