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Home , Deutsches Eck, Doller (river), High Rhine, Moselle, Rhine valley

IKSR CIPR No frontiers for the ICBR Inventory 2004 in the Rhine basin

Co-ordinating Committee RHINE INVENTORY ALONG THE RHINE CHANCES OFFERED BY AN EU DIRECTIVE

the European Union aim at water Reduce pollution protection at a high level, no matter, whether groundwater, The status of waters may not dete- , lakes or coastal waters are riorate under any circumstances. concerned. The EU Member States must take appropriate measures to improve waters which are expected to The target probably not meet the environ- is the good status mental objectives by 2015. All uses must be taken into account By 2015, rivers, lakes, coastal which directly or indirectly affect waters and groundwater are to the state of waters, no matter Photo: Stanko Petek, www.luftbild.com The Falls of the Rhine at have reached a good status. The whether industry, navigation, the reference is the natural state of use of hydroelectric power or water bodies with their variety of agriculture is concerned. A central In 2004, a large scale inventory of plants and animals, an unaltered task in the Rhine river basin will be form and water regime and the to reduce polluting agents and to the Rhine and the waters in its natural quality of surface waters keep dangerous substances away catchment was concluded. Nine and groundwater. Distinctions are from waters. Apart from that the states were involved in this work made between: to which the European Water - the good ecological and chemical status for surface Framework Directive had given waters (rivers, lakes, transitional rise. This directive modernises and and coastal waters). standardizes European water law - the good chemical and quantity status for groundwater. and requires transboundary ma- nagement of waters in river basin districts. The target for all waters is to achieve a good status. By Photo: A. Schmitt The Rhine as an experience of nature 2015 they are not only to be clean, but ecologically intact. The implementation of this directive introduces a new era in water protection – in future there will be closer co-operation throughout .

Uniform European law on water

Water is vital for man, animals and plants. Therefore, it must be placed under particular protection. With the Water Framework Directi- map: European Rivers Network (ERN) map: European ve (WFD), the member states of European river districts 2 character of the river banks and its bottom, the interaction between the river and its alluvial area and free fish migration are seriously af- fected along the Rhine and its tri- butaries and need to be impro- ved.

Protection beyond frontiers Photo: Pro Natur GmbH Photo: Pro One of the greatest chances and Implementation phases of the WFD challenges of the WFD is the obli- gation to manage waters across Implementation Public involvement the frontiers: River basins are natu- schedule ral entities, from their source to Water protection can only be their outlet into the sea: they do The implementation follows successful, if the public is informed not only comprise the stream, precise guidelines and schedules: and involved. Interest groups play but also its catchment, that is the According to the risk assessed a key role, since they represent the entire above and underground within the inventory, waters are entire range of pressures on water drainage area. under targeted surveillance. By bodies, no matter whether econo- 2009, management plans must mic uses, nature protection or have been drawn up for all Euro- leisure uses are concerned. Water protection pean river systems. The measures must pay fixed in these plans must take effect by 2012 at latest. Another new aspect is that, in order to reach the environmental River water uses along the R. Main objectives, economic principles, such as recovery of costs for drin- king water supply and waste water discharge have for the first time been integrated into an EU-directi- ve. The most cost efficient measu- res targeted at improving the water bodies will be chosen on the basis Photo: Pro Natur GmbH Photo: Pro of cost-benefit analyses. Photo: Saumon-Rhin Photo: Saumon-Rhin Salmon patrons in Doller near Schweighouse in 3 THE RHINE AND ITS CATCHMENT A NETWORK

The Rhine is the only river to The Rhine from connect the Alps with the North source to estuary

Sea. It represents the most impor- The Rhine has its source in the tant cultural and trade axis in Cen- Sankt-Gotthard massif, as Alp tral Europe. Some 58 million peo- Rhine it runs through the Sargans valley before flowing into Lake ple live in its catchment. Together Constance. Between the falls of with its , innumerable Schaffhausen and the High

brooks, lakes and wetlands it con- Rhine constitutes the frontier Delta Rhine Photo: www.beeldbankvenw.nlle between and Germa- Living between stitutes a highly branched net- the dike and the sea ny. North of Basel it turns into the work of waters. Rivers give a final flowing through the touch to the landscape, but land- lowlands of the Upper Rhine. As it continues from scapes also lend their character to Bingen to Bonn where the Lower their rivers. The groundwater, too, Rhine enters the bay of the Lower is part of this natural system Rhine. Beyond the frontier bet- ween and the Nether- lands it splits into several arms and, together with the , it -Sarre Photo: Pro Natur GmbH Photo: Pro Dammed up rivers between forms a gigantic delta. The Rhine the vineyards flows into the some 1320 kilometres downstream its source.

