WFD Cycle 2 river hydrology classification
This dataset is a subset of "WFD Classification Status Cycle 2" and contains classification data for hydrological regime. A river can only hold a healthy biological population if there is sufficient water and natural structures to support biological processes. Rivers with sufficient flows can also support human activities such as farming, drinking water supply and industrial processes. The hydrology assessment tool uses data on freshwater flows, physical modification and water abstraction to assess the health of a water body. The tool works by assessing a water body’s compliance category (freshwater inputs less abstraction amounts) against a score for flow compliance. A water body cannot score high status if it is considered to be ‘heavily modified’ which refers to a river being modified from its natural state for human use. If a water body considered heavily modified scored high in the compliance and flow tests it would be automatically downgraded to ‘Supports Good’ status. Flow, abstraction and physical structure data are used in combination to produce scores known as Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR). EQRs are used to produce a Hydrology classification (High, Supports Good, Good, Moderate, Poor, Bad) of the water body for Water Framework Directive (WFD) purposes. Attribution statement: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2015. All rights reserved.
dataset
protocol: http
name: WFD_SW_Classification_Status_and_Objectives_Cycle2_v3.xlsx
description: WFD_SW_Classification_Status_and_Objectives_Cycle2_v3.xlsx download on Defra Data Services Platform
4843f31c-917d-4a16-8b13-93e1e1a78c49
eng
http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/27700
environment
environment
EC directive
publication
2010-01-13
water quality
publication
2010-01-13
-6.236
2.072
55.816
49.943
2015-12-02
2099-12-31
creation
2015-12-09
annually
The Water Framework Directive classification system is risk based and focuses on where there is likely to be a problem. It uses a principle known as "one out, all out", which means the poorest individual results drive the overall classification for a water body. It reports on over 30 quality elements, grouped into ecological status and chemical status. Ecological status includes physico-chem (e.g. nutrients, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia) , biological elements (e.g. phytoplankton, macroalgae, fish, invertebrates) , specific pollutants (e.g. metals and compounds, organic compounds) , hydromorphology (e.g. depth, width, flow, structure). Chemical status is assessed using priority substances, priority hazardous substances and other pollutants that present a significant risk to the water environment.
Proprietary format | MS Excel (XLS)
Unknown
Open Government Licence
There are no public access constraints to this data. Use of this data is subject to the licence identified.
There are no public access constraints to this data. Use of this data is subject to the licence identified.
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2024-01-02