COMMON IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY FOR THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (2000/60/EC). Guidance Document No. 32 ON BIOTA MONITORING (THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EQSBIOTA) UNDER THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

Abstract

This Technical Guidance Document on Biota Monitoring (the Implementation of EQSbiota) \naims to facilitate the implementation of environmental quality standards (EQS) in biota \nunder the Water Framework Directive by addressing in particular the sampling strategies \nappropriate for monitoring programmes designed to assess compliance with biota EQS. It is \nGuidance Document No. 32 in the series of guidance documents prepared to support the \nCommon Implementation Strategy (CIS) for the Water Framework Directive. \nIt elaborates extensively on the content of Guidance Document No. 25 on Chemical \nMonitoring in Sediment and Biota under the Water Framework Directive, and is \ncomplemented by Guidance Document No. 33, the Technical Guidance Document on \nAnalytical Methods for Biota Monitoring. Guidance Documents 32 and 33 together address \nthe requirement for guidance on biota monitoring mentioned in Article 3(8a) of Directive \n2008/105/EC as amended by Directive 2013/39/EU. \nThe original Directive 2008/105/EC included biota standards for mercury, \nhexachlorobenzene and hexachlorobutadiene. In Directive 2013/39/EU, biota EQS were \nintroduced for three other existing priority substances (fluoranthene, polyaromatic \nhydrocarbons and brominated diphenylethers), and set for four new priority substances \n(dicofol, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives, hexabromocyclododecane, and \nheptachlor/heptachlor epoxide). This guidance document takes into account the fact that \ntrend monitoring in sediment and/or biota is required for several other priority substances as \nspecified in Article 3(6), and indicates how trend monitoring data can be used to check \ncompliance with biota EQS, but does not elaborate on trend monitoring as such. \nThis document constitutes guidance and Member States are therefore not legally required to \nfollow the recommendations contained in it. Member States are, however, required to use \nmethods compliant with the requirements of the Environmental Quality Standards Directive \n2008/105/EC and the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Directive 2009/90/EC.