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Hydromorphological pressures
For decades, humans have altered European surface waters (straightening and channelization, disconnection of flood plains, land reclamation, dams, weirs, bank reinforcements, etc.) to facilitate agriculture, produce energy and protect against flooding. These activities have resulted in damage to the morphology and hydrology of the water bodies.
In the second RBMPs, hydromorphological pressures are the most commonly occurring pressures on surface water bodies affecting 41 % of all surface water bodies. In addition, 17 % of European water bodies have been designated as heavily modified (13 %) or artificial water bodies (4 %).
The WFD requires action in those cases where the hydromorphological pressures affect the ecological status, interfering with the ability to achieve the WFD objectives. If the morphology is degraded or the water flow is markedly changed, a water body with good water quality will not achieve its full potential as aquatic ecosystems.
The restoration of hydromorphological conditions includes:
- measures related to river continuity with removal of obstacles and the installation of fish passes;
- measures focused on restoration of aquatic habitats, such as improving physical habitats;
sediment management that ensures sediment transport along the length of the river; - reconnecting backwaters and wetlands to restore lateral connectivity between the main river channel, the riparian area and the wider floodplain;
- natural water retention measures that restore natural water storage, for example by inundating flood plains and constructing retention basins;
- restoring the natural water flow regime such as setting minimum flow and ecological flow requirements [4]; and
developing master plans or conservation plans for restoring the population of threatened fish species.
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"...a water body with good water quality will not achieve its full potential as aquatic ecosystems" A part of the sentence seems to be missing here.
In reference to "These activities have resulted in damage to the morphology and hydrology of the water bodies": In the European Union, a vast majority of aggregates extraction sites are dealing with inert materials such as sand, gravel and crushed rock, and produce inert wastes according to EU definitions and criteria included in EU Directives. The industry’s production process and treatment plants do not include the use of chemicals, as in most of the cases the processes are based on mechanical crushing, milling, grinding, and size grading. The Aggregates Industry does not represent a threat for water quality. Moreover, in the aggregates industry, it is possible to create wetlands during and after the extraction phase, according with the permit granted by the administration (including environment and water management authorities, and in many cases under the EIA scheme). Most of those new wetlands or lakes are designed according to suitable hydromorphological parameters, to achieve a new (artificial) water body that is able to grant water quality parameters and biodiversity requirements for their life time. Some of them have flood protection designs or even good quality water supply to urban areas for human consumption. Recent studies from different countries (Denmark, Austria, France, UK, Germany, Spain) are demonstrating that water quality is by far better in these artificial wetlands linked to quarries and sand and gravel pits extaction sites, compared to natural lakes. The rise of biodiversity is, again, a living proof of that. These facts have received recognition by the European Commission, research institutions, and a number of environmental NGOs.
The aim of the WFD is to meet a Good Environmental Status (GES). Hydromorphology shall be the kind, that GES is possibly to meet. Hydrology or morphology has no individual role in classification, though. Proposal: "Altered hydrology and morphology caused by these activities have affected the ecology of water bodies."
For a GES of the WFD it is not required to achieve a full potential as an aquatic ecosystem, but hydromorphology to be consistent with the achievement of values of biological quality elements. This sentence aims at nature conservation. The same approach can be seen in other parts of documents, too. Proposal: " ...with good water quality could fail to achieve good ecological status" (potential can be met, because it shall be defined by considering mitigation measures which do not have significant adverse effect on a specific use)
Restoration refers to aiming at original conditions. Proposal: "The hydromorphological mitigation measures can include"
(AT) 3rd paragraph:
It is not clear what is meant with this sentence. Is this a reference to HMWB?
It is necessary to better explain the concept of HMWB in the text and to make references to good potential in the tables and graphs! The report is only mentioning status classes and ignores the category of HMWB/AWB