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A heavily modified water body refers to a body of surface water that as a result of physical alteration by human activity is substantially changed in character (WFD Article 2 (9)).  A surface water body is considered as artificial when it was created by human activity (WFD Article 2 (8)). There is a wide range of differences in the number of designated surface water bodies among the countries.

Overall, 17.8% of European river water bodies and 16.0% of lake water bodies are designated by the MS as either heavily modified water bodies or artificial water bodies. In the Netherlands majority of the river water bodies are heavily modified while in Sweden almost all river water bodies are in natural condition. The Netherlands, Czech Republic and Belgium, Flanders designated nearly all of their lake water bodies as being either heavily modified or artificial.

A total of 18 EU Member States have on average identified around 6.1 % of their coastal water bodies as heavily modified (6.1 %) and artificial (0.5 %) . The share of transitional water bodies identified as heavily modified and artificial in 15 EU Member States is much larger (25 %), of which 2 % are artificial.

Two sea regions of Europe (Greater North Sea and Black Sea) and six Member States (the UK, Spain, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Poland) have more than 10 % of their coastal water bodies identified as heavily modified or artificial.   About 60 % of transitional water bodies are identified as heavily modified or artificial in the Greater North Sea and Black Sea regions. In other sea regions this percentage is 25 % or less. Six Member States (the UK, Bulgaria, Poland, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands) have more than 25 % of their transitional water bodies identified as heavily modified or artificial.

Heavily modified and artificial water bodies are clearly associated with densely populated, urbanised areas with industrial areas and ports as well as low-lying or mountainous regions.