Data on the Rhine river basin

Surface ca. 200 000 km2 Inhabitants ca. 58 million Important uses Navigation, use of hydroelectric power, industry, agriculture, drinking water supply,

flood protection, local recreation Middle Rhine Photo: LfD Rheinland-Pfalz The romantic Rhine – Main stream (length) Rhine (1320 km) UNESCO cultural heritage Important rivers Rhine (Alp Rhine, , Upper Rhine, Middle Rhine, , Delta Rhine), , , , Main, Moselle, Sarre, , , , , , Vechte Important lakes , IJsselsea Countries concerned EU members (7): Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Luxemburg, , Netherlands

Others (2): Liechtenstein, Switzerland Photo: LMZ-BW/Wischer Upper Rhine Streams (of goods) connect Co-ordinating the WFD Co-ordinating Committee Rhine in co-opera- industrial sites implementation tion with the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR)

4 Sub basins and their The many faces natural borders of the good status

Hydrological and natural characte- When assessing the status of a ristics were applied when splitting water body, the first step is to fix the Rhine river basin district into its good status. The great variety nine mainly international sub ba- of water bodies between the Alps sins where the different countries and the North Sea brings about and German Länder involved or great differences: in size, oxygen the regions concerned will agree and nutrient content as well as in upon all questions relating to the characteristics of its banks and Lower Rhine water management. bottom. A bubbling mountainous Water, an economic factor stream will be clearly different from a lazily flowing river. We di- spose of a description of the ideal status, generally reflecting a histo- ric status for each type of water. The good status is obtained, once the present situation of a water Photo: Stefan Arendt, MZ Rheinland Photo: Stefan Arendt, body only slightly differs from this description of the ideal status.

Main

Densely settled area and federal waterway Aschaffenburg Poto: WWA

Neckar Much industry and agriculture Photo: ICPR Co-ordinating Committee Rhine, 2003 Vaduz (Liechtenstein)

Co-ordination in the Council of Nine

Photo: UVM Baden-Württemberg Within the Co-ordinating Commit- High Rhine tee, representatives of nine states Converting the river take the decisions required for the into electricity implementation of the WFD in the Rhine basin. They closely co- operate with the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) and fall back on its many years of experience. In Photo: UVM Baden-Württemberg 1950, the five Rhine bordering countries Switzerland, France, Luxemburg, Germany and the Netherlands founded the ICPR. Thanks to its activities, the state of the Rhine and its floodplain has improved. This also applies to the The nine sub basins in the Rhine river basin. international co-operation on the The Rhine and its tributaries form the main Alp Rhine / Lake Constance Alp Rhine, Lake Constance, the streaks in a dense network of waters, as Between glacier and lake Photo: Stanko Petek, www.luftbild.com shown on the example of the R. Main. Moselle and the Sarre.

5 RIVERS, LAKES AND THE COAST INTENSIVELY USED HABITAT

Today, the Rhine figures among state of the Rhine and its tributa- Diffuse water pollution through Europe’s most intensively used ries – to the benefit of man and the air or the soil continues to be problematic. rivers. The former natural river has nature protection. Nitrate washed out from agri- turned into a cultural river. With a cultural surfaces and reaching view to serving navigation, rivers and lakes through the soil Water bodies on the hydroelectric power generation way towards their good and flood protection it was forced status? into a fixed river bed interrupted Unfortunately, the Rhine, its tribu- by transversal structures. Right up taries and the North Sea coast to the 1980ies the river was so have lost much of their natural heavily polluted with wastewater character – river valleys and coasts

