Post a comment on the text below

In 2009 the EQS of priority substances came into force, among them several very low EQS values for insecticides listed as priority substances. The COM decision on technical specifications for chemical analysis and monitoring set LOQ’s for the analysis method at one third of the EQS values (EC, 2009a). This requirement led to development of improved analytical methods and lower LOQ’s. It is supposed that exceedance rates during the years following 2012, when Member States were monitoring for the River Basin Management Plan reporting in 2016, might be more reliable as they would be less biased by values below the LoQ. Assessments for some insecticides with very low EQS values should therefore be on data from after 2012. The same effect might be true for fungicides. They show the lowest exceedance rates over the whole time period and since 2013, the rate of exceedance decreased to less than 1% per year. Fungicides are seldom seen as a water quality problem.