EU Water Framework Directive Implementation – Challenges Marjoleine Weemaes.

EU Water Framework DirectiveImplementation – ChallengesMarjoleine Weemaes

Content

• WFD origin • Objectives• Basic notions• River Basin Mgmt Plans

• Programmes of measures• Challenges in urban

wastewater treatment

Water is essential for human life, nature and the economy. It is permanently renewed but it is also finite and cannot be made or replaced with other resources. Freshwater constitutes only about 2 % of the water on the planet

‘Historical’ legislation:

1st wave of legislation• 75/440/EEC: standards for rivers/lakes used for drinking water

abstraction

• 78/659/EEC - 76/160/EEC- 80/68/EEC: Quality objectives on fish- , bathing and groundwater

• 76/464/EEC: Dangerous Substances Directive

2nd wave • 91/271/EEC: Urban WasteWater Treatment Directive

• 91/676/EEC: Nitrates directive

• 96/61/EC: Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control

• 98/83/EEC: new Drinking Water Directive

The need for Framework Legislation

• 1996: Consultation/Water Conference • Considerable progress in tackling individual issues• But: fragmented water policies

Water Framework Directive adopted in 2000• Setting the objectives for

water protection in the future:• Get polluted waters clean again• Ensure clean waters are kept clean

Water Framework Directive:

1. Expanding the scope of water protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater

2. Water management based on river basins

3. Achieving good status for all water bodies by a set deadline (2027)

4. Combined approach of emission limit values and quality standards

5. Getting the prices right

6. Close involvement of the citizen

Establish River Basin Management Plans + programme of Measures (6 year cycle)








Immission Emission

Water management based on river basins

• Natural and geographical unit administrative and political boundaries

• Cooperation and joint objective setting across member state borders

• Produce River Basin Management Plans (RBMP)

96 RBD’s29 international

13 within MS’s16 non-EU66% area based

National: 587 – 181.841 km2

International: 8115 – 806.238 km2

Danube RBD shared by 18 countries








Immission Emission

Achieve ‘good status’ for all water bodies(Surface Water)

• Good ecological status:• No absolute standards across EU• Quality of biological community • Hydrological characteristics• (Physico)-Chemical characteristics

• Good chemical status• EQS for chemical substances at EU level

• Good status in water bodies with ‘Other uses’• Protected areas: more stringenth requirements• Derogation: if ‘use’ is essential and adversely affects status

Minimal Anthropogenic

Impact

COMPARE

SET STANDARDS

Achieve good status by a set deadlineRiver Basin Management Plans: 6 year cycle








Immission Emission

Getting the prices right

• Polluter pays• Water services @ a price that fully reflects the service• Operational & maintenance costs• Infrastructure cost• Environmental and resource costs• Consider all activities that use water

resources• Create incentives for efficient use of water resources








Immission Emission

Close involvement of the citizen

• Balance the interest of various groups• Allow people to influence the outcome of plans and

working processes• Better informed, more creative decision making• More public acceptance (ownership?)• Complicated task!

River Basin Management Plans

• Characterisation of the basin• Maps of location and boundaries• Identification of water body type and reference conditions

• Pressure and impact analysis of human activity• Point and diffuse source pollution, hydromorfological changes• Pressures on quantitative status, e.g. abstraction

• Monitoring and evaluation• Environmental objectives• Economical analysis of water use

Programme of measures

Programme of Measures• Implement measures to prevent deterioration• Inventarisation of all measures needed to reach good status in

all water bodies• Basic measures• Supplementary measures to achieve good ecological status

• Implementation of UWWTD was challenging• financial – planning issues related to infrastructure investments• Implementation advanced in EU-15 (close to full compliance)

1. Sewer overflows!!2. Main challenge: maintaining and renewing

sewerage collection & treatment systems3. Priority pollutants

• EU-13: transitional periods (negotiated in accenssion treaties) comes to an end => still far away from full compliance

• Main challenge: continue to set up minimum required infrastructure

Challenges in urban wastewater treatment

COMBINEDSEWER OVERFLOWS

1

(1) Combined sewer systems

“Older” urban areas: combined sewer systems• Convey both storm water and sanitary sewage• Peak storm water flows from typical rain events greatly exceed

sanitary flows• Storm runoff: 2/3 from roofed area - 1/3 from paved area

(1) Combined sewer overflows

Waterquantity (2007) CSO/WWTP

Qwwtp= 3,36 Mm3 Qcso= 0,21 Mm3

Waterquality (concentrations, 2007)

WWTP CSOSS = 6 mg/L SS = 175 mg/LBOD = 3 mg/L BOD = 77 mg/LCOD = 26 mg/L COD = 141 mg/LNH4 = 1,14 mg/L NH4 = 1,94 mg/L

TN = 7mg/L TN = 12,6 mg/LTP = 0,92 mg/L TP = 1,25 mg/L

RQ = 6%

Rzs = 174%Rbzv = 154%Rczv = 30%

RNH4 = 10%RTN = 10%RTP = 8%

(1) CSO’s: Relation to Climate Change

• Annual increase of precipitation of 1-2 %• Change in heavy rainfall conditions of 5-40%

Winter conditions• Period of rainfall: days / weeks• Insufficient conveyance capacity of rivers &

streams• Insufficient storage capacity of river valleys Threat to natural water system

Summer conditions• Period of rainfall: minutes / hours• Insufficient conveyance capacity of sewer systems Threat to urban drainage system

(1) Combined vs separate sewers

• Separate sewer systems • Storm sewers convey rainwater to rivers & streams• Sanitary sewers convey sanitary flow to WWTP

• Mandatory in new/renovation projects unless stated otherwise• Quality storm water runoff?

(1) CSO’s: Solutions??

• Retention, infiltration at domestic level • Real Time Control sewer systems

(1) CSO’s: Solutions??

• Retention, infiltration at domestic level • Real Time Control sewer systems• Treatment of CSO’s?

Maintenance & rehabilitation

2

(2) Maintenance & Rehabilitation

(2) Maintenance & rehabilitationAsset management

• Causes• Criticality

• Assess integrated solution

• Structural• Hydraulic

• Carry out actions

• Revision plan

Implemen-tation

Inspection

EvaluationAction plan

Priority pollutants

3

• List of 33 + 12 priority pollutants: EQS• Watch list of emerging pollutants

• Ethinylestradiol• Estradiol• Diclofenac• Erytrhomycine• Clarythromycine, …

Develop strategic approach towards the risks of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment

(3) Priority pollutants

Daughter directive priority pollutants

Monitoring AQF-WWTP

0152 0005 0039 0020 0018 0474 0081 0133 0103 0137 0120 0401 0266 0090 0140 0154 0152 00570

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Influent Effluent

conc

entr

atie

dicl

ofen

ac (n

g/L)


Advanced treatment: costs

Post treatment Dosemg/L

Electricity consumption

kWh/m3

Primary energykWh/m3

Costs

30.000 PE€/m3

500.000 PE€/m3

Ozone + sandfilter 3-10 0,1-0,2 0,3-0,6 0,15-0,2 0,05-0,07

Powder AC + filter 10-20 0,05 0,5-0,8 0,25-0,3 0,09-0,11

Source: EU FP 7 project Neptune, project (Contract No 036845, SUSTDEV-2005-3.II.3.2),

Conventional wastewater treatment : 0,7 €/m3


WFD-related challenges in urban WWT

1. Sanitation of combined sewer overflows

2. Maintenance and rehabilitation of sewer and treatment infrastructure

3. Cost effective solutions to tackle emerging compounds

EU Water Framework Directive Implementation – Challenges Marjoleine Weemaes.

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