WP 3: Review of data on reference conditions and existing assessment methods

Objectives

To compile an overview of data on reference conditions and existing assessment methods using benthic invertebrates, fish, phytobenthos, macrophytes and river habitat surveys, national standards on sampling, analysis and quality evaluation, related national projects and existing databases. To use this information so as to ensure that the current proposal adopts the most relevant European procedures in order to meet its objectives. The results will be presented on the "Review-page".

Methodology/work description

An aim of the project is to facilitate inter-calibration of the principal methodologies likely to be adopted by the Member States in their implementation of the Water Framework Directive. In order to ensure that the methods adopted for testing within the project are the most appropriate in terms of their widespread current or likely future use, a detailed review will be undertaken of procedures in current use in Member States for monitoring the ecological status of lotic waterbodies. The taxonomic and other categories considered will include:

• Phytobenthos
• Macrophytes
• Macroinvertebrates
• Fish
• Hydromorphology

In addition, data sources on reference communities will be sampled. The information will be gathered from a combination of sources:

• Existing reviews
• Consortium members personal knowledge
• Project AQEM data-base
• Published and grey literature reviews
• National sampling protocol manuals
• Existing national and international review projects
• Questionnaire

A specially designed questionnaire will be circulated to each of the principal agencies with responsibility for monitoring the ecological status of lotic waterbodies in Member States of the Council of Europe including the candidate states. These will include agencies with national, federal, regional or specific River Basin responsibilities.

The questionnaire will address the following issues:

• The methods in current usage (for each taxonomic/hydromorphological element).
• The existence (or not) of a standard sampling protocol (or a methodological source reference).
• The existence of national (draft) standards and how they are related to existing or planned international standards.
• The geographical provenance of each method.
• The range of water-body types to which the method is applied.
• The method of reporting the data acquired, including metrics used for assessment.
• Whether the procedure incorporates the 'reference state' concept.
• The suitability of the procedure for implementing the Water Framework Directive.
• A brief critique of each method, emphasising its particular strengths and weaknesses in the context of the Directive.
• Whether and, if yes, how the results of each method are combined with the output of other methods in order to obtain an integrated appraisal of ecological status.
• How many grades of ecological status are defined and how this has been done.
• Existing databases, their structure and the programs and algorithms used.
• Web links and other information sources.

Overview