Monitoring the water environment
Why we monitor the water environment
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) introduced the need for a broader, more holistic approach to monitoring and classifying Scotland’s aquatic environment in 2007.
Its aim is to use data to protect and improve water bodies so that they meet good ecological status, or similar objective.
This monitoring network enables us to identify and resolve problems, and improve the water environment.
Find out more about how we classify Scotland’s water environment.
Our approach to monitoring
We have three categories of monitoring which have different but complementary purposes:
surveillance
operational
investigative.
This strategy ensures we are collecting the right information in the right place and allows us to concentrate our effort on the greatest risks to the environment.
For the delivery of the first river basin management plan, we radically overhauled our monitoring network. Details on this can be found in the monitoring strategies:
WFD Aquatic Monitoring Strategy – Scotland river basin district
WFD Aquatic Monitoring Strategy – Solway Tweed river basin district.
Working with partner organisations
We share monitoring and analysis work with other partners, including Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Water, British Waterways, Environment Link and Fisheries Research Services, to make sure we are as efficient as possible.
As part of the Scottish Government’s Co-ordinated Agenda for Marine, Environment and Rural Affairs Science, we are developing Monitoring Action Plans with partner organisations with the aim of co-ordinating monitoring efforts across Scotland.
What we monitor in the water environment
As well as water quality, we also monitor:
Designated protected areas
A significant number of the water bodies in Scotland are designated as protected areas, and require special protection and/or conservation:
These waters are covered by the revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC).
Our bathing waters page contains more information about how we monitor and report on bathing waters.
These comprise nitrate vulnerable zones and polluted waters designated under the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) and areas designated as sensitive areas under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC].
Maps of the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones are available on the Scottish Government website.
Our nitrates monitoring page contains more information about how we monitor and report on nutrient sensitive areas. A map of the current nutrient sensitive areas is available on the Scottish Government website.
These are areas previously designated for the protection of habitats or species where maintaining or improving the status of water is important for their protection.
They comprise the aquatic part of Natura2000 sites – Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) designated under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).
Scottish Natural Heritage is a key partner in the protection and management of Natura2000 sites.
These are protected areas designated under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) that were previously protected by the Surface Water Abstraction Directive (75/440/EEC), which was repealed in 2007.
The register of Drinking Water Protected Areas consists of a list of sites and a set of maps showing the relevant protected areas in the Scotland and Solway Tweed river basin districts.
The Marine (Scotland) Act has established a new power for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the seas around Scotland, to recognise features of national importance and meet international commitments for developing a network of MPAs.
This complements the MPA powers introduced through the Marine and Coastal Access Act for offshore waters around Scotland. The network is designed to safeguard the future of rich and diverse coastal habitats and maintain a healthy marine ecosystem.
Not all Marine PAs lie within SEPA/SNH’s jurisdiction. Areas beyond the 12 nautical mile limit are identified by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Why areas are protected
We have protected areas because of their importance for special purposes such as wildlife conservation, drinking water supply, shellfish harvesting or bathing.
These designated areas are vital to ensure that the diverse ecosystems and cultural and economic benefits contained within them are safeguarded. Protected areas are also important drivers of improvement objectives in the river basin plan.
We maintain a register of protected areas, which helps to ensure that water bodies within these areas are managed and that they achieve the objectives required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Water Environment (Register of Protected Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
Contact us
For more information about what we monitor and why, contact us.