The European Water Framework Directive is potentially the most important, recent development in protecting and improving our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. It requires rivers to achieve Good Ecological Status by 2015 – and, if that’s not possible, it allows interim targets to be set for 2015 and 2021 with full compliance by 2027. Under all conditions, it requires that there should be no deterioration in status.
“Good Ecological Status” (or GES) is a new system of assessing water quality that has been introduced under the WFD. The broader range of pollutants and biology taken into consideration, including fish and aquatic plants, sets a new standard for healthy populations of fish and other species living in our waters. This new approach has produced a more accurate picture of the state of our water environment. It has shown that our waters are very poor in terms of the life they contain. In Northern Ireland, over 75% of our rivers, 87% of lakes, 100% of our estuaries and 50% of our coastal waters are failing to meet GES.
Under the WFD, some waters have been designated as Artificial or Heavily Modified Water Bodies - this can include reservoirs, canals and rivers used for drainage, water resources, hydrogeneration and navigation. Such waters only have to achieve Good Ecological Potential. This means that certain on-going damaging activities and modifications will be permitted.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has lead the work to produce the 3 Regional River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) setting out how the Directive’s targets will be met in Northern Ireland. These plans should identify the main pressures causing problems on our rivers, such as: agricultural pollution; abstraction and low flows; nutrients from sewage; urban run-off; biological effects including non-native species; and industrial legacy.
RBMPs were published in January 2010 after public consultation in 2009. These Plans, published by NIEA suggested that we would aim to achieve a 67% increase in GES in rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. The Plans did not clearly identify how this target will be reached. They relied very heavily on existing legislation with little commitment to any additional actions. You can view the Plans by clicking here:
In addition, NIEA are working on Local Management Area Plans which will set out how objectives will be achieved in local rivers across Northern Ireland. The first these plans will be finalised in 2010. The NIEA need your help. This is where the Our Rivers campaign comes in.
