Surface water bodies

Warning

Updated: 2026-08-25

• Added the SWChemicalExemption and SWEcologicalExemption table to the descriptive dataset.

• Corrected the dcMetadata table diagram and description.

Updated: 2026-07-27

• Renamed the SWCharacterisation table to avoid collisions.

• Added the overview diagram

• Added the documents dataset

Updated: 2026-07-16

• Added the quality control conditions for quality elements, including cross-checks

• Added the quality control conditions for national types, including cross-checks

Updated: 2026-07-08

• Descriptive dataset - 4th cycle Removal of swIntercalibrationType from SurfaceWaterBody

• Ecological status and potential:
  Added QC checks.

• SWQualityElement table:
  Clarifying the link with the SWType table. Removal of QE1-2 and QE1-5 from the biological quality elements.

Purpose and overview

This section revises the reporting of information related to Surface Water Bodies in the 2nd and 3rd cycle of reporting of the Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans. It also presents a proposal for simplifying the electronic reporting in the 4th cycle.

Current structure - 3rd cycle

The information about Surface water bodies was reported in five separate schemas:

• the SWB_2022 schema, containing information about each surface water body (Figure 53)

• the SWMET_2022 schema, containing information about the methodologies (see Surface water methodologies)

• the GML_SurfaceWaterBody_2022 schema and GML_SurfaceWaterBodyLine_2022 schema, containing the SurfaceWaterBody spatial dataset.

• the GML_SurfaceWaterBodyCentreline_2022 schema, containing the ancillary SurfaceWaterBodyCentreline spatial dataset.

        %%{init: {'theme': 'default'}}%%

classDiagram

class SWChemicalExemptionType ["«XSDcomplexType»
SWChemicalExemptionType"]  {
  «XSElement»
  + swChemicalExemptionType: ExemptionType_Enum
  + swChemicalExemptionPressure: SignificantPressureType_Enum
}


class SWPrioritySubstance ["«XSDcomplexType»
SWPrioritySubstance"]  {
  «XSElement»
  + swPrioritySubstanceCode: PS_Enum
  + swPrioritySubstanceCausingFailure: YesNoUnknownCode_Enum
  + swPrioritySubstanceExceedanceType: EQStandardType_Enum [0..3]
  + swPrioritySubstanceExceedanceInMixingZone: YesNoCode_Enum [0..1]
}

class SWAssociatedProtectedArea ["«XSDcomplexType»
SWAssociatedProtectedArea"]  {
  «XSElement»
  + euProtectedAreaCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
  + protectedAreaType: ProtectedAreaType_Enum
  + protectedAreaObjectivesSet: ProtectedAreaObjectivesEnum [0..1]
  + protectedAreaObjectivesMet: YesNoInformation_Union_Enum [0..1]
  + protectedAreaComment: String1000Type [0..1]
  + protectedAreaExemption: ExemptionType_Enum [1..*]
}

class QualityElement ["«XSDcomplexType»
QualityElement"]  {
  «XSElement»
  + qeCode: StatusQE_Enum
  + qeStatusOrPotentialValue: QEStatusCode_Enum
  + qeMonitoringResults: MonitoringResults_Enum [0..1]
  + qeMonitoringPeriod: YearRangeType [0..1]
  + qeGrouping: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType [0..*]
  + qeStatusOrPotentialChange: ValueQEX_StatusOrPotentialChange_Enum
  + qeStatusOrPotentialComparability: SoPComparability_Enum [0..1]
  + qeEcologicalExemptionType: ExemptionType_Enum [1..*]
}

class FailingRBSP ["«XSDcomplexType»
FailingRBSP"]{
  «XSElement»
  + failingRBSP: RBSP_Enum
  + failingRBSPOther: OtherType [0..1]
}

class SWEcologicalExemptionType ["«XSDcomplexType»
SWEcologicalExemptionType"]  {
  «XSElement»
  + swEcologicalExemptionType: ExemptionType_Enum
  + swEcologicalExemptionPressure: SignificantPressureType_Enum
}

class SurfaceWaterBody ["«XSDcomplexType»
SurfaceWaterBody"]  {
  «XSElement»
  + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
  + euSubUnitCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
  + surfaceWaterBodyCategory: SWCategoryCode_Enum
  + naturalAWBHMWB: NaturalCode_Enum
  + hmwbWaterUse: HMWBWaterUse_Enum [0..*]
  + hmwbPhysicalAlteration: HMWBPhysicalAlteration_Enum [0..*]
  + reservoir: YesNoUnclearReservoir_Enum [0..1]
  + surfaceWaterBodyTypeCode: String100Type
  + surfaceWaterBodyIntercalibrationType: SWIntercalibrationType_Enum [1..*]
  + surfaceWaterBodyTransboundary: YesNoNotApplicable_Union_Enum
  + swSignificantPressureType: SignificantPressureType_Enum [1..*]
  + swPressureOther: String1000Type [0..1]
  + swSignificantImpactType: SignificantImpactType_Enum [1..*]
  + swSignificantImpactOther: String1000Type [0..1]
  + swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue: EcologicalStatusCode_Enum
  + swEcologicalAssessmentYear: YearRangeType
  + swEcologicalAssessmentConfidence: Confidence_Enum
  + swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialExpectedAchievementDate: GoodStatus_Enum
  + swChemicalStatusValue: StatusCode_Enum
  + swChemicalAssessmentYear: YearRangeType
  + swChemicalAssessmentConfidence: Confidence_Enum
  + swChemicalMonitoringResults: ChemicalMonitoringResults_Enum [0..1]
  + swChemicalStatusGrouping: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType [0..*]
  + swChemicalStatusExpectedAchievementDate: GoodStatus_Enum
  + swMixingZones: YesNoNoInformation_Union_Enum
  + swMixingZonesProportion: NumberPercentageType [0..1]
}

class SWB {
  ["«XSDcomplexType»
SWB"] 
  «XSElement»
  + countryCode: CountryCode_Enum
  + euRBDCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
}

SWChemicalExemptionType --> SWPrioritySubstance : SWChemicalExemptionType
SWPrioritySubstance --> SurfaceWaterBody : SWPrioritySubstance
SWAssociatedProtectedArea --> SurfaceWaterBody : SWAssociatedProtectedArea
QualityElement --> SurfaceWaterBody : QualityElement
FailingRBSP --> SurfaceWaterBody : FailingRBSP
SWEcologicalExemptionType --> SurfaceWaterBody : SWEcologicalExemptionType
SurfaceWaterBody --> SWB : SurfaceWaterBody
    

Figure 53 Class diagram for the SWB_2022 schema in the 3rd cycle of reporting.

