1. Monitoring, assessing and classifying the environment
Classification
Monitoring, assessing and classifying the environment

2. Why we need to classify
Provides information on the environment’s quality to the Scottish public
RBMP
Classification allows us to define targeted objectives for the RBMPs
We have to report results to the EU
The Water Framework Directvie sets an enormous challenge in meeting the objectvies of the improvement and protection of the water environment and is the major driver for the sustainable management of water in the UK. The water environment includes all rivers, canals, lochs, estuaries, wetlands and coastal waters as well as water under the ground.

3. How was classification devised?
Increasing control
Increasing comparability
Ecostat
UKTAG (Technical Advisory Group) was set up to provide coordinated advice on scientific and technical aspects of the WFD
UKTAG through its various task forces, refines rules for classification from the Directive and EU guidance

4. Objectives and state of the water environment in Scotland
HIGH
GOOD
MODERATE
POOR
BAD
No deterioration
Improve to Good Status by 2027
Protected Areas
R e s t o r e
RBMPs has two main types of objectives.
First is to protect against deterioration in quality – through authorising new activities, land use planning decisions and protecting against the spread of invasive.
Second is to improve to good status by Ambitious plan – We need to do this unless there is a very good reason not to.
The plans also cover protected areas – bathing waters, drinking water, shellfish waters and conservation areas.
5. Objective setting for 2nd plans was led by the Water unit supported by SEPA sector leads and informed by
external sector engagement
consultation feedback
ecosystems services data
PA status (SAC, SPA, NVZ, UWWTD etc)
confidence of classification and pressures
estimated costs of improvement versus the ££ available (done through scenarios and impacts on use)

5. What is classification?
All Scotland’s baseline water bodies have to be classified
Classification based on ecological, chemical and hydromorphological data
WBs will be classified as High, Good, Moderate, Poor or Bad status (GEP)
Large emphasis on ecology
Classification informs the setting of objectives

6. What do we do where?

7. How do we monitor and classify?
Risk-based, in response to pressures
Good spatial extent
3 types of monitoring
Surveillance – long term change
Operational – sites at risk
Investigative – pollution incidents or intensive to improve confidence
REVIEWED ANNUALLY

8. Grouping Grouping – why?
Have to classify all water bodies; can’t afford to monitor them all
How were the groups created?
Based on risk, pressure profile and typology. Each group has monitoring in and these classification results used to classify the group

9. Heavily modified water body
“so affected by human activity that it may be unfeasible or unreasonably expensive to achieve good status less stringent environmental objectives may be set”
So, we assess HMWBs for “ecological potential”, not ecological status

10. What’s in classification?
Then for each final box, varying numbers of parameters below
Type of parameter varies, depending on the water category

11. One out all out Overall status is same as the worst parameter
No averaging out
Consistent across EU and UK
Ask them as questions.

12. e.g. rivers
High
Good
Pass
Bad
Bad
Pass
High
Pass
Bad
Bad