Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
WFD also repeal several existing and older EU water directives dating back to the
1970s. By encompassing previous water directives WFD effectively sets a strategic
framework, which should ensure sustainable management of water in the long term. The
repeal of the older Directives will take place in either in 2007 or in 2013 after which
WFD will offer at least the same level of protection as the repealed directives. The
Directives to be repealed include the Surface Water Abstraction Directive (in 2007);
Freshwater Fish Directive (in 2013); Shellfish Waters Directive (in 2013); Groundwater
Directive (in 2013); and the Dangerous Substances Directive (in 2013).
Implementing WFD is complex and requires new ways of working across the EU. It
is also unique amongst water directives as economic analysis
is also written into its
requirements — cost-effective analysis (CEA) is one of the criteria for choosing the
measures to be used to achieve WFD objectives. There are also a number of exemptions
that may be used when defining the objectives to be met during River Basin Management
planning. These include setting less stringent objectives if the water body is heavily
modified (HMWB) or is an artificial water body (AWB). Instead of aiming to achieve
good ecological status, the aim must be to achieve good ecological potential. Exemptions
may also be used in cases where (1) costs of achieving the status are disproportionately
expensive, (2) the time scale for achievement of the objectives is technically infeasible or
natural conditions do not allow timely improvement of the water body. All exemptions
have detailed criteria which must be met for the alternative objectives to be applied.
Bathing Water Directive
The Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) (see http://europa.eu.int/water/water-
bathing/index_en.html) aims to protect public health and the environment from faecal
pollution in bathing waters. The Directive requires member states to identify popular
beaches and monitor the bathing waters for indicators of microbiological pollution. The
microbiological quality of bathing waters has improved considerably in the UK following
substantial capital investment at inland and coastal sewage treatment works. Compliance
with the current mandatory coliform standard of the European Bathing Water Directive at
coastal waters in the UK was 98% in 2003, compared with 77% in 1990. However,
proposed revisions to the Bathing Water Directive, with stricter water quality standards,
will result in reduced compliance (see Defra web site for more details).
Water quality failures occur principally following times of high river flow, when
there is increased runoff from diffuse agricultural sources and, potentially, releases of
untreated sewage from combined sewer overflows and storm tanks. The relative
contributions of diffuse agricultural and urban associated point sources depends upon the
land use and hydrology of a catchment. A number of recent studies have quantified this
impact in a number of UK catchments. Intensive monitoring of discharges and water
quality on the Island of Jersey, the Staithes catchment (North Yorkshire), the Ayrshire
beaches in south-west Scotland and the Nyfer catchment (Pembrokeshire) established that
during storm flows c.60% of the FIO budget was contributed by diffuse sources from
within the catchments, rather than to known sewer and storm over-flows (Defra 2004a).
Although a number of detailed catchment investigations have now been carried out,
an overall picture of the agricultural contribution to bathing water quality failures has not
been formed. Defra is currently funding a project to enhance an existing methodology for
estimating faecal pollution arising form manure spreading on agricultural land and
determining agriculture's contribution to failure of bathing waters to meet the
requirements of the Directive.
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