Implementation of the Water Framework Directive Role of geotechnical activities

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Implementation of the Water Framework
DirectiveRole of geotechnical activities

• Seppo Rekolainen
• Finnish Environment Institute - SYKE

3rd Network Meeting GeoTechNet London, 4-5
December, 2003
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WFD General planning process
All waters in good ecological status
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IMPRESS Report

• Pressure screening
• Pressure quantification
• Impact assessment

This all need to be completed by the end of 2004
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2nd Report River Basin Management Plan

• to be completed by the end of 2009
• consists of (i.a.)
• summary of significant pressures and impacts
• summary of economic analysis
• programme of measures

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What happens between 2004 and 2009?

• inter-calibration (2006) and monitoring (2006)
• classification, setting the objectives
• better understanding of the impacts of different
  pressures
• how much pressures need to be reduced to achieve
  the objectives
• assess the optimal (cost-effective) set of
  abatement measures

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Classification
EQR close to 1
High status or reference conditions (RC)
Good status
Moderate status
Poor status
Bad status
EQR close to 0
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Classification

• We have to divide our water bodies into good
  and bad
• Nature does not give us any help
• There are no jumps in distributions

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Distribution of phosphorus concentration in
Finnish lakes
Oligotrophic
Mesotrophic
Eutrophic
OECD classification
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(No Transcript)
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DPSIR Framework Indicators Agriculture as an
example
Remedial measures
Livestock (au/ha)
Load to waters (kg/a)
Algal blooms
Concentration in lakes (mg/l)
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DPCER WFD context I
Pressure quantification models
Consultation Public participation
Drivers
Responses
Ecological state
Pressures
Chemical state
Chemical models
Ecological dose-response models
Scenario formulation
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DPCER WFD Context II
Socio-economic models
Consultations Public participation
Drivers
Responses
Management models
Ecological state
Pressures
Ecological models
Chemical state
Chemical target load models
Object oriented management
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IMPRESS-Analysis

• Identify human activities that put the
  Directives environmental objectives at risk
• ? Pressures according to Annex II, WFD

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Pressures, impacts and risk analysis

• Identifying and quantifying significant
  pressures
• all significant pressures
• loadings, hydromorphological pressures,
  management
• Identfying and quantifying significant impats
• use screening criteria and existing
  classification schemes
• identify significant impacts
• tiered approach
• Risk analysis
• analyse which water bodies are at risk not to
  meet the ecological objectives
• What is significant?
• Significant pressure is a pressure causing an
  impact with a risk to failure to meet the
  objective

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Key elements of the analysis
Conditions required to achieve the objectives
Annex III economic analysis (WATECO)
Identify potential relevant effects of pressures
(i.e. the hazard)
Characteristics of water bodies that determine
their susceptibility
Assess susceptibility to the effects of pressures
Magnitude of pressures
Identify likely effects of pressures
Decide on the likelihood of failing to achieve
the Directives environmental objectives
Environmental conditions required to achieve
objectives
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Reduce uncertainties -Tiered approach
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Where do we need IMPRESS?
Identification of potential reference sites
(Annex II)
Design of programmes of measures (Article 11)
Make objectives operational and Identify water
bodies for which alternative objectives may be
appropriate (Article 4)
Identification of potential inter-calibration
sites (Annex V)
Information for use in water body identification
and refinement (Annex II)
Design of monitoring programmes (Article 8)
Information for producing an interim overview of
the significant water management issues (Article
14)
Information for use in the economic analysis of
water use (Article 5)
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Role of geotechnics
Geotechnet WP5

• Environmental impact may arise as a result from
  geotechnical working methods such as vibration,
  compaction, grouting, injection, abstraction of
  water, land sealing, damming, drainage and the
  use of residues as alternative construction
  materials.

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Role of geotechnics- Pressures

• Loading
• Erosion
• Nutrients
• Heavy metals
• Organic pollutants

• Hydromorphological pressures
• water abstraction
• damming
• other river constructions (e.g. dikes)

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Role of geotechnics

• Programme of measures
• minimize pressures
• Can geotechnical operations be used as remedial
  measures?
• Dredging?
• Drainage?
• ?

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Conclusions- Problems

• Stakeholders have different views and
  expectations
• how to fit together natural sciences and
  socio-economic aspects
• time schedules
• resources

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Conclusions - Geotechnics

• Geotechnical operations may cause and are causing
  pressures and impacts
• Geotechnics may also serve as remedial measures
  to improve the ecological quality of our water
  bodies

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Thank you !