SWB_2022 schema - 3rd cycle

The SWB_2022 schema was already partially revised with regard to the reporting of exemptions. See:

• Surface water - chemical exemptions by pollutant

• Surface water - ecological exemptions by quality element

• Exemptions for surface water bodies associated with protected areas

Other simplifications already discussed also apply to the revision of the SWB schema:

• Removal of the textual reporting of “other” pollutants or RBSPs

• Removal of the textual reporting of “other” pressures

• Removal of the textual reporting of “other” impacts

• Removal of the reporting of subunits

Figure 54 shows a simplified diagram to help focus the discussion on the remaining issues.

        %%{init: {'theme': 'default'}}%%

classDiagram


class SWPrioritySubstance {
  
  + swPrioritySubstanceCode: PS_Enum
  + swPrioritySubstanceCausingFailure: YesNoUnknownCode_Enum
  + swPrioritySubstanceExceedanceType: EQStandardType_Enum [0..3]
  + swPrioritySubstanceExceedanceInMixingZone: YesNoCode_Enum [0..1]
}

class FailingRBSP {
  + failingRBSP: RBSP_Enum
  
}

class QualityElement {
  
  + qeCode: StatusQE_Enum
  + qeStatusOrPotentialValue: QEStatusCode_Enum
  + qeMonitoringResults: MonitoringResults_Enum [0..1]
  + qeMonitoringPeriod: YearRangeType [0..1]
  + qeGrouping: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType [0..*]
  + qeStatusOrPotentialChange: ValueQEX_StatusOrPotentialChange_Enum
  + qeStatusOrPotentialComparability: SoPComparability_Enum [0..1]
}

class SurfaceWaterBody   {
  
  + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType
  + surfaceWaterBodyCategory: SWCategoryCode_Enum
  + naturalAWBHMWB: NaturalCode_Enum
  + hmwbWaterUse: HMWBWaterUse_Enum [0..*]
  + hmwbPhysicalAlteration: HMWBPhysicalAlteration_Enum [0..*]
  + reservoir: YesNoUnclearReservoir_Enum [0..1]
  + surfaceWaterBodyTypeCode: String100Type
  + surfaceWaterBodyIntercalibrationType: SWIntercalibrationType_Enum [1..*]
  + surfaceWaterBodyTransboundary: YesNoNotApplicable_Union_Enum
  + swSignificantPressureType: SignificantPressureType_Enum [1..*]
  + swSignificantImpactType: SignificantImpactType_Enum [1..*]
  + swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue: EcologicalStatusCode_Enum
  + swEcologicalAssessmentYear: YearRangeType
  + swEcologicalAssessmentConfidence: Confidence_Enum
  + swChemicalStatusValue: StatusCode_Enum
  + swChemicalAssessmentYear: YearRangeType
  + swChemicalAssessmentConfidence: Confidence_Enum
  + swChemicalMonitoringResults: ChemicalMonitoringResults_Enum [0..1]
  + swChemicalStatusGrouping: FeatureUniqueEUCodeType [0..*]
  + swMixingZones: YesNoNoInformation_Union_Enum
  + swMixingZonesProportion: NumberPercentageType [0..1]
}

SWPrioritySubstance --> SurfaceWaterBody : SWPrioritySubstance
FailingRBSP --> SurfaceWaterBody : FailingRBSP
QualityElement --> SurfaceWaterBody : QualityElement
    

Figure 54 PARTIAL class diagram for the SWB_2022 schema in the 3rd cycle of reporting.

Proposed structure - 4th cycle

For the 4th cycle of reporting, the proposed structure combines into a single dataflow (see Figure 55) the information related to surface water:

• Descriptive dataset - 4th cycle

• Spatial dataset - 4th cycle

• Methodologies dataset - 4th cycle

• Documents dataset - 4th cycle

Note that, if there are changes since the 3rd cycle, the national spatial data related to river basin districts must be reported before it can be referenced to in the surface water dataflow tables.

        ---
config:
  class:
    hideEmptyMembersBox: true
  layout: dagre
  theme: neutral
  themeVariables:
    noteBkgColor: LightYellow
    noteTextColor: black 
---
classDiagram
direction LR

namespace DescriptiveDataset {
class SWPressureImpact{}
class SWHeavilyModifiedWaterBody{}
class SWCharacterisation{}
class SWStatus{} 

class SWQualityElement{}
class SWGrouping{}
class SWPollutant{}

class SWEcologicalExemption{}
class SWChemicalExemption{}
}

namespace SpatialDataset {
  class SurfaceWaterBody{}
}

namespace MethodologiesDataset {
class SWMethodologies{}
class SWManagementObjectives{}
class SWChemicalStatusClassification{}
class SWTargetedQuestions{}

class SWPressureAssessment{}
class SWThresholdValue{}
class SWThreshold_SWType{}
class SWType{}
class SWNaturalBackgroundLevel{}

class QE1Classification{}
class QE2Classification{}
class QE3Classification{}
class QEClassification_SWType{}

class BQEMethod{}
}

namespace DocumentsData {
class dcMetadata{}
class Reference{}
class Document{}
}

namespace ReferenceDataset {
class RiverBasinDistrict_4thCycle:::otherDataset{
  
}

class SurfaceWaterBody_3rdCycle:::otherDataset{
  
}
}

SWHeavilyModifiedWaterBody "0..n" -- SWCharacterisation
SWCharacterisation "1" -- "1" SWStatus    
SWStatus "1" -- "0..1" SWQualityElement
SWStatus "1" -- "0..n" SWPollutant
SWStatus "1" -- "0..n" SWPressureImpact

