Improving the water
environment - second consultation on river basin planning
DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (56/08) issued by
The Government News Network on 25 February 2008
A second volume of
guidance on River Basin Management Planning is published today by
Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government for consultation.
The guidance outlines the role of environmental quality standards
in implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD), explains the
range of new standards that have been developed by the UK
environment agencies, and considers the way in which the
Directive's costs and benefits should be balanced. This
complements the first volume of guidance, which was published in
September 2006 after similar consultation, and which covers the
content of the plans.
The WFD is a challenging Europe-wide plan which considers water
not just in terms of individual rivers, lakes or estuaries, but
acknowledges its inextricable relationship with ecosystems as a
whole. A key consideration in implementing the Directive is
whether measures will incur disproportionate cost and the
Directive offers welcome flexibility on this point.
The guidance focuses on the nine river basin districts in England
and Wales, and one of the two cross-border river basin districts
in England and Scotland, each of which is required to have a River
Basin Management Plan (RBMP).
Minister for Water Phil Woolas said:
"We are reaching a key stage in the implementation of the
Water Framework Directive and this guidance will assist the
Environment Agency in developing draft River Basin Management
Plans by the end of the year.
"The development of those plans, based on the principles set
out in the first volume of guidance as well as what is contained
within this consultation, will inform the decisions on the
measures required in each river basin district to help us achieve
the objectives of the WFD."
An updated Impact Assessment for the Directive has been published
alongside the consultation.
Implementation of the WFD will contribute to improving water
quality standards in England, a commitment outlined by the
Government in the recently published strategy 'Future Water'.
Notes for Editors
The guidance document and updated Impact Assessment are available at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/river-basin/
The WFD requires EC Member States to put in place River Basin
Management Plans (RBMPs) for managing the water environment. Each
RBMP must apply to a "river basin district" (a
geographical area which is defined based on hydrology).
The WFD introduces a 6 yearly cycle of river basin planning. An
RBMP for each river basin district must be produced in 2009, 2015,
2021 and so on. Amongst other things, the plans must list the
environmental objectives for that district, justify how and where
alternative objectives have been used, and summarise the programme
of measures which will be taken to achieve the objectives.
This second volume of guidance on RBMPs sets out the
environmental standards which define the environmental objectives
that need to be met. It is intended to assist the Environment
Agency in carrying out its river basin planning functions in
England and Wales, and in particular to help it to develop the
RBMPs which it will submit to Ministers for approval.
The Environment Agency will undertake a consultation on draft
RBMPs from 22 December 2008 for 6 months.
Further information
on the Water Framework Directive can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/wfd/index.htm
Although the Environment Agency has overall responsibility for
drawing up the plans, the WFD requires water management issues to
be considered right across the hydrological cycle, and alongside
environmental, social and economic priorities. To achieve this,
the Environment Agency will work in partnership with the public,
private and voluntary sector organisations affected by the RBMPs.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on
our website http://www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Website
http://www.defra.gov.uk