1. EU Water Framework Directive
Report from the Monitoring Workshop
Brussels April 2006
SCG meeting
Brussels, May 2006
Jorge Rodriguez Romero
European Commission, DG Environment
Unit D.2 – Water and Marine, WFD Team

2. Objectives of the workshop
CIS Workshop on surface waters monitoring networks and classification systems
Exchange of views among Member States on current practice for the design of monitoring networks and classification systems
Surface waters only

3. Contents
Design of monitoring networks for rivers, lakes and transitional/coastal waters
Surveillance and operational monitoring
How Article 5 reports risk assessment results are used in the design of the monitoring networks
Quality elements
Investigative monitoring strategies
International River Basin Districts: key issues in the design of monitoring networks to ensure comparability across IRBD.
Classification systems design: practical application of the Ecostat classification guidance
Combining information from different quality elements to assess water status
Role of supporting elements
Application of one-out all-out principle

4. 19 presentations from 11 countries plus EEA, JRC
Some figures
80 participants
23 Member States + RO, NO, CH
19 presentations from 11 countries plus EEA, JRC

5. Some charts
The following charts are based in preliminary figures collected informally during the workshop and afterwards by
These charts are not intended to be part of any compliance checking exercise!
The objective is to provide an overview of the extent of diversity

6. Number of surveillance and operational monitoring sites rivers

7. Number of surveillance and operational monitoring sites lakes

8. Surveillance sites in relation to water bodies: rivers

9. Surveillance sites in relation to water bodies: lakes

10. Surveillance sites per 1000 km2 rivers

11. Operational sites / article 5 water bodies at risk

12. Some preliminary conclusions (I)
Severe differences in concepts for surveillance and operational monitoring
Surveillance vs operational
Surveillance covers all five classes or high-good only
Some (but not all) MS go beyond minimum monitoring frequencies in WFD Annex V
Relation with the results of the Article 5 risk assessment unclear

13. Some preliminary conclusions (II)
“Budget driven” design
Use of CIS guidance unclear
One-out all-out principle should be used with caution