River basin management policy issues

Forstner, U. (2008) Differences in policy response to similar scientific findings - examples from sediment contamination issues in River Basin Management Plans. New perspectives with sediment issues (monitoring and measures) under the European Water Framework Directive. J. Soils and Sediments, 8, pp. 214-216. 

On November 18-20, 1998, a workshop on Scientific Issues Relevant to the Assessment of Health Effects from Exposure to Methylmercury was conducted in Raleigh, North Carolina. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and ATSDR. The purpose of this workshop was to discuss and evaluate the major epidemiologic studies that associated methylmercury exposure and the results of an array of developmental measures in children. These studies monitored and evaluated exposed populations in Iraq, the Seychelles Islands, the Faroe Islands, and the Amazon River Basin. A number of animal studies were also considered in support of a human health risk assessment. 

The concept of management of water resources within a river basin or sub-basin context, facilitating integration of land and water related issues, has been applied in Japan. Similarly, in India and China, the national water policy asserts that water resources planning be undertaken for a hydrological unit, such as a drainage basin or sub-basin. 

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