1. Drinking Water Directive review and
MEETING SCG
8 March 2016
Item 7. f)
Drinking Water Directive review and
Report on the Seminar "Drinking Water Protection Paramount"
Presentation: Tobias Biermann (DG ENV.C2) and Elisa Vargas Amelin (DG ENV.C1) 1

2. DWD Objectives:
• to protect human health from the adverse effects of any contamination
• to ensure that drinking water at the consumer tap is wholesome and clean.
Drinking Water
Abstraction:
Not in DWD!
WFD Art. 7

3. European Citizens Initiative 'Right2water' http://ec. europa
- First successful ECI
- The EU to ensure that all inhabitants enjoy the right to water and sanitation
Commission response COM(2014) 177 final, 19 March 2014
Follow-up:
EU-wide public consultation on the Drinking Water Directive (Survey performed in 2014)
Short-Term: Amendment Annexes
Long-Term: Evaluation of the Directive

4. Amendment of Monitoring Annexes II/III
Short Term Strategy
Amendment of Monitoring Annexes II/III
COMM DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/1787 of 6 October 2015
voluntary introduction of a risk-based approach
On the basis of the results of a risk assessment:
- Extend parameter list and/or increase monitoring frequency
- Reduce monitoring frequency (except E. coli) if values three years < 60 %
- Remove parameters if values three years < 30 %

5. Evaluation Drinking Water Directive
Long term strategy
Evaluation Drinking Water Directive
- Inclusion in the Commission Work Programme A New Start, COM(2014) 910 final, Annex 3 Refit
- New 'Better Regulation Guidelines'
- Evaluation Roadmap published in June 2015
- Study:
2 Stakeholder-meetings

6. 1998 Evaluation -2000 Retrospective 1975 1980 - Legislator in 1998 -
1975
1980
1998
Retrospective
Perspective
- Legislator in

7. Evaluate actions, consequences, results/impacts
Was/Is DWD
- effective objectives achieved, influences?
- efficient costs/benefits, other more efficient ways?
- coherent internally, externally, gaps, overlaps?
- relevant appropriate or obsolete parameters and approaches?
- added value profits, continue to require action at EU level?

8. Preliminary results Evaluation
Compliance rates increasing
Fit for purpose, but what in 2050?

9. Causes Non-compliance
Most: Catchment –> Protection measures?

10. Coherence & Relevance
Coherence with Water Framework Directive most important – Protection of Drinking Water Resources
Relevance could be improved to avoid non-compliance (Water safety planning and risk assessment)
Pollution reduction at source

11. Next Steps: Evaluation Report
Draft final study online since early December
Final 200 page study nearly ready
Short Staff Working Document (SWD): 2016
Political Validation, decision on revision
In Parallel: Impact Assessment Study
Baseline scenario
Policy options, impacts

12. Seminar Drinking Water Protection Paramount
21 January 2016
EC DG Environment
co-organised with the Dutch EU Presidency 12

13. Objectives of this Seminar
Bring Experts for Drinking-, Ground-, Surface Water protection together
Learn from case studies, mutually benefit from experiences, better implementation in Member States
Consider favourable examples in EU implementation strategy and policy revisions

14. Precursors for this Seminar
Holistic approach (Rome Workshop) Amendment of DWD Annexes II/III Review Drinking Water Directive

15. Expectations
Improved cooperation More holistic protection measures Consideration in EU Policy Revisions (coherence considered in Drinking Water Impact Assessment Options)

16. Seminar
More than 100 experts from these three areas and beyond – from hydrology or plant protection up to health experts,
Experts from MS and stakeholder for Drinking-, Ground-, Surface Water
a common understanding of the respective requirements of the Directives was discussed
synergies and differences between the DWD/WSP and WFD regimes were identified
Listen to and learn from MS case studies
exchange and benefit from know-how and experiences
positive examples in implementation

17. Many good examples, Such as:
• WFD, main supplementary measures in RBMPs relevant for drinking water: RDPs - rural development programmes
Priority Substances EQS: different sets of quality standards for groundwater and surface waters?
Risk-based approach in the Netherlands and Flanders
Example IE microbiological outbreak: the cost of dealing with an the outbreak far exceeds the cost of preventing one
Example Sustainable Use of Pesticides - National Action Plans as foreseen in Directive 2009/128/EC …
Path:
/CircaBC/env/Water Industries/Library/DRINKING WATER/C - Meetings and Workshops/DWD GW SW seminar 2016 Jan 21
Browse url:

18. Conclusions
1. Co-ordination between various sectors and actors is crucial 2. Voluntary measures can work in some places, but a combination is best, with mandatory measures in the most vulnerable areas; 3. More efficient monitoring (risk based approach). The effectiveness of measures needs to be measured 4. Follow-up and further needs: • Collect together good practices e.g. in the delineation of Safeguard Zones • Identify thematic areas to be transposed into relevant EU- /national legislation (risk-assessment, WHO parameter, emerging contaminants, priority substances, …) • Data and information sharing, transparency • Better connection with other Directives (e.g. Nitrates-Directive)