SWQualityElement "1" -- "0..n" SWEcologicalExemption
SWPollutant "1" -- "0..n" SWChemicalExemption

SWThresholdValue -- "1..n" SWThreshold_SWType
SWThreshold_SWType "1..n" -- SWType

SWNaturalBackgroundLevel "0..n" -- SWType
QE1Classification "n" -- BQEMethod


QE3Classification -- "1..n" QEClassification_SWType
QE1Classification -- "1..n" QEClassification_SWType
QE2Classification -- "1..n" QEClassification_SWType
QEClassification_SWType "1..n" -- SWType


SWPollutant ..> SWGrouping
SWQualityElement ..> SWGrouping

SWQualityElement ..> QE1Classification
SWQualityElement ..> QE2Classification
SWQualityElement ..> QE3Classification

SurfaceWaterBody ..> SurfaceWaterBody_3rdCycle
SurfaceWaterBody ..> RiverBasinDistrict_4thCycle

SWPollutant ..> SWThresholdValue
SWPressureImpact ..> SWPressureAssessment
SWCharacterisation ..> SurfaceWaterBody

SWMethodologies ..> Reference
SWManagementObjectives ..> Reference
SWChemicalStatusClassification ..> Reference
SWTargetedQuestions ..> Reference

Reference ..> Document
dcMetadata ..> RiverBasinDistrict_4thCycle
dcMetadata ..> Document

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
classDef otherDataset fill:lavender,stroke:#000;
    

Figure 55 Surface water - overview - 4th cycle

Descriptive dataset - 4th cycle

The proposed structure for the 4th cycle electronic reporting is presented in the class diagram in (Figure 56) and a brief description of each table is included in Table 46.

        ---
config:
  class:
    hideEmptyMembersBox: true
  layout: dagre
  theme: neutral
---
classDiagram
direction TB

class SurfaceWaterBody {
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
    + surfaceWaterBodyCategory: WaterBodyCategory
    + naturalAWBHMWB: NaturalAWBHMWB
    + swTypeIdentifier: wiseIdentifier
    + surfaceWaterBodyTransboundary: YesNo
    + reservoir: ReservoirType
    + swMixingZonesProportion: PercentageInterval
}

class SWStatus {
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
    + swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue: EcologicalStatus
    + swChemicalStatusValue: ChemicalStatus
}

class SWPollutant {
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
    + swPollutantCode: Parameter
    + swPollutantCausingFailure: YesNoUnknown
    + swThresholdExceedance: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
    + swPollutantExceedanceInMixingZone: YesNoUnknownNotApplicable
    
    + swPollutantAssessmentPeriod: range
    + swPollutantAssessmentMethod: AssessmentMethod [1..n]
    + swPollutantAssessmentConfidence: AssessmentConfidence

    + swThresholdIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [1..n]
    + swGroupingIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
}

class SWPressureImpact {
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
    + swPressureType: PressureType [0..1]
    + swImpactType: ImpactType  [0..1]
}

class SWHeavilyModifiedWaterBody {
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
    + hmwbPhysicalAlteration: HMWBPhysicalAlteration [0..n]
    + hmwbWaterUse: HMWBWaterUse [0..n]
}

class SWQualityElement{
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
    + qeCode: QualityElement
    + qeStatusOrPotentialValue: EcologicalStatus
    + qeStatusAssessmentPeriod: range
    + qeStatusAssessmentMethod: AssessmentMethod [1..n]
    + qeStatusAssessmentConfidence: AssessmentConfidence
    + qeClassificationIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [1..n]
    + swGroupingIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
}
class SWGrouping{
    + swGroupingIdentifier: wiseIdentifier
    + euSurfaceWaterBodyCode: wiseIdentifier
}

SWHeavilyModifiedWaterBody "0..n" -- "1" SurfaceWaterBody 
SurfaceWaterBody "1" -- "1" SWStatus
SWStatus "1" -- "0..n" SWQualityElement
SWStatus "1" -- "0..n" SWPressureImpact
SWStatus "1" -- "0..n" SWPollutant

SWQualityElement ..> SWGrouping: swGroupingIdentifier
SWPollutant ..> SWGrouping: swGroupingIdentifier

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
classDef otherDataset fill:lightyellow,stroke:#000;

    