are much appreciated as settle- Photo: www.beeldbankvenw.nl that it was generally called the se- ment areas, and this has a variety Dutch Wadden Sea wer of Europe. Already before, but of consequences for the water and ground-water is a classical in particular after the chemical bodies. The Wadden Sea is the last example. Present analysis has retention basin for all noxious sub- accident at the Sandoz plant near shown that the nutrient and stances transported by the Rhine. pollutant content in the Rhine Basel in 1986, the Rhine borde- The inventory concluded in 2004 basin is still too high. Problematic ring countries invested large sums analysed the chemical and ecolo- pollutants are heavy metals such into developing wastewater treat- gical status of rivers, lakes and as chromium, copper, zinc and coastal waters and assessed, nickel as well as PCB and hexa- ment plants and the technical whether they will reach the chlorobenzene which are largely security of industrial plants. Since environmental aims. In the higher remnants of former inputs or of then, the Rhine water quality has regions of the Alps and the diffuse origin. this will probably be the case, considerably improved so that to- while it today seems rather day even salmon can live in the unlikely in densely settled areas Ecological status – river. We now have the possibility with industry and intensive use. a great need for action to further improve the ecological The same applies to the coastal region.The water quality of Lake A water body must meet more Constance is again very good and than chemical conditions in order the lake serves as an important to be able to function as habitat drinking water reservoir. for animals and plants. The struc- ture of water bodies, that is the nature of the river bed, the banks Chemical status – much and floodplains has been immen- has already been achieved sely changed throughout the enti- re Rhine basin. During the past Up to the 1980ies, wastewater in- 100 years almost the entire Rhine puts from industry and households and its tributaries – above all Nek- were the most important source kar, Main and Moselle - have been polluting rivers with nutrients and dammed and straightened for noxious substances. The develop- purposes of navigation, hydroelec- ment of wastewater treatment tric power generation and flood plants considerably reduced pollu- protection. Dikes separate the

Photo: LMZ, H.P. Merten Photo: LMZ, H.P. tion from these point sources. floodplains from the river. All this Island Pfalz near Kaub in the Middle Rhine

6 Programmes on the protection of the Rhine The Rhine Action Programme: 1987 – 2000 with the salmon as symbol of the rehabilitation of the Rhine

Rhine 2020: including the Action Plan on Floods 2001 - 2020 Photo: RWS/MD Ijssel km 952 has serious consequences for the river ecosystem. In order to im- prove the ecological state, water bodies must be more nature near and free fish migration must be re-established, e.g. with the help of fish ladders.

Natural, artificial and considerably modified

Even though, due to present uses many constructions are irreversi- ble, the waters concerned should be ecologically revalued to the greatest possible extent. At least the best possible status permitted by the existing uses should be rea- ched. This is true of considerably modified waters – that is, almost the entire Rhine and all of its most important tributaries – as well as of artificial waters such as chan- nels or flooded gravel pits. Only the character of the river Sieg and of the upper reaches of Neckar, Main, Moselle, Sarre, Ruhr, Lippe and Vechte is largely still natural.

Today, the status of almost the entire Rhine and of all major tributaries is considerably modified (May 2005).

7 Biology as indicator live in the Rhine. Many species, such as salmon, sea trout, sea and Fish and other organisms serve as river lamprey have returned. To- indicators of the ecological status. day’s fish and invertebrate fauna, The inventory of fish in the Rhine among others snails, insect larvae showed that, for the first time and mussels are far from having since 1970, 63 fish species again reached a stable balance. Due to Photo: LÖBF, U. Haufe Photo: LÖBF, Young salmon Changing river landscape: The Rhine at Breisach 1838, 1872 and 1980: As recently as 160 years ago, the river freely moved through the floodplain; it topped the banks and changed its river bed. Today it is forced into a fixed bed and deprived of its natural dynamics. the unnatural and monotonous state ubiquists with low demands to the ecological state dominate in the Rhine and its tributaries. With a view to improving biological diversity, rivers must become more varied and sub natural.

A state nearer to nature englobes more flood protection

Rhine 1838, source: Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe Along the Rhine, flood protection is a permanent subject. Here, too, the ecological targets of the Water Framework Directive give new perspectives. Ecological diversity in- creases where rivers are re-natured, dead river branches are reconnec- ted and alluvial areas are re-estab- lished as floodplains. At the same time, natural flood retention areas form. Preventive flood protection is modelled on natural river land- scapes: Flood waves of rivers with enough space to brake the banks Rhine 1872, source: Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe are less high.

