The European technical report on aquatic effect-based monitoring tools under the water framework directive

Ann-Sofie Wernersson , Mario Carere (1) , Chiara Maggi (2) , Petr Tusil , Premysl Soldan , Alice James (3) , Wilfried Sanchez (3, 4) , Valeria Dulio (3) , Katja Broeg , Georg Reifferscheid , Sebastian Buchinger , Hannie Maas , Esther van Der Grinten (5) , Simon O'Toole , Antonella Ausili (2) , Loredana Manfra (2) , Laura Marziali , Stefano Polesello , Ines Lacchetti (1) , Laura Mancini (1) , Karl Lilja , Maria Linderoth , Tove Lundeberg , Bengt Fjallborg , Tobias Porsbring , D.G. Joakim Larsson , Johan Bengtsson-Palme , Lars Forlin , Cornelia Kienle (6) , Petra Y. Kunz (6) , Etienne Vermeirssen (6) , Inge Werner (6) , Craig D. Robinson , Brett Lyons , Ioanna Katsiadaki , Caroline Whalley , Klaas den Haan , Marlies Messiaen , Helen Clayton , Lettieri Teresa (7) , Raquel Negrao Carvalho (7) , Bernd Manfred Gawlik (7) , Henner Hollert (8) , Carolina Di Paolo (8) , Werner Brack (9) , Ulrike Kammann , Robert Kase (10)

1 ISS - Istituto Superiore di Sanità
2 ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale
3 INERIS - Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques
4 SEBIO - Stress Environnementaux et BIOsurveillance des milieux aquatiques
5 RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment [Bilthoven]
6 EAWAG - Swiss Federal Insitute of Aquatic Science and Technology [Dübendorf]
7 IES - JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability
8 RWTH - Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University
9 UFZ - Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung = Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
10 EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

The Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000/60/EC, requires an integrated approach to the monitoring and assessment of the quality of surface water bodies. The chemical status assessment is based on compliance with legally binding Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs) for selected chemical pollutants (priority substances) of EU-wide concern. In the context of the mandate for the period 2010 to 2012 of the subgroup Chemical Monitoring and Emerging Pollutants (CMEP) under the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) for the WFD, a specific task was established for the elaboration of a technical report on aquatic effect-based monitoring tools. The activity was chaired by Sweden and co-chaired by Italy and progressively involved several Member States and stakeholders in an EU-wide drafting group. The main aim of this technical report was to identify potential effect-based tools (e.g. biomarkers and bioassays) that could be used in the context of the different monitoring programmes (surveillance, operational and investigative) linking chemical and ecological status assessment. The present paper summarizes the major technical contents and findings of the report.

Domains: Toxicology; Ecotoxicology; Environmental Sciences

Ann-Sofie Wernersson, Mario Carere, Chiara Maggi, Petr Tusil, Premysl Soldan, et al.. The European technical report on aquatic effect-based monitoring tools under the water framework directive. Environmental Science Europe, 2015, 27 (1), pp.art. 7. ⟨10.1186/s12302-015-0039-4⟩. ⟨ineris-01862522⟩