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Project title

An assessment of the mathematical modelling in the implementation Water Framework Directive in Ireland

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD)

Lead Applicant

Kenneth Irvine

Project Abstract

EC Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy commonly known as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to prevent further deterioration and protect and enhance the status of aquatic ecosystems throughout the European Member states by 2015. The WFD needs to classify waterbodies based on assessment of ecological elements including the hydromorphological and chemical conditions that support those elements and for groundwaters quantitative and chemical status of the waterbody. The realisation of the demands of the WFD requires development and implementation of a number of technical tasks that relate to characterisation of catchments monitoring procedures establishing the relationship between catchment pressures and impacts on aquatic systems and implementation of remediation measures where water bodies are considered to be at risk of failure to achieve their environmental objectives. The technical requirements of the WFD that necessitate scientific support are outlined mainly in Article 5 (Characteristics of the River Basin District) and its associated Annex II Article 8 (Monitoring of water status) and its associated Annex V Article 11 (Programmes of Measures) Article 16 (strategies against pollution of water) that addresses listed substances and Article 17 (strategies to prevent and control pollution of groundwater) and its associated and forthcoming Groundwater daughter directive. Detailed analysis of catchment characteristics assessment of risk to surface and groundwaters further analysis of existing information and collection of new data are all needed to support the implementation of the WFD. However there is still much to understand about the relationships between the catchment and the movement of pollutants and the response of the aquatic ecosystem to anthropogenic impacts. Internal catchment processes dominant pathways of pollutant load and hydromorphology are all important for the response of aquatic biological communities to pressures that arise within the cacthment. Understanding these relationships is further restricted by the inherent complexity of natural systems. The simplification of that complexity through the identification of key variables and responses is a valuable tool that can help realise the technical requirements of the WFD. Such modelling is a likely feature of implementation of all of the technical Articles that can support the overall objectives of the WFD (Article 1) to meet the environmental objectives outlined in Article 4.

Grant Approved

�50,000.00

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Improve our Knowledge on the State of our Water Resources and Pressures

Start Date

n/a

Initial Projected Completion Date

n/a