Figure 56 Surface water - 4th cycle

Table 46 Surface water - 4th cycle - brief table description

Table	Description
SurfaceWaterBody	modified The SurfaceWaterBody table contains the attributes that describe the surface water body and that do not vary with the status of the water body. Therefore the table can be prepared immediately, even if the 4th cycle RBMPs have not yet been finalised. All the attributes existed in the 3rd cycle reporting.
SWHeavilyModifiedWaterBody	modified
SWStatus	new The SWStatus table synthesizes information about the status of the water body. Formally, the chemicalStatusValue could be derived from the information in the SWPollutant table. If, and only if, chemicalStatusValue = 'unknown' and no assessment of the chemical status was done, may all corresponding rows in the SWPollutant table be missing. (An ERROR will raised by the quality control, since this is a non-compliance and should not be reported by mistake.) Likewise, the swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue could be derived from the SWQualityElement table. If, and only if, swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = 'unknown' and no assessment of the ecological status was done, may the corresponding rows in the SWQualityElement table be missing. (An ERROR will raised by the quality control, since this is a non-compliance and should not be reported by mistake.)
SWPollutant	modified The SWPollutant table contains data related to the chemical status at substance level. The information about the assessment method, assessment confidence, and assessment period can be reported at pollutant level, allowing more flexibility in reporting different situations for different pollutants or indicators of pollution. (If the same method, confidence and period apply to all substances assessed for a surface water body, then identical values can be reported for all substances).
SWQualityElement	new The SWQualityElement table gathers the data related to ecological status or potential. The assessment method, confidence and period is reported using the same pattern applied for surface water pollutants.
SWGrouping	new If grouping was not used, this table is not necessary. If grouping was used for the assessment of ecological or chemical status, the SWGrouping table is used to define sets of water bodies that were monitored and assessed as an ensemble. The same ensemble can be used for different purposes. The same water body can be a member of different ensembles. The groupingIdentifier value uniquely identifies an ensemble using the WISE identifier syntax. The euSurfaceWaterBodyCode identifies a member of the ensemble. If an ensemble is used in the assessment of a given element, then at least one of its water bodies must be monitored for that element (e.g. must have swPollutantAssessmentMethod = 'monitoring'). (To avoid mistakes and ambiguities, the groupingIdentifier value must be different from any known water body identifier. It is recommended to use a clear pattern to avoid conflicts with existing and future water body identifiers. For example, using a ‘_SWGROUPING’ suffix).
SWPressureImpact	modified. For the water bodies that do not achieve good ecological status or potential in 2027, the significant pressures causing poor ecological status or potential are reported in the SWEcologicalExemption table (see Figure 94) and do not need to be reported again in the SWPressureImpact table. For water bodies that do not achieve good chemical status in 2027, the significant pressures are reported in the SWChemicalExemption table (see Figure 96) and do not need to be reported again in the SWPressureImpact table. For cases where a pressure is not causing failure, but still causes an impact that needs to be managed, the SWPressureImpact table should be used. Note that the reporting of pressures and impacts is combined into a single SWPressureImpact table. In the 3rd cycle, the XML structure did not allow a specific pressure to be link to a given impact. In the proposed structure, this is possible (but not mandatory). Illustrative examples will be provided.
SWEcologicalExemption	modified. See Surface water - ecological exemptions by quality element.
SWChemicalExemption	modified. See Surface water - chemical exemptions by pollutant.

The following conditions apply:

• If a surface water body belongs to a given national type, then the surface water body category must match in the SurfaceWaterBody table and in the SWType table. The following cases will trigger a blocker:

  SELECT t.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode, t.swTypeIdentifier
  FROM SurfaceWaterBody AS t
  JOIN SWType AS ref
  ON t.swTypeIdentifier = ref.swTypeIdentifier
  WHERE t.surfaceWaterBodyCategory <> ref.surfaceWaterBodyCategory
  

• If a surface water body belongs to a given national type, then the water body type must match in the SurfaceWaterBody table and in the SWType table. The following cases will trigger a blocker:

  SELECT t.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode, t.swTypeIdentifier
  FROM SurfaceWaterBody AS t
  JOIN SWType AS ref
  ON t.swTypeIdentifier = ref.swTypeIdentifier
  WHERE NOT (t.naturalAWBHMWB = ANY(string_to_array(t.naturalAWBHMWB, ';')))
  

Ecological status and potential

The quality control criteria have been defined, and will be refined as needed.

• The ecological status must be reported for all surface water bodies, except territorial waters. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  SurfaceWaterBody.surfaceWaterBodyCategory != 'TeW' AND swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = 'notApplicable'

• High ecological status is only defined for natural water bodies. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  SurfaceWaterBody.naturalAWBHMWB != 'natural' AND swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '1'

• If ecological status is high, the status of all applicable quality elements must all be high. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  SWStatus.swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '1' AND qeStatusOrPotentialValue in ('2','3','4','5')

• If ecological status is high, the status of all applicable quality elements must all be high. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  SWStatus.swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '1' AND qeStatusOrPotentialValue in ('2','3','4','5')

• If ecological status is high, at least one hydromorphological quality element (QE2%) must be assessed.

• If ecological status is high, at least one physico-chemical quality element (QE3%) must be assessed.

• If ecological status is good or maximum, the status of all applicable biological quality elements must be at least good or maximum. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '2' AND qeCode LIKE 'QE1%' AND qeStatusOrPotentialValue in ('3','4','5')

• If ecological status is good or maximum, the status of all applicable physico-chemical quality elements must be at least good or maximum. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '2' AND qeCode LIKE 'QE3%' AND qeStatusOrPotentialValue in ('3','4','5')

• If ecological status is moderate, the status of all applicable biological quality elements must be at least moderate. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '3' AND qeCode LIKE 'QE1%' AND qeStatusOrPotentialValue in ('4','5')

• If ecological status is poor, the status of all applicable biological quality elements must be at least poor. The following clause will raise a blocker:
  swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '5' AND qeCode LIKE 'QE1%' AND qeStatusOrPotentialValue in ('5')

• If all applicable quality elements have ‘unknown’ status, then the ecological status must also be ‘unknown’.

The diagram below, adapted from Figure 1 in the CIS Guidance Document 13, illustrates the assessment criteria for ecological status (Figure 57).

