Catchment News

Article 3 of the WFD requires individual river basins to be identified and assigned to River Basin Districts, which, for the purposes of the Directive, are used as the main
unit for managing the water environment. A River Basin District (RBD) can include several individual river basins or catchments.

The River Basin Management Planning process requires the preparation, implementation and review of a River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) over six yearly cycles for each RBD identified. This requires an iterative approach to river basin planning and management that will integrate all relevant factors in addressing the issues pertinent to water quality.

There are four main elements of the process:

1. Environmental and economic assessment or ‘characterisation’ of the river basin district and the pressures and impacts on the water environment;
2. Environmental monitoring based on river basin characterisation;
3. Setting of environmental objectives; and
4. Design and implementation of a programme of measures to achieve
   environmental objectives.