Rhine 1980, source: Landesvermessungsamt Stuttgart

8 GROUNDWATER A VULNERABLE TREASURE IN THE UNDERGROUND

Nobody sees it, nobody hears it, Chemical status – no all Quantity status – but it is everywhere: groundwater clear signal to be expected unproblematic almost everywhere is the treasure beneath feet. Locally, historic pollution or acci- There is a continuous exchange dents implying substances noxious The maintenance of the stock of between groundwater, rivers and to water may put a pressure on groundwater is based on sustai- groundwater. Exhaustive pollu- nable groundwater management lakes. A huge part of our drinking tion, particularly with nitrate and which means that, on the long water is derived from ground- plant protection agents from agri- run, groundwater abstraction water. It must be particularly cultural surfaces is considerably must not exceed natural recharge more problematic. Agricultural due to precipitation. Generally, in protected, since it is much more practice must be further optimised the Rhine river basin, the ground- vulnerable to pollution than rivers with a view to avoiding or at least water quantity status is not under and lakes are. Groundwater has a reducing nitrate leaching. This threat. In particular in mining also applies to the use of plant areas drawdown poses a long term memory. Once substan- protection agents. problem. ces have contaminated the groundwater, the degradation process is extremely slow, if at all

Groundwater on the way towards the good quality status?

Groundwater is in the headlines once the damage has been done that is, once too high concentra- tions of nitrate or other noxious substances are found in a drinking water well. Then threshold values can only be respected by applying costly purification procedures. Groundwater is essential for man as well as for nature, e.g. in wet- land sites. Therefore, in future, it will be exhaustively protected. The current inventory proves that there are sufficient groundwater re- serves in almost all regions of the and that they are suf- ficiently recharged. There are isola- ted critical areas along the Moselle/ Sarre, on the Lower Rhine and Delta Rhine. The situation regar- ding the chemical status is diffe- In many places, the good groundwater rent: parts of the groundwater are status is threatened by endangered almost everywhere. nitrate concentrations in excess.

9 NEW WAYS IN ENVIRONMENT POLICY COMBINING ECOLOGY AND ECONOMY

The good health of rivers, lakes this supply requires constant high dering countries. It means keeping and of groundwater largely de- investments. Expenses are largely floodplains free from constructions, covered by income from water ta- creating retention areas, re-natu- pends on how intensively they are xes upon households, industry ring water bodies as well as flood used. Therefore, investigations and agriculture. In future, the use warning and preventive construc- have been made not only into the of the environment will to a larger tion. extent be considered as part of status of water bodies, but also the expenses. into the economic importance of water uses. In the Rhine area the Considerations are required different uses put a high pressure The ideal river on waters. Therefore, it is all the The Rhine river district is a densely more important to weigh benefits settled economic area with an average of 290 inhabitants per against costs. Water users will square kilometre. More than six have to reasonably contribute to million people work in industry. ... for nature protection the costs entailed by drinking Half a million people work in agri- culture. When choosing measures water production and wastewater it must be taken into considera- treatment tion, how environmental objectives can best be reached at best possi- … for agriculture Stresses and strains ... ble cost efficiency. These conside- arise, wherever water bodies are rations may lead to restricting used. This does not only apply to certain uses in favour of water activities along the waters them- protection. selves, such as navigation or use … for drainage of hydroelectric power. Agriculture, Flooding may too, impacts on groundwater be expensive when nitrate and plant protective agents are washed out. Even the During the last 100 years, more air poses a threat, particularly due than 85 percent of the natural … for navigation to vehicle and industrial emissions. floodplains of the Rhine were lost With a view to assessing which due to river development, straigh- uses of water bodies pose a threat tening and diking of the river; the to their good status the most situation is almost the same along ... for local recreation important ones were closely all tributaries. The result is that analysed and a prognosis of their flood waves are higher and flow future development was drawn up. more rapidly. Additionally, the damage potential rises with each ... and costs! new built up surface in the flood- ... for economy All citizens need drinking water plain. During an extreme flood and produce wastewater. Both along the entire Rhine damages have an effect on water bodies – may amount up to 165 billion and cause expenditure. Some Euros. Therefore, preventive flood ... for power generation 58 million people live in the Rhine protection is one of the focal basin. 99 percent of them are con- points of action of the Rhine bor- nected to public drinking water supply and 96 percent to a waste- water treatment plant. Assuring ... for drinking water uses

