Abstract:The European Commission Water Framework Directive (WFD) was established 16 years ago and forms the current basis for monitoring surface waters and groundwater in Europe. This legislation resulted in a necessary adaptation of the monitoring networks and programs for rivers, lakes, and transitional and coastal waters to the requirements of the WFD at German and European levels. The present study reviews the most important objectives of both the monitoring of surface waters and the principles of the WFD monitoring plan. Furthermore, we look at the changes water monitoring in Germany has undergone over the past sixteen years and we summarize monitoring results from German surfaces waters under the WFD. Comparisons of European approaches for biological assessments, of standards set for physical and chemical factors and of environmental quality standards for pollutants reveal the necessity for further European-wide harmonization. The objective of this harmonization is to improve comparability of the assessment of the ecological status of waters in Europe, and thus also to more coherently activate action programs of measures.

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An estimate of diffuse sources of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni) in the Rhine catchment stressed the urban storm water discharges in the German part and drainage flow in the Dutch part as the most important pathways. Additional sources are erosion and, to a far lesser extent, atmospheric deposition on open water areas. All other pathways were of minor importance. Meanwhile, after reduction of the point sources by between 72-95%, the diffuse sources dominate the total emissions. For several metals the anthropogenic diffuse sources amounted to 40-80%, the point sources to 15-40% and the geogeneous sources to 5-40%. The estimated inputs sufficiently agreed with the loads of the river Rhine. For the estimation, mean values were used for the water masses and the substance concentrations of the different hydrological pathways. It is recommended to undertake further studies on diffuse sources of heavy metals in urban areas and on the possibilities to improve urban storm water management. The calculation methods and the recommendations of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) are explained in detail.

Within the "WFD and agriculture activity" both communities agreed to co-operate during implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and further development of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) at EU, Commission and the Member States levels. In intensive discussions including two congresses and biannual working group meetings, seven information reports were produced. Rural Development programmes are unanimously considered to be very powerful instrument to support WFD implementation. However, limited budgets, combined with the large extent of agricultural pressures will considerably restrain the results this instrument might deliver. Limited effects are also expected from the cross-compliance standards, mainly because: the standards do not cover all WFD aspects, and the existing legislation is not implemented with the same rigour in all the Member States. WFD provides additional powerful tools (River Basin Management Planning and Water Pricing discussion) to improve the situation, but the timetables of WFD and CAP do not fit each other. The activity should be continued with an intensive discussion on case and success stories in all the mentioned tools informing both policy areas for the planned evaluation of cross-compliance in 2007, and a mid-term evaluation on rural development in 2009.

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