        ---
config:
  layout: dagre
---

flowchart LR

title@{ shape: braces, label: "CIS Guidance document 13, Figure 1" }

    %% Defining the nodes

    initial([start])
    final([end])
    
    High["High status"]:::Blue
    Good["Good status"]:::Green
    Moderate["Moderate status"]:::Yellow
    Poor["Poor status"]:::Orange
    Bad["Bad status"]:::Red    
 
    is_BQE_High{"Do the <br/>estimated values <br/>for the biological quality elements <br/>meet reference conditions?"}
    is_BQE_Good{"Do the <br/>estimated values <br/>for the biological quality elements <br/>deviate only slightly <br/>from reference condition values?"}

    is_PhysChemQE_High{"Do the <br/>physico-chemical conditions <br/>meet high status?"}
    is_PhysChemQE_Good{"Do the <br/>physico-chemical conditions <br/>ensure ecosystem functioning?"}
    
    is_HyMoQE_High{"Do the <br/>hydro-morphological conditions<br/> meet high status?"}

    ClassifyUsingBQEOnly["Classify <br/>on the basis of the <br/>biological deviation <br/>from reference conditions"]
    is_BQE_Moderate{"Is the <br/>deviation moderate?"}
    is_BQE_Poor{"Is the <br/>deviation large?"}

    %% Flow 

    initial --> is_BQE_High
    
    is_BQE_High ====> |Yes|is_PhysChemQE_High
    is_PhysChemQE_High ==>|Yes|is_HyMoQE_High
    is_HyMoQE_High ==>|Yes| High
    High --> final

    is_HyMoQE_High ==> |No|Good
    is_PhysChemQE_High ==>|No|is_PhysChemQE_Good

    is_BQE_High ==>|No|is_BQE_Good
    is_BQE_Good ==>|Yes|is_PhysChemQE_Good
    is_BQE_Good ==>|No|ClassifyUsingBQEOnly
    is_PhysChemQE_Good ==>|Yes|Good
    Good --> final
    
    is_PhysChemQE_Good ==>|No|ClassifyUsingBQEOnly
    ClassifyUsingBQEOnly ==> is_BQE_Moderate
    is_BQE_Moderate ==>|Yes|Moderate
    Moderate --> final
    
    is_BQE_Moderate ==>|No|is_BQE_Poor
    is_BQE_Poor ==>|Yes|Poor
    Poor --> final
    
    is_BQE_Poor ==>|Extreme deviation|Bad
    Bad --> final

    %% styling
    classDef state stroke-width:4px,fill:transparent
    classDef Blue fill:#5893A9,stroke:black;
    classDef Green fill:#6FB22C,stroke:black;
    classDef Yellow fill:#FFF6A6,stroke:black;
    classDef Orange fill:#F6A800,black;
    classDef Red fill:#E63D5C,black;
    
    

Figure 57 Surface Water Body - Ecological status assessment

The diagram below, adapted from Figure 2 in the CIS Guidance document 13, illustrates the assessment criteria for ecological potential (Figure 58).

        ---
config:
  layout: dagre
---

flowchart LR

title@{ shape: braces, label: "CIS Guidance document 13, Figure 2" }

    %% Defining the nodes

    initial([start])
    final([end])
    
    Good["Good and above potential"]:::Green
    Moderate["Moderate potential"]:::Yellow
    Poor["Poor potential"]:::Orange
    Bad["Bad potential"]:::Red    

    is_HyMoQE_Good{"Do the <br/>hydro-morphological conditions <br/>meet maximum ecological potential?"}
    is_BQE_High{"Do the <br/>estimated values <br/>for the biological quality elements <br/>meet maximum ecological potential conditions?"}
    is_BQE_Good{"Do the <br/>estimated values <br/>for the biological quality elements <br/>deviate only slightly from maximum ecological potential values?"}

    is_PhysChemQE_High{"Do the <br/>physico-chemical conditions <br/>meet maximum ecological potential?"}
    is_PhysChemQE_Good{"Do the <br/>physico-chemical conditions <br/>ensure ecosystem functioning?"}
    
    ClassifyUsingBQEOnly["Classify <br/>on the basis of the <br/>biological deviation <br/>from maximum ecological potential conditions"]
    is_BQE_Moderate{"Is the <br/>deviation moderate?"}
    is_BQE_Poor{"Is the <br/>deviation large?"}

    %% Flow 

    initial --> is_HyMoQE_Good
    
    is_HyMoQE_Good ==> |Yes|is_BQE_High
    is_BQE_High ====> |Yes|is_PhysChemQE_High
    is_PhysChemQE_High ==>|Yes|Good

    is_PhysChemQE_High ==>|No|is_PhysChemQE_Good
    is_PhysChemQE_Good ==>|Yes|Good

    is_HyMoQE_Good ==> |No|is_BQE_Good
    is_BQE_High ==>|No|is_BQE_Good
    is_BQE_Good ==>|Yes|is_PhysChemQE_Good
    
    Good --> final
    
    is_PhysChemQE_Good ==>|No|Moderate
    
    is_BQE_Good ==>|No|ClassifyUsingBQEOnly
    ClassifyUsingBQEOnly ==> is_BQE_Moderate
    is_BQE_Moderate ==>|Yes|Moderate
    Moderate --> final
    
    is_BQE_Moderate ==>|No|is_BQE_Poor
    is_BQE_Poor ==>|Yes|Poor
    Poor --> final
    
    is_BQE_Poor ==>|Extreme deviation|Bad
    Bad --> final

    %% styling
    classDef state stroke-width:4px,fill:transparent
    classDef Blue fill:#5893A9,stroke:black;
    classDef Green fill:#6FB22C,stroke:black;
    classDef Yellow fill:#FFF6A6,stroke:black;
    classDef Orange fill:#F6A800,black;
    classDef Red fill:#E63D5C,black;
    
    

Figure 58 Surface Water Body - Ecological potential assessment

SWQualityElement table

The data reported in the SWType table controls the data that must be reported in the SWQualityElement table (see SWType table).

It is no longer required to report the status of all quality elements. Only the status of the applicable quality elements is reported.

• The allowable qeCode values are presented in Figure 66.

• The option 'QE1-2' (Other aquatic flora), which existed in the 3rd cycle, is no longer included.

