1St Meeting of Navigation Subgroup for the HMWB Project

Minutes of the 1st Meeting of the Subgroup Navigation of the ‘HMWB’ Project –

A Research Project on the Identification and Designation of Heavily Modified Water Bodies under the Water Framework Directive

Berlin, 26 April 2001

Rapporteur: Bettina Rechenberg, German Federal Environmental Agency 1st Meeting of Navigation Subgroup for the “HMWB Project“

24 April 2001, German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Berlin

Annex 1: Schedule of the 1st Meeting of Navigation Subgroup Annex 2: List of Participants Annex 3: flow chart on physical alterations

The first meeting of the navigation subgroup for the “HMWB Project” foccused on the first phase of the strategy paper of the HMW-Project:  Describing the physical alterations  Provisionally Identification of heavily modified water bodies All member states which offered case studies dealing with navigation took part in the meeting (see annex 2).

Block 1: Presentation of case studies by member states – description of the case study areas and the present status of the case studies

The following case studies were presented:

A: Danube River (Robert Konecny) large catchment area most important impact is hydropower, navigation plays a minor role

B: Dender River (Koenraad Mergaert, Karel Vandaele) small catchment area most important impacts are commercial navigation, soil erosion from agriculture land use and discharges

D: Lahn River (Dietrich Borchardt) medium-sized catchment area most important impacts are flood protection, hydropower, recreational navigation

NL: Haringvliet Estuary (Marjolein van Wyngaarden) large catchment area most important impact is flood protection (the estuary is separated from the sea by a weir, which causes special problems), commercial navigation

UK: Kennet River (Marc Naura) Kennet & Avon Canal (artificial) most important impacts are navigation and agriculture

The case studies in A, B, D and NL are running, the case study in UK (England) will start within the next 2-3 weeks.

Following definitions were discussed and agreed:

Reference conditions: As a first step the references are the undisturbed natural conditions and do not include anthropogenic buildings like dams, weirs or dykes. Good status: Biology (and chemical environmental quality objectives) must reflect the good status, physical alterations can occur (good status is not endangered).

Maximum ecological potential: MEP can include the effects of anthropogenic buildings like dams and weirs, but all mitigation measures have to be taken into account (best approximation to continuity).

Block 2: Abiotic typological features and physical alterations

Ulrich Irmer (D, Project Manager) gave a short introduction into paper 5 of HMB project “Description of Pressures and Physical Alterations”. A flow chart presented by Ulrich Irmer for the identification of physical alteration was discussed (Annex 3). The flow chart could be helpful for establishing a positive and a negative list of single physical alterations leading to designation or rejection of HMW status. A positive list means that for some physical alterations measures can be identified to achieve good ecological quality. A negative list means that the alterations are influencing the biology so strong that the water body must be defined as heavily modified in any case. In this connection the classification of an physical alteration can depend on the intensity of the encroachment. Comments and hints referring the flow chart can be send to Ulrich Irmer or Bettina Rechenberg till the 31st of May.

The participants of the meeting reported on physical alterations for the purpose of navigation in the case study areas. The results of this reporting are shown in the following table. It was agreed to complete the table till 31st May and to make a rating for the physical alterations. Physical Alterations for the Purpose of Navigation

State Case Study Physical alterations Rating (1-10)* Other impacts/problems Rating (1-10)*

A Danube River Channelisation siltation Longitudinal straightening Locks Change in river profile Detaching wetlands and ox-bow lakes

B Dender River Channelisation Sedimentation, bank reinforcement eutrophication dikes no natural floodplains dredging locks

D Elbe River Channelisation flow regulation bank reinforcement dikes dams locks

Lahn River Channelisation Local flooding bank reinforcement flow regulation dikes dams locks NL Haringvliet Bank reinforcement Siltation Estuary Dams Channelisation Dredging Change in river profile

UK Kennet River dredging siltation (E&W) Kennet & Avon Canal * 1: less important, 10: most important Block 3: Biological assessment and assessment of physical alterations

Bettina Rechenberg (D, Project Manager) gave an introduction into paper 6 of HMB project “Assessment of the Biological Status of Heavily Modified Water Bodies” which was agreed by the steering group and defines the options for ecological assessment. Aim of the assessment of the biological status is to identify these physical alterations which are influencing the biology in such a way that there is a likely-hood of failing to achieve good ecological status.

Biological assessment in the case studies was reported and discussed:

A / Danube River uses fish fauna, macroinvertebrates and dragonflies for assessment. B / Dender River uses fish fauna and macroinvertebrates. D / Lahn River uses fish fauna and macroinvertebrates too. NL / Haringvliet Estuary uses fish fauna and macrophytes for assessment. UK / Kennet River, Kennet & Avon Canal will use fish fauna, macroinvertebrates and macrophytes.

After discussion it was agreed to focus only on macroinvertebrates, fish fauna and makrophytes.

Seeing that most of the studies havn’t finished the biological assessment up to now the selection of abiotic factors influencing the biology significantly was not yet possible.

Outlook:

It was agreed to complete the table and to make a rating for the physical alterations till 31st May. It was ask for comments to the flow chart also till the end of May.

The next meeting of the subgroup is planned in autumn 2001. Annex 1: Schedule of the 1st Navigation Subgroup Meeting for the “HMWB Project“

24 April 2001, German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Berlin

Introduction

10:00 - 10:15 Welcome

10:15 - 10:30 Status of the project and aims of the meeting Bettina Rechenberg, Umweltbundesamt

Present status of the navigation case studies

10:30 - 12:00 Presentation of case studies by member states – description of the case study areas (about 10 min. for each case study)

12:00 - 12:45 Discussion

12:45 - 13:30 Lunch and coffee

Abiotic typological features and physical alterations

13:30 – 13:45 Short introduction into paper 5 of HMB project “Description of Pressures and Physical Alterations” Ulrich Irmer, Umweltbundesamt

13:45 – 14:30 Tour de table: report on physical alterations

14:30 – 15:00 Discussion

Biological assessment and assessment of physical alterations

15:00 – 15:15 Short introduction into paper 6 of HMB project “Assessment of the Biological Status of Heavily Modified Water Bodies” Bettina Rechenberg, Umweltbundesamt

15:15 – 16:00 Tour de table: report and discussion of the biological assessment and the selection of abiotic factors influencing the biology

16:00 – 16:30 Conclusions, Outlook Annex 2: List of Participants

Name Institution / e-mail Country Case Study

Ulrich Irmer German Federal Environment Agency D Project Manager [email protected]

Bettina Rechenberg German Federal Environment Agency D Project Manager [email protected]

Robert Konecny Austrian Federal Environment Agency A Danube River [email protected]

Koen Mergaert Ministry of the Flemish Community, B Dender River Ports and Waterways [email protected]

Karel Vandaele Advice and Engineering Office Soresma B Dender River [email protected]

Dietrich Borchardt University of Kassel D Elbe River [email protected] Lahn River

Ulrich Petschow Institute for Ecological Economy D Elbe River Research Lahn River [email protected]

Marjolein van Institute for Inland Water Management NL Haringvliet Wyngaarden and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA) Estuary [email protected] W.NL

Marc Naura Environment Agency of England & UK Thames River Wales NW.Warrington1.naura@environment- agency.gov.uk Annex 3: Identification of Physical Alterations