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Last changed: 16/04/12
Is Germany on the road to achieving the environmental objectives of the European Water Framework Directive? Will our water resources be in good shape a decade form now? In which realms of water stewardships have we been successful thus far, and which tasks lie ahead of us? The results of the river basin district analysis, in which the German states have assessed environmental pressures on water bodies and the impact of human activity on water resource status, are summarised in a brochure published by the Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Environment Agency, titled "Water Framework Directive - Summary of the River Basin District Analysis 2004 in Germany ". Below is a summary of the results, followed by a list of relevant websites.
German rivers and lakes are mostly clean but must regain their near-natural shape to be suitable as habitats. For 60% of surface and more than 50% of groundwater the desired „good status“ can only be achieved with additional measures. For another 25% of surface waters this is uncertain.
For rivers the most important causes are morphological alterations and lacking continuity, followed by pollution by nutrients. For lakes, coastal waters and groundwater (here: nitrate) pollution by nutrients is the first priority. In order to verify the results of the river basin analysis the monitoring programmes to be prepared by 2006 have to be concentrated on the biological impacts of these pressures.
It is already becoming clear that agriculture, navigation and hydropower are priority areas for programmes of measures. Planning of measures is to start immediately where the objectives of the Directive are obviously not being met (e.g. in the relatively rare cases where the quality standards for chemical pollutants are being exceeded), and otherwise be carried out between 2007 and 2009. The Agri-Environmental Programmes for the period 2007 – 2013 have to be designed so as to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, based on the results available today.