The Water Policy Framework Regulations require the development of new monitoring and classification systems by December 2006. The requirements are extensive and cover all surface water and groundwater bodies.
Article 8 of the Regulations establishes the requirements for the monitoring of surface water status, groundwater status and protected areas. Monitoring programmes are required to establish a coherent and comprehensive overview of water status within each water catchment district.
Under the Regulations there are 3 types of monitoring required for surface waters: surveillance, operational and investigative.
The purpose and requirements of surveillance, operational, investigative and some protected areas monitoring are laid down in the Regulations (Annex V) and are briefly summarized in the following table:
| Monitoring | Aims |
Surveillance monitoring | Validates the characterisation pressure and impact assessments
Detects long-term trends
Provides an assessment of overall status |
Operational monitoring | Helps classify the status of water bodies identified as 'at risk'
Assess change in status of 'at risk' water bodies resulting from the Programme of Measures. |
Investigative monitoring | Ascertains the cause and effects of a failure to meet 'god status' where it is not clear
Assessment of accidental pollution |
Both biological quality elements and supporting chemical and hydro morphological quality elements need to be monitored under the regulations.