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Water Framework Directive

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a key initiative aimed at improving water quality throughout the EU.  It applies to rivers, lakes, groundwater, and coastal waters.  The Directive requires a co-ordinated approach to water management in respect of whole river basins with a view to maintaining high status of waters where it exists, preventing any deterioration in the existing status of waters and achieving at least "good status" in relation to all waters by 2015. A comprehensive programme of activities is currently underway by this Department, the EPA, local authorities and other relevant bodies for full implementation of the Directive.

A total of eight River Basin Districts (RBDs) have been identified on the whole island of Ireland as the “administrative areas” for co-ordinated management of WFD implementation.  Three of these are international RBDs (North Western IRBD, Shannon IRBD, Neagh Bann IRBD) in relation to cross-border waters shared with Northern Ireland: four RBDs are wholly within the state (South Western, Western, South Eastern, Eastern) and one is wholly within Northern Ireland (North Eastern).

 

Current Developments


The most recent significant development in implementation of the Directive was the publication on 22 December 2008 of Draft River Basin Management Plans for each of the RBDs. These draft plans will be open to public consultation for a period of six months until 22 June 2009. The draft plans provide an assessment of the current status of our water bodies, they propose the environmental objectives to be achieved, and they suggest the measures which will be required in order to achieve these objectives. The measures proposed in the draft plans include a range of existing measures (e.g. implementation of the Nitrates Regulations), and also a range of supplementary measures for consideration.

Some of the draft plans refer to cross-border RBDs. Preparation of these draft plans has been co-ordinated with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland. The draft plans for the three international RBDs include a joint document – ‘Working Together’ – which describes the co-operation that has taken place between the two jurisdictions and the commitment to future co-ordination.

The draft plans have been published in Ireland by the relevant local authorities, and in Northern Ireland they have been published by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Development of the draft plans in Ireland has been facilitated by RBD Projects which have been run by the relevant local authorities and funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The next step in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive will be the adoption of the final River Basin Management Plans in December 2009.

Copies of the draft plans are available on the websites of each River Basin District.

Previous Developments


Previous major milestones in the WFD implementation process include the completion of Characterisation Reports, the bringing into operation of a new monitoring programme and the publication of Significant Water Management Issues reports.

Characterisation Reports were completed in December 2004 for each of the RBDs. These reports comprised a comprehensive assessment of waters (groundwater, rivers, lakes, transition and coastal waters) and establish the baseline and priority actions for subsequent stages in the river basin planning cycle. The reports classify the different ecological types of water bodies, identify each individual water body by type and they set out the baseline data for managing and monitoring progress in the future.  The reports describe all the human activities which take place in the district and which might have an impact on the quality or quantity of waters.  The reports review the impact of these activities on water status and they provide an economic analysis of water use.

A draft Water Framework Directive Monitoring Programme was published by the EPA on 22 June 2006, with an invitation to submit observations to the Minister within one month of publication. The Minister amended the EPA’s programme based on submissions received and the EPA then published the revised programme. The monitoring programme has been operational since 22 December 2006

Significant Water Management Issues Reports were published for each of the RBDs in June 2007. These reports describe the water management issues within a RBD, the activities which impact on water quality, the existing controls on these activities, and the additional controls and measures which may be necessary in order to meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. These reports were published for public consultation, and were intended to provide all interested parties with an early overview of the water management issues affecting each RBD. Publication of the reports was followed by a 6 month period of consultation in which comment was invited from all interested parties and feedback was input to the development of a draft River Basin Management Plans.


More information on the Water Framework Directive may be accessed at the following link  www.wfdireland.ie

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