REFCOND EU Water Framework Directive project funded by the European Commission DG Environment Included in the EU Water Directors “Common Strategy on the Implementation of the WFD”

REFCOND Lead country: Associated partners: Sweden Administration: Swedish EPA Co-ordination: Swedish Univ. of Agr. Sciences Associated partners: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and UK; JRC

Objectives To develop an operative definition of type specific reference conditions To develop criteria for selecting techniques for establishing type specific reference conditions To develop principles for setting the boundaries between high, good and moderate ecological status

WFD requirements Biological reference conditions should be identified for each type of body of water The reference conditions must satisfy certain chemical and hydro-morphological criteria

WFD requirements Criteria for reference conditions: Hydro-morphological and physico-chemical parameters should reflect totally, or nearly totally, undisturbed conditions Specific synthetic pollutants should have concentrations close to zero or at any rate below the limit of detection Specific non-synthetic pollutants should have concentrations within the range normally associated with background levels

WFD requirements Identification of reference conditions: Spatial data - existing monitoring sites Historical data Paleolimnology Models - hindcasting and/or predictive Expert judgement

Classification    Deviation Status 1 High Good Biological parameter No/minimal  Good Slight Biological parameter value observed Reference biological value EQR=  Moderate Moderate Poor Bad

Work programme Work packages: 1. Co-ordination 2. Establishment of project web-site 3. Agreement on common definitions 4. Review of techniques 5. Evaluation of techniques 6. Elaboration of first protocol draft 7. Review and validation of protocol 8. Finalisation of protocol

WORK PROGRAMME WORK PROGRAMME Evaluation of techniques Evaluation of techniques and principles used by Member states for identification of reference conditions and principles for delineation of quality classes.

First draft guidance Elaboration of first draft of guidance. Typology Reference conditions Principles for setting class boundaries

Typology (1) In the WFD implementation typology is required for different purposes: reference conditions, reporting, intercalibration Reference conditions and reporting have different typology requirements

Typology (2) System A is not suitable for type-specific reference conditions types are not ecologically meaningful within-type variability is not tested, but is likely to be too large

Typology (3) Because in System B class boundaries are unspecified, there is a risk that different countries use incomparable systems This would be an obstacle for comparison and harmonisation of assessment systems A single, transparent core typology (to be refined locally) would be beneficial

Typology (4) Reference conditions: site-specific RC preferable, but this requires models based on data and/or expert knowledge To achieve this, a European initiative to bring together the data would be required

Determining reference conditions Availability of data for water body type Suggested Approach Spatial network + predictive model Yes Minimally impacted sites available? Minimally impacted sites available elsewhere? No Borrow data and use in spatial network + predictive model Yes Historical data? No Predictive model eg.palaeoecology; hindcasting Yes No relevant sites or data? No Expert judgement model concept and test when data become available Yes

Setting Class Boundaries

WFD - the normative classification can be summarized as: high ≈ no or only minor deviations; good ≈ low levels of disturbance, but deviate only slightly; moderate ≈ moderate deviations and significant effects; poor ≈ major biological alterations and substantial deviation; bad ≈ severe biological alterations and large deviation.

Factors to be considered in setting class boundaries number of classes - scientific or political stressor - response relationship variance within and among classes errors

Quantifying ecological status: problem of errors 1 0 high good moderate poor bad EQR

Review and finalisation of guidance Review and validation of protocol. All Member States are expected to review and comment on the guidance document Will be finalised autumn 2002