10 PROSPECTS FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

By 2015, the waters in the Rhine The most important Public participation river basin are supposed to have already emerging measures are In future, environment authorities reached a good status. The results will closer co-operate with users of the present inventory form the to restore free migration and environmentalists, as, today more than ever, it is important to basis for the further implementa- through the rivers and to increase the habitat diversity let all water users participate in tion of the Water Framework Di- along the waters reflections and actions. Public par- rective. Water bodies under ticipation in drafting management plans is obligatory from 2006 on. pressure must be put under more to reduce diffuse pollution, in particular from nutrients, Important interest groups have intensive surveillance, measures plant protective agents, already been informed, in order to must be planned and uses must metals, dangerous substan- create acceptance and co-respon- sibility. In the Rhine area, associa- be adjusted. Environment authori- ces derived from historic pollution tions and organisations may parti- ties, nature protection associations cipate in international working and water users must come to an to further reduce point source and expert groups and express agreement as to which measures pollution, in particular due their ideas and wishes. In many places advisory boards and fora make ecologically make sense to industrial and municipal inputs have additionally been created. along which waters and at Today anybody can use internet acceptable costs. to harmonize water uses and for information on the state of the the environmental objectives water bodies in his immediate neighbourhood. Check results set out in the WFD: naviga- and plan measures tion, use of hydroelectric power, flood protection and The states involved in the present others. inventory have based themselves on different data material and pro- cedures, so that the results of the present inventory can only be converged and compared to a limited extent. With a view to enabling such convergence and comparison in future, national and international experts must develop comparable procedures and criteria. Where it today seems improbable or unclear whether waters will reach the environmen- tal objectives, detailed monitoring programmes will start in 2006 and pressures will be closer analysed. Comparable biological and chemi- cal methods of measurement will lead to a definite classification of water bodies and appropriate measures will be planned until 2009. Photo: Ruden Riemens, Middelburg Walking on the beach

11 Publisher International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) Co-ordinating Committee Rhine Kaiserin-Augusta-Anlagen 15 • D-56068 Tel.: 0049-(0)261-94252-0 • Fax: 0049-(0)261-94252-52 [email protected] • www.iksr.org

Further information

Belgium/ D--Palatinate Luxemburg Ministère de la Région Wallone Ministerium für Umwelt und For- Administration de la Gestion [email protected] sten Rheinland-Pfalz de l'Eau http://mrw.wallonie.be/dgrne/ [email protected] [email protected] www.wrrl.rlp.de www.waasser.lu Germany Bundesministerium für Umwelt, D-Northrhine-Westphalia Netherlands Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit Ministerium für Umwelt und Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat [email protected] Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Directoraat Generaal Water www.bmu.de/gewaesserschutz Verbraucherschutz des Landes NRW [email protected] www.wasserblick.net/ [email protected] www.kaderrichtlijnwater.nl www.flussgebiete.nrw.de D-Bavaria www.niederrhein.nrw.de Austria Bayer. Landesamt für Wasserwirt- Bundesministerium für Land- schaft France und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und [email protected] Monsieur le Préfet Coordonnateur Wasserwirtschaft www.wrrl.bayern.de de Bassin [email protected] Monsieur le Président du Comité www.lebensministerium.at D-Bade-Wurttemberg de bassin Rhin-Meuse Ministerium für Umwelt und [email protected] A - Landesregierung Vorarlberg Verkehr Baden-Württemberg www.eau2015-rhin-meuse.fr [email protected] [email protected] www.eaufrance.fr www.vorarlberg.at www.wrrl.baden-wuerttemberg.de Liechtenstein Switzerland D-Hesse Amt für Umweltschutz Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wald und Hessisches Ministerium für Um- [email protected] Landschaft (BUWAL) welt, ländlichen Raum und Ver- www.llv.li [email protected] braucherschutz www.umwelt-schweiz.ch [email protected] www.flussgebiete.hessen.de

European Commission · Directorate General Environment [email protected] · www.eu.int/comm/environment/water/ Photo: BfG , Koblenz Imprint Editor: Dr. Anne Schulte-Wülwer-Leidig, Dieter M. Saha • Edition: June 2005 • Text: Karin Wüllner, Pro Natur GmbH, Frankfurt - Munich Photos cover page: Top: Franz Thorbecke, Middle: LMZ RP, G. Rittstieg Bottom: www.beeldbankvenw.nl Translation: Karin Wehner • Layout: AD DAS WERBETEAM, Sankt Augustin • Print: MIX Logistik GmbH, Lahnstein ISBN: 3-935324-53-7 • Total printing number: 25.000