ETC/ICM Report 2/2012: Hydromorphological alterations and pressures in European rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters
13 Nov 2012
Nils Hettich
Europe’s surface waters as well as transitional and coastal waters are affected by major modifications, such as water abstractions, water flow regulations (dams, weirs, sluices, and locks) and morphological alterations, straightening and canalisation, and the disconnection of flood plains. These are called hydromorphological pressures.
The first reporting of the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) was due by the end of 2009. Member States reported their RBMPs and delivered a huge amount of data on status, pressures and measures to the WISE-WFD database. The current report is based on hydromorphological alteration and pressure data in rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal water bodies delivered by the Member States via the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) up to May 2012 and information available on the RBMPs in a digital version. Where a Member State did not deliver data or the RBMP was not available, information from that specific Member State or RBD were not presented in this report.
This report summarises the results and main findings and provides numerous examples to highlight the different hydromorphological alteration and pressure types. It is a background report for the EEA Report 8/2012 'European waters - assessment of status and pressures'
Prepared by: Peter Kristensen (EEA) and ETC/ICM members: János Fehér, Judit Gáspár, Kinga Szurdiné Veres, András Kiss (VITUKI), Lidija Globevnik, Monika Peterlin, Tina Kirn (IWRS), Ulf Stein (Ecologic), Theo Prins, Claudette Spiteri (Deltares), Ekaterina Laukkonen, Anna-Stiina Heiskanen (SYKE), Kari Austner (NIVA), Silvie Semeradova, Anita Künitzer (CENIA)
Published by: ETC/ICM, November 2012, 76 pp.
