How comprehensive will the monitoring information be?

All environment agencies have to put in place a comprehensive risk-based monitoring programme for the Water Framework Directive by 22 December 2006. Monitoring requirements are similar to those under existing legislation, but will cover more pressures and as well as being be able to monitor long-term trends. We have typically monitored rivers comphresively but will now need to ensure that we monitor lakes and coastal and transitional waters.

Agencies have reviewed existing monitoring networks against WFD requirements. This has resulted in some changes in networks – this could be the removal of some existing sites as well as the addition of others.

However, all agencies are required to ensure that the monitoring programmes are sufficient to monitor risks to the water environment, and to ensure that the needs of other environmental Directives, such as the Abstraction of Drinking Water Directive (75/440/EEC) and the Freshwater Fish Directive (78/659/EEC), are still met.