Monitoring programme design waters

The implementation of the European Union s Water Framework Directive will require all Member States to design water monitoring programmes for the measurement of a range of ecological, hydromorphological, physico-chemical and chemical water quality elements (European Commission, 2000). This has increased the amount of monitoring... 

Ellis, J.C. (1989) Handbook on the Design and Interpretation of Monitoring Programmes, Publication NS 29. Water Research Centre, Medmenham, UK. 

Numeric models are unportant tools for the planning and designing of monitoring programmes. They can help to understand the spatial and temporal variations in pollutant concentrations. For instance, measurements in sediments and biota combined with models can be used to estimate dissolved water concentrations. Thus, appropriately validated and tested models can provide additional evidence that EQS will not be violated in a specific water body. 

The Ministiy of Environment of Spain has invested a lot of money in the design of monitoring programmes and in the Water Framework Directive monitoring networks. 

The strategic objective of REBECCA has been to provide relevant scientific support for the implementation of the Water Eramework Directive (WED). The two specific aims of the project have been, first, to establish links between the ecological status of surface waters and physico-chemical quality elements and pressures from different sources, and, second, to develop and validate tools that Member States can use in the process of classification, in the design of their monitoring programmes, and in the design of measures in accordance with the requirements of the WED. 

As a final consideration, one should keep in mind that achieving traceability of water, sediment and biota chemical monitoring measurements in the context of the WFD will have direct implications for the way in which programmes of measures will be designed and made operational to achieve the good status objectives by 2015. This places a strong emphasis on the importance of metrology since any erroneous data could have tremendous (social and economic) consequences. 

As described in Chapter 1.1 of this book, monitoring data produced in 2007-2008 under the Water Framework Directive (Enropean Commission, 2000) will form the basis for the design of programmes of measures to be included in the first river basin management plan (due to be published in 2009), and thereafter used for evaluating... 

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