• The SWQualityElement data is not reported for territorial waters, i.e. for water bodies where surfaceWaterBodyCategory = 'TeW'

Figure 59 illustrates the reporting of quality element status:

• the upper table show the range of allowable values in the 3rd cycle

• the middle table illustrates the possibility to use a ‘4 - Less than moderate status or potential’ class also for hydromorphological and physico-chemical elements

• the middle table illustrates the possibility to use the classes ‘4 - Poor status or potential’ and ‘5 - Bad status or potential’ for any quality element.

The following conditions apply:

• For the hydromorphological quality elements, the values '4' and '5' can be used if and only if they have been defined in the QE2Classification table, for the corresponding qeClassificationIdentifier.

• For the physico-chemical quality elements, the values '4' and '5' can be used if and only if their respective ranges have been defined in the QE3Classification table, for the corresponding qeClassificationIdentifier.

Figure 59 Reporting quality element status – 4th cycle.

Figure 60 illustrates the quality control between the status at quality element level and the overall ecological status at water body level, for natural water bodies.

The quality control will verify if the ecological status is consistent with the “one-out-all-out” principle. Some examples:

• if all applicable biological quality elements have qeStatusOrPotentialValue = '1' and all applicable hydromorphological quality elements have qeStatusOrPotentialValue = '2' and a natural water body has swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '1', then a quality control blocker will be raised.

• if worst applicable applicable biological quality element has qeStatusOrPotentialValue = '5', and a natural water body has swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = 'unknown', then a quality control blocker will be raised.

Note that the quality control does not verify if the reported ecological status at water body level is worse than would be expected by the application of the “one-out-all-out” principle.

Figure 60 One-out-all-out principle - ecological status vs. quality element status – 4th cycle.

Figure 61 illustrates the quality control between the potential at quality element level and the overall ecological potential at water body level, for artificial and heavily modified water bodies.

The quality control will verify if the ecological potential is consistent with the “one-out-all-out” principle. Some examples:

• if all applicable quality elements have qeStatusOrPotentialValue = '3' and an artificial water body has swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = '2', then a quality control blocker will be raised.

• if all applicable quality elements have qeStatusOrPotentialValue = 'unknown', and an artificial water body has swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = 'unknown', then a quality control warning will be raised.

Note that the quality control does not verify if the reported ecological potential at water body level is worse than would be expected by the application of the “one-out-all-out” principle.

Figure 61 One-out-all-out principle - ecological potential vs. quality element potential – 4th cycle.

The quality control will also enforce that a quality element is reported if and only if it is applicable a given national type, and consistent with what was reported for that national type in the SWType table (see SWType table).

For example:

• If quality element QE1-2-3 is NOT applicable to a given national type, then it must NOT be reported, and the following cases will trigger a blocker:

  SELECT t.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode,t.qeCode, ref.swTypeIdentifier, ref.QE1_2_3
  FROM SWQualityElement AS t
  JOIN SurfaceWaterBody AS p
    ON t.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode = p.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode
  JOIN SWType AS ref
    ON p.swTypeIdentifier = ref.swTypeIdentifier
  WHERE ref.QE1_2_3 IN ('inapplicable','notUsed') AND t.qeCode = 'QE1-2-3'
  

• If quality element QE1-2-3 is applicable to a given national type, then it must be reported for all water bodies of that type, and the following cases will trigger a blocker:

  SELECT DISTINCT p.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode, p.swTypeIdentifier
    FROM SurfaceWaterBody AS p
  JOIN SWType AS ref
    ON p.swTypeIdentifier = ref.swTypeIdentifier
  LEFT JOIN SWQualityElement AS t
    ON t.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode = p.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode
    AND t.qeCode = 'QE1-2-3'
  WHERE ref.QE1_2_3 = 'applicable' AND t.euSurfaceWaterBodyCode IS NULL 
  

Exemptions

Refer to the documentation about exemptions, specifically:

• Surface water - ecological exemptions by quality element

• Surface water - chemical exemptions by pollutant

Methodologies dataset - 4th cycle

Refer to the Surface water methodologiessection.

Spatial dataset - 4th cycle

The Spatial dataset contains only the SurfaceWaterBody spatial data (Figure 62).
The SurfaceWaterBodyCentreline dataset is no longer requested in the 4th cycle of reporting.

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class SurfaceWaterBody {
  + geometry_polygon: MultiPolygon [0..1]
  + geometry_line: MultiLineString [0..1]
  
  + inspireIdLocalId: string254
  + inspireIdNamespace: string254
  + inspireIdVersionId: string25 [0..1]
  + thematicIdIdentifier: wiseIdentifier
  + thematicIdIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme
  + beginLifespanVersion: date [0..1]
  + endLifespanVersion: date [0..1]
  + predecessorsIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
  + predecessorsIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
  + successorsIdentifier: wiseIdentifier [0..n]
  + successorsIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme [0..1]
  + wiseEvolutionType: WiseEvolutionType
  + nameTextInternational: string254
  + nameText: string254
  + nameLanguage: Language
  + designationPeriodBegin: date
  + designationPeriodEnd: date [0..1]
  + zoneType: ZoneType
  + specialisedZoneType: SpecialisedZoneType
  + legalBasisName: string254 [0..1]
  + legalBasisLink: URL [0..1]
  + legalBasisLevel: LegislationLevelValue [0..1]
  + relatedZoneIdentifier: wiseIdentifier
  + relatedZoneIdentifierScheme: IdentifierScheme
  + link: URL [0..1]
}

    

Figure 62 Spatial dataset - SurfaceWaterBody - 4th cycle

The following changes have been made to the SurfaceWaterBody spatial table (in comparison to the 3rd cycle of reporting):

• The attributes sizeValue and sizeUom were removed, because they can be derived from the reported geometry.

