Water Framework Directive: 2nd Consultation Paper

Note: This consultation has now closed. A summary of responses, and an indication of what actions the Government intends to take following the consultation, will be published in due course. The following material has been left in place for reference/archive purposes.

The main purpose of this second consultation paper is to explain how the Directive will be transposed into national legislation. In doing so this document takes forward some of the issues raised in the first consultation, and also summarises the responses to the first consultation. See also this News Release (29 October).

Additional information about the Water Framework Directive is available here.

The consultation, which covers issues as diverse as diffuse pollution, water abstraction, discharge consent system and wetlands, sets out:

• How the Government plans to transpose the directive - through regulations, ratcheting up much existing water quality legislation and providing additional powers where necessary;
• The major proposal for a new power to prevent or control diffuse pollution. Diffuse pollution remains the area of water pollution which has yet to be effectively tackled. How and in what ways the power might be used will not have to be decided until some time later. Likely use will depend on what other action is taken to tackle diffuse pollution which is currently under consideration;
• Whilst there are a number of areas where powers are not needed (for example abstraction), the Directive will require new powers in areas such as setting environmental objectives and establishing a classification system to determine 'good status' of water bodies;
• In addition, the Environment Agency will be given a central role in implementing the Directive, including new duties to co-ordinate production of river basin management plans.

The consultation paper is available as follows:

• Main consultation document (Adobe Acrobat format, 420kb)
• Appendixes 1-4, 6-7 (Adobe Acrobat format, 200kb)
  Note: because of its very large file size, Appendix 5 has not been made available separately - it is only included in the complete document.
• Complete document (Adobe Acrobat format - note, this file is 6.8MB in size)
  This version includes all of the above material, plus Appendix 5 (the maps of river basin districts in England and Wales). The inevitably large size of the map pages reflects the large amount of detailed information included in the maps.
• Covering letter to consultees (Adobe Acrobat format, 20kb)

Note: readers may find it useful to save relatively large files directly onto their own PC rather than opening them via their web browser: using the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser right-click on the link and choose "Save Target As"; using the Netscape web browser right-click on the link and choose "Save Link As".

The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded. Viewers with visual difficulties may find it useful to investigate services provided to improve the accessibility of Acrobat documents - http://access.adobe.com

Responses

Responses in respect of England should be sent by 21 January 2003 to: Cath Harris, Water Framework Directive Consultation, Water Quality Division, Defra, Zone 3/H16, 123 Ashdown House, London SW1E 6DE. Email: wfd.consultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Respondents from Wales are asked to send their views on the consultation paper to: Ron Hicks, Environmental Protection 1 Division, Welsh Assembly Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ. Email: Environmental.Protection.Division@Wales.gsi.gov.uk and to copy them to the Defra address above.

Requests for a Welsh translation of this consultation paper should be addressed to Ron Hicks at the Welsh Assembly Government address above.

Printed copies of this consultation paper can be obtained from: Defra Free Literature, Admail 6000, London SW1A 2XX. Email: defra@iforcegroup.com Tel: 08459 556000.