Monitoring Aquatic Environments and Groundwater Brief
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© Michel Bramard - Onema - Bramard Michel © Brief the Monitoring aquatic - August 2013 environments and N°8 groundwater In-depth knowledge of aquatic environments is a prerequisite in order to protect and restore their «good status», in compliance with the European water framework directive (WFD1). It is with that objective in mind that, starting in 2006, French authorities modified their monitoring systems, for rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater. The data collected via these monitoring programmes are used to assess the status of water bodies and thus guide preservation policies. Monitoring - Groundwater Surface waters The Water framework > The first national inventory3 on the level of surface-water pollution was carried out in directive enhances 1971 by the Water agencies at approximately national monitoring of one thousand sites monitoring the quality of rivers and lakes. This system was aquatic environments progressively stabilised and then reorganised into the national basin network (RNB) in order to standardise monitoring strategies The preservation of water quality and of throughout France. Overseas, the monitoring sufficient quantities of water resources is of the system was established in the 1990s. utmost importance for life on the planet and to > Hydrometric monitoring points were meet the many human needs (drinking water, established on rivers toward the end of agriculture, industry, recreational activities, the 1800s in order to predict floods and etc.). Confronted with the development of determine the hydroelectric potential of urban areas and industry in the 1960s, the each river. Starting in 1980, the responsibility French government became aware of the for monitoring discharges and water need to monitor aquatic environments and levels in rivers was gradually transferred to to assess their degradation. The resulting the Ecology ministry which now funds knowledge rapidly became indispensable approximately 3 600 monitoring points. in orienting policies to manage and protect > Chemical monitoring of littoral waters water resources and to check the efficiency started in 1974 with the national marine of the action. observation network (RNO), managed by Ifremer (Research institute for exploration of The 19642 Water law resulted in the the sea) for the Ecology ministry. Samples establishment of the first national monitoring were initially taken from water, then expanded networks for the quality and quantity of to include animals (fish and shellfish) and surface water and groundwater. Subsequently, sediment, at approximately 100 monitoring monitoring efforts were significantly reinforced points, including overseas. This activity was to meet the requirements imposed by EU and subsequently transferred to the observation French regulations. network on littoral chemical contamination 1 Directive 2000/60/EC (23 October 2000), transposed into French law notably by Law 2004-338 (21 April 2004). Public water information system 2 Law 61-1245 (16 December 1964) and Ordinance 69-50 (10 January 1969). 3 See Progress in monitoring river quality, Onema, 2010. 1 Monitoring aquatic environments and groundwater Brief August 2013 the in 2008. This improved network (more Similar to qualitative monitoring, the 19925 The WFD was incorporated into French frequent measurements and more monitored Water law put into high gear the creation law by the 20067 Water law and essentially substances) was then reinforced with other of the national network for groundwater expanded on existing water-management networks including the national monitoring quantitative monitoring (RNES-P) with principles in France. It also introduced a network for water and sediment quality in almost 2 200 monitoring points. number of major innovations, including: maritime ports (REPOM), launched in 1997, > mandatory results based on environmental and the monitoring network for coastal Then, to reorganise and clarify the European objectives set for each water body in all types habitats and living communities (REBENT), regulatory system comprising an array of of aquatic environment, according to a strict launched in 2000. These networks are laws on different types of water (surface and timetable; complemented by special networks along the groundwater), water uses (drinking water, > mandatory periodic reporting on the results coasts. Examples are the Breton estuary bathing, etc.) and pollutants (hazardous obtained, any delays noted and failures; network in the Loire-Bretagne basin, as well substances, nitrates), the EU adopted > public consultations to reinforce the as the lagoon-monitoring network (RSL) and the Water framework directive (WFD) in transparency of water policy and encourage the biological integrator network (RINBIO) in October 2000. The WFD6 targets sustainable participation. the Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse basin. use of water in each river-basin district and 4 > The initial networks for groundwater sets environmental objectives: Water bodies are the assessment unit quality were launched in the 1970s, notably > ensure that water quality is not degraded; to monitor the increasing nitrate pollution of > restore good water status. For surface A water body is a hydrographic unit (surface water) groundwater bodies. Then new networks water, this includes chemical status or a hydrogeologic unit (groundwater), having fairly were created to meet the water-quality (substance concentrations) and ecological goals of the 19925 Water law. Following the status (composition of fauna and flora consistent characteristics (geology, morphology, establishment of common monitoring species, habitat quality). For groundwater, it hydrologic regime, etc.) and for which a single methods in 1999, the national network for includes quantitative status (water levels) and environmental objective may be set. groundwater quality monitoring (RNES-Q) chemical status (substance concentrations); The categories of water bodies are rivers, lakes, with over 2 000 monitoring points was set up. > achieve objectives pertaining to protected coastal waters, transitional waters (estuaries and > Finally, monitoring of groundwater levels zones (drinking-water abstractions, bathing lagoons) and groundwater. was launched in the 1950s on a certain waters, etc.); The 11 523 surface water bodies comprise number of large aquifers (e.g. in the Adour- > reduce or phase out the release of certain 229 790 kilometres of river, 1 964 square km of Garonne basin). During the 1970s, BRGM substances and pollutants; lakes, 26 562 km² of coastal waters and 2 840 km² (French geological survey), tasked with > reverse long-standing, significant upward of transitional waters. The 574 groundwater bodies monitoring groundwater levels throughout trends in pollutant concentrations in span 1 092 890 square kilometres. continental France, set up monitoring groundwater. networks on all the large aquifer systems. Monitoring organised upon management cycles RBMP 2009 RBMP 2015 The WFD set up a common implementation RBMP 2021 method for the 27 Member States, divided into 6-year management cycles based on Programme of Programme of Programme of four main documents: measures 2009 measures 2015 measures 2021 > the article 5 report presents a snapshot Monitoring programme 2006 of the various activities and water uses in a Monitoring Monitoring country, with data on the resulting impacts programme 2014 programme 2020 which serve to identify the problems Environmental requiring action; Article 5 objectives reached not later than 2027 > the monitoring programme describes report 2019 Article 5 the system set up to monitor state of the report 2013 aquatic environments; Article 5 > the management plan sets the report 2004 environmental objectives. In France, this is the river-basin management plan (RBMP, SDAGE in French), a planning tool that has existed since the 19925 Water law; N.B. Each colour represents a management cycle. The dates indicate when each document must be > the programme of measures lists the adopted by the relevant authorities. measures designed to reach the set objectives. 2 6 Directive 2000/60/EC (23 October 2000), transposed into French law notably by 4 See Groundwater monitoring over the decades, Onema, 2013. Law 2004-338 (21 April 2004). 5 Law 92-3 (3 January 1992). 7 Law 2006-1772 (30 December 2006). 2 Monitoring aquatic environments and groundwater The monitoring programme is essential for > Investigative monitoring is carried out WFD requirements have been clarified the other phases in each cycle because on surface waters to detect the reasons by a number of legislative and government knowledge is required to set objectives why a water body has not achieved good addressing all water categories and the and determine the necessary means. status or to determine the impacts of various types of monitoring. The ordinance A comprehensive overview of the status accidental pollution. dated 25 January 20108 established the of the various water categories is > Additional monitoring is implemented water-status monitoring programme to produced and serves to monitor any to assess the impact of any pressures ensure consistent application throughout changes. It is not possible to monitor weighing on surface waters in two types the country. More recently, the instruction everything everywhere, which is why of protected zones, namely Natura 2000 dated 29 January 20139 clarified the samples are taken from water bodies zones and drinking-water abstraction. implementation rules for the monitoring that are sufficiently