• The attribute meanDepth was removed, due to low frequency of reporting.

• Two attributes relatedTransboundaryIdentifier and relatedTransboundaryIdentifierScheme were removed, because they are not required at EU level.

• All the date values are requested as YYYY-MM-DD, because that was the format used by all the data providers in the previous cycles (and therefore it is not necessary to maintain more variants). This applies to beginLifespanVersion, endLifespanVersion, designationPeriodBegin, designationPeriodEnd.

• The attributes successorsIdentifier and successorsIdentifierScheme have been kept for clarity’s sake. In the reported datasets, the value of these attributes will always be NULL. The appropriate value will be derived and included in the published WISE datasets for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle SurfaceWaterBody datasets.

• The quality control tests enforced in the 3rd cycle of reporting will continue to be applied in the 4th cycle.

• Additionally:

  • The reporting of territorial waters is mandatory (except for landlocked countries).

  • All rivers must be reported as line geometries.

  • Each surface water body must be related to one and only one river basin district (subunits are no longer used in the related zone attributes).

  • The reporting of objects with wiseEvolutionType = 'creation' will raise a warning. It is expected that new water bodies result from re-delineation of existing water bodies, and therefore their respective predecessors should be reported.

  • The reporting of objects with wiseEvolutionType = 'deletion' will raise a error. If a water body is no longer designated as a WFD water body, its catchment area will likely be part of the catchment area of other WFD water bodies and therefore the “deleted” water body should be reported only as a predecessor.

Documents dataset - 4th cycle

The Documents dataset follows the standard structure used in various WISE dataflows (Figure 63):

• The dcMetadata table provides the basic Dublin Core metadata elements about the delivery.

  • If required by the data providers, and especially if spatial data is being reported, the licenseDocument and the metadataDocument attributes allow the provision of additional information about the dataset.

  • The dcMetadata table also functions as a “manifest file” explaining if the delivery contains data for a given river basin district or not.

• The Document table allows the upload of documents (for example, PDFs) or the provision of a hyperlink to a document stored in a publicly accessible national web site.

• The Reference table is also standard in the WISE dataflows: the bookmark it allows the identification of the chapter(s), sections(s) or page range(s) where the relevant information about a subject can be found within a document.

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class dcMetadata {

«metadata»
+ title: string
+ creatorOrganisationName: string
+ creatorElectronicMailAddress: Email
+ description: string [0..1]
+ created: date [0..1]
+ language: Language [1..n]
+ license: Licence
+ rights: string [0..1]
+ rightsHolder: string [0..1]
+ licenseDocument: documentCode [0..n]
+ metadataDocument: documentCode [0..n]

«manifest»
+ euRBDCode: wiseIdentifier
+ includesSpatialData: YesNo
+ includesDescriptiveData: YesNo
}

class Reference {
  + referenceCode: wiseIdentifier
  + documentCode: documentCode
  + bookmark: string250
  + subject: string250 
}

class Document {
+ documentCode: wiseIdentifier
+ documentName: string250
+ hyperlink: URL [0..1]
+ documentFile: Attachment [0..1]
}

class Licence{
  <<enumeration>>
  CC0
  CC_BY_4_0
  exactMatch_CC_BY_4_0
  narrowMatch_CC_BY_4_0
}

Reference  ..> Document: documentCode
dcMetadata ..> Document: licenseDocument
dcMetadata ..> Document: metadataDocument
dcMetadata ..> Licence: license
classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
    

Figure 63 Surface water - 4th cycle - Documents

The following criteria apply:

1. The dcMetadata table must contain one and only one record for each of the country’s river basin districts, identified by the euRBDCode value.

2. The spatial dataset is national. The includesSpatialData value must be the same for all river basin districts.

3. If includesSpatialData = 'no' then no spatial data is expected, and the quality control of the descriptive dataset will run against the last technically accepted delivery of surface water bodies spatial data.

4. For countries reporting under the WFD, the last technically accepted delivery of surface water bodies spatial data is always the data reported in the 3rd cycle.

5. The descriptive dataset is also national, but the quality control will allow deliveries where some, or all, the river basin districts have includesDescriptiveData = 'no'.

6. For countries reporting under the WFD, the quality control will raise an ERROR, if some, or all, the river basin districts have includesDescriptiveData = 'no'.

7. Note that the Methodologies dataset tables must always be reported for the river basin districts where includesDescriptiveData = 'yes'

Codelists - 4th cycle

• For the WaterBodyCategory codelist and NaturalAWBHMWB codelist see Figure 64.

• For the Reservoir codelist, see Figure 65.
  All reservoirs must be reported as artificial or heavily modified lakes.

  • See the definitions in Table 47.

• For the HMWBWaterUse codelist, see Figure 65.
  For heavily modified water bodies only, use this codelist to report the water use for which the water body has been designated. According to Art. 4(3) of the WFD, the water use for which a HMWB was designated is the water use that would be affected significantly by the changes that would be necessary to achieve good ecological status.

  • See the definitions in Table 48.

  • See the mapping table to the 3rd cycle values in Table 49.

• For the HMWBPhysicalAlteration codelist, see Figure 65.
  For heavily modified water bodies only, use this codelist to report the physical alteration that has resulted in the designation of the surface water body as a HMWB.
  In the context of designation as a HMWB, physical alterations means any significant alterations that have resulted in substantial changes to the hydromorphology of a surface water body such that the surface water body is substantially changed in character. In general, these hydromorphological characteristics are long term and alter both the morphological and hydrological characteristics.

  • See the definitions in Table 50.

  • See the mapping table to the 3rd cycle values in Table 51.

• For the AssessmentMethod codelist, see Figure 43.
  The codelist is used to report the assessment method for the chemical status and the assessment method for the ecological status.
  The same codelist is used for groundwater bodies, to report the assessment method of quantitative status, and the assessment method of chemical status.

  • See the definitions in Table 37.

• For the AssessmentConfidence codelist, see also Figure 43.
  The codelist allow the reporting of the level of confidence in the results of the status assessment The same codelist is used for groundwater bodies.

  • See the definitions in Table 38.

• For the PressureType codelist, see Figure 110 in the section PressureType codelist - 4th cycle

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classDiagram
direction TB

class WaterBodyCategory{
<<enumeration>>
RW - River water body
LW - Lake water body
TW - Transitional water body
CW - Coastal water body
TeW - Territorial waters
}

class NaturalAWBHMWB{
<<enumeration>>
natural
artificial
heavilyModified
}

note for WaterBodyCategory "the label is not part of the code"

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;

    

Figure 64 WaterBodyCategory codelist and NaturalAWBHMWB codelist - 4th cycle

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class HMWBWaterUse{
<<enumeration>>
  widerEnvironment_natureProtection
  widerEnvironment_culturalHeritageProtection
  transport
  tourism
  urban_drinkingWaterSupply
  agriculture_irrigation
  aquaculture
  industry_waterSupply
  energy_hydropower
  energy_nonHydropower
  floodProtection
  agriculture_landDrainage
  urban_other
  otherSustainableHumanDevelopmentActivities
  unknown
}

class HMWBPhysicalAlteration{
<<enumeration>>
  locks
  transversalBarrier
  longitudinalBarrier
  dredging 
  landReclamation
  landDrainage
  other
}

class Reservoir{
<<enumeration>>
  river
  riverAndLake	
  lake	
  artificial	
  notAReservoir
  inapplicable
}

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;

    

Figure 65 Reservoir codelist, HMWBWaterUse codelist, and HMWBPhysicalAlteration codelist - 4th cycle

Table 47 Codelist - 4th cycle - Reservoir

Notation	Label	Definition
river	Reservoir in former river	Select this option only if the whole surface water body represents a reservoir (or part of a reservoir) created by damming a river.
riverAndLake	Reservoir in former chain of rivers and lakes	In cases where the reservoir has been created by damming a water body which contained chained rivers and lakes.
lake	Reservoir in former lake	If the whole surface water body represents a reservoir (or part of a reservoir) created by modifying a pre-existing lake, or if the surface water body includes some small reservoirs which are not significant enough to be identified as separate surface water bodies.
artificial	Artificial reservoir	In cases where the reservoir has been created by human activity in a location where no water body existed before, and which has not been created by the direct physical alteration, movement or realignment of an existing water body.
notAReservoir	Not a reservoir	The artificial or heavily modified lake is not a reservoir.
inapplicable	Inapplicable	The water body is not a lake, or is a natural lake.

Table 48 Codelist - 4th cycle - HMWBWaterUse

Notation	Label	Definition
widerEnvironment_natureProtection	Nature protection	See Article 4(3)(a)(i) of the WFD.
widerEnvironment_culturalHeritageProtection	Cultural heritage protection	Archaeological sites and patrimony. See Article 4(3)(a)(i) of the WFD.
transport_navigation	Transport - Navigation and Ports	See Article 4(3)(a)(ii) of the WFD.
tourism	Tourism and recreation	See Article 4(3)(a)(ii) of the WFD.
urban_drinkingWaterSupply	Urban development - drinking water supply	Water storage for domestic public water supply (mostly drinking water supply). See Article 4(3)(a)(iii) of the WFD.
agriculture_irrigation	Agriculture - irrigation	Water storage for irrigation. See Article 4(3)(a)(iii) of the WFD.
aquaculture	Aquaculture, fisheries, fish farms	Water storage for aquaculture, fisheries, fish farms. See Article 4(3)(a)(iii) of the WFD.
industry_waterSupply	Industry - water supply	Water storage for industry. See Article 4(3)(a)(iii) of the WFD.
energy_hydropower	Energy – hydropower	Water storage for hydropower generation. See Article 4(3)(a)(iii) of the WFD.
energy_nonHydropower	Energy – non-hydropower	Water storage for power generation. See Article 4(3)(a)(iii) of the WFD. Applicable to cooling activities for thermal and nuclear plants.
floodProtection	Flood protection	See Article 4(3)(a)(iv) of the WFD.
agriculture_landDrainage	Agriculture - land drainage	See Article 4(3)(a)(iv) of the WFD.
urban_other	Urban development - other use	«to be provided»
otherSustainableHumanDevelopmentActivities	Other sustainable human development activities	See Article 4(3)(a)(v) of the WFD.
unknown	Unknown	Unknown use. The selection of this option will trigger an ERROR.

Click to see the mapping table between 3rd cycle and 4th cycle codes

Table 49 Mapping table - 4th cycle - HMWBWaterUse

3rd cycle	4th cycle
“Wider environment - nature protection and other ecological uses”	widerEnvironment_natureProtection
“Wider environment - nature protection and other ecological uses”	widerEnvironment_culturalHeritageProtection
“Transport - navigation / ports”	transport
“Tourism and recreation”	tourism
“Urban development - drinking water supply”	urban_drinkingWaterSupply
“Agriculture - irrigation”	agriculture_irrigation
“Storage for fisheries/aquaculture/fish farms”	aquaculture
“Industry supply”	industry_waterSupply
“Energy - hydropower”	energy_hydropower
“Energy - non-hydropower”	energy_nonHydropower
“Flood protection”	floodProtection
“Agriculture - land drainage”	agriculture_landDrainage
“Urban development - other use”	urban_other
“Other”	otherSustainableHumanDevelopmentActivities
“Unknown”	unknown

Table 50 Codelist - 4th cycle - HMWBPhysicalAlteration

Notation	Label	Definition [1]
locks	locks	Locks: devices for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways.
transversalBarrier	Transversal barrier	Includes: Weirs / dam / reservoