0.     Guidance to the reader

Europe’s surface freshwaters are affected by major modifications, such as water abstractions, water flow regulations (dams, weirs, sluices, and locks) and morphological alterations, straightening and canalisation, and disconnection of flood plains.  These are called hydromorphological pressures.  Hydromorphological pressures comprise all physical alterations of water bodies modifying their shores, riparian and littoral zones, water level and flow. Examples of such pressures are damming, embankment, channelization, and change to the natural hydrological regime. The extent of hydromorphological alterations in European river basins has been significant over the past centuries.  Hydromorphological pressures and altered habitats are the most commonly occurring pressure and impact in rivers, lakes and transitional water; affecting half of river and transitional water bodies and 30 % of the lake water bodies.

 To maintain and improve the essential functions of our water ecosystems, we need to manage them well. This can only succeed if we adopt the integrated approach introduced in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and other water policies. Many European water bodies are at risk of failing to meet the aim of the WFD of achieving good status by 2015, due to problems in the management of water quality, water quantity, modifications of the structure of river banks and beds and the connectivity of rivers. Full implementation of the WFD throughout all sectors is needed to resolve these potential conflicts and to commit all users in a river basin to focus on the achievement of healthy water bodies with good ecological status.

0.1.    EEA 2012 State of water assessments

2012 will be the European year of water in which the EU Commission will publish its “Blue-print to safeguard European waters” comprising reviews of the WFD, Water scarcity and drought and vulnerability and adaptation  policies; In addition in March 2012 the 5th World Water Forum will be held in Marseille, France and in May the 3^rd European Water Conference will be held during Green Week, Brussels. .

To accompany and inform these events and policy processes EEA plans for 2012 a set of reports on the “State of Europe’s water”. Two of these reports are based on information reported in 2010 via River Basin Management Plans and supplemented with assessments of information from other sources. It will be developed in close cooperation and coordination with the DG Environment’s assessment of the RBMPs and the development of the blueprint (impact assessment, reports; communication, staff working documents).  The format of the EEA 2012 State of Europe’s water assessment is planned to consist of four thematic assessments and an overarching synthesis and integrated report. In terms of communication, the several assessments are planned to be published on several occasions throughout 2012. EEA are currently working on the following thematic assessments with indication of when they are to be published:

1. Efficient Use of Water Resources (World Water Forum, Marseilles, March 2012)
2. Vulnerability (Water scarcity and drought, floods, water quality) – Autumn 2012
3. WFD: Ecological and chemical status and pressures – Autumn 2012
4. WFD: Hydromorphology – Summer 2012

The last two thematic assessments are based on information reported via the RBMPs and present results on status and pressures.

First reporting of the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) was due end 2009. Most Member States (23 out of 27 Member States) have reported their RBMPs and delivered a huge amount of data on status, pressures and measures to the WISE-WFD database. According to Article 18 of the WFD the EU Commission shall publish a report on the implementation of this Directive at the latest 12 years after the date of entry into force of this Directive (two years after the Member States have delivered the RBMPs). The report shall among others include the following:

• a review of progress in the implementation of the Directive;
• a review of the status of surface water and groundwater in the Community undertaken in coordination with the European Environment Agency;

The current draft report on hydromorphology aims at providing an overview of the results on status and pressures from the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). The parallel thematic assessment on ecological and chemical status, pressures and impacts has more detailed information on data reported via the RBMPs, data handling methodology etc. For more detailed information see chapter 1 to 3 of the draft of this thematic assessment (this report is also out for consultation during February and March 2012). The current draft contains the following chapters.

• ·         Chapter 1 presents general information on the WFD and WFD aspects related to hydromorphological pressures and alterations.
• ·         Chapter 2 provides an overview of the designation of heavily modified and artificial water bodies.
• ·         Chapter 3 presents results on ecological status and potential and compares the status by natural and heavily modified water bodies.
• ·         Chapter 4 provides an overview of the proportion of surface water bodies affected by hydromorphological pressures.
• ·         Chapters 5 to 8 present results, information and assessment on different hydromorphological pressures.
• ·         Chapters 9 to 12 present results, information and assessment on sector activities related to hydromorphological pressures including hydropower production, navigation activities and flood defences. These chapters are not fully developed. It is the intention to add more results on measures. These chapters will be developed on basis of the analysis done by EU Commission DG Environment.

• Chapter 5 provide an overview of barriers and other transversal structures
• Chapter 6 presents results on pressures related to abstraction and flow regulation and water level regulation.
• Chapter 7 provide an overview of results related to morphological changes including aspects of channelized streams; disconnecting floodplains and rivers and land reclamation.
• Chapter 8 presents information on hydromorphological pressures in coastal and transitional waters;

 We hope that Member States and relevant stakeholders will read and comment on the current draft reports. We hope that Member States can check the information included from their country/RBDs and in case of missing information update the information reported.

The current draft includes some case studies that partly have been copied from RBMPs or other country document. We hope Member States can revise and update the case studies and we would be pleased by new contribution of case studies, text boxes expressing their views on the aspects raised in the respective chapters.

Comments and suggestions to the current draft are very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Disclaimer

The current draft is based on data delivered by the Member States via WISE up to February 2012 and in some cases information available in digital version of RBMPs. Where Member States did not deliver data or the RBMPs are not yet available, information from the specific Member State or RBDs are not presented.

Where data are available, it has been dealt with, and is presented, to the best of our knowledge. Nevertheless inconsistencies and errors cannot be ruled out. Comments and remarks on results are very much appreciated.

The current draft is partly based on copy and paste of text from the multitude of documents produced on the WFD (Commission and national WFD guidance documents, RBMPs and Article 5 reports etc.). Sources have in most cases been listed (to be improved in next draft).