Welcome to FWi's round-up of the legislation associated with the Water Framework Directive.

The WFD is the most substantial piece of EC water legislation to date. It requires all inland and coastal waters to reach "good status" by 2015.

It will do this by establishing a river basin district structure within which demanding environmental objectives will be set, including ecological targets for surface waters.

Below are links to useful sources of information (last updated 1 February 2007):

EUROPE: 

European Commission WFD policy overview, including key issues, timetable, how the directive will be implemented and links to national authority sites responsible for implementing the directive.

Implementation timetable (pdf)

Latest European Commission WFD newsletter - produced twice a year providing an update on the current state of the legislation

Independent WFD information centre - EU site, but has excellent UK coverage. Comprehensive information on everything WFD-related, plus latest news and newsletters. FAQ section is particularly useful

UK: 

United Kingdom Technical Advisory Group, which supports implementation of the WFD and provides advice to government. Provides advice on techncal aspects of implementing the WFD in the UK. Good site for latest UK policy information.

Colour map of all River Basin districts in the UK and Ireland.

Database of current, completed and proposed research supporting implementation of WFD (registration required)

ENGLAND:

General DEFRA information for England & Wales, including what's new, timescales, details on River Basin Planning and links to consultation documents. Comprehensive FAQs.

DEFRA Catchment Sensitive Farming. There's a general description of the initiative, list of priority catchments, news, and contact details for the CSF officers in each of the priority catchments.

Environment Agency advice on Catchment Abstraction Management strategies - what they are, how they work and how you can get involved (download as a pdf)

SCOTLAND:

Scottish Environment Protection Agency main WFD site. Latest news and information about the WFD implementation in Scotland.

Detailed interactive maps of Scotland showing river basin districts, protected areas and much more. Browse the whole of the country, or search by post code, town or grid reference.

2006/07 abstraction application form (pdf). The form can be used to apply to register for abstractions of between 10m3 and 50m3 per day from inland waters and groundwater, or for abstractions from coastal waters and estuaries of greater than 10m3 per day.

WFD implementation timetable for Scotland

WALES:

River Basin Planning guidance for England & Wales (pdf) - produced by DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly. Covers a great deal of detail on river basin planning, plus the status, content and delivery of River Basin Management Plans. 

NORTHERN IRELAND:

Environment & Heritage service water policy info for NI - there's an overview of the water quality policy, with links to specific information on statutory regulations, water quality targets and more (download as pdf).

IRELAND: 

Environment Protection Agency of Ireland water quality information (pdf). Provides an overview of the WFD in Ireland and River Basin Management planning. General website is http://www.epa.ie/

Irish WFD website, covering an overview of the WFD and Ireland's role, plus River Basin Management Planning and detailed maps of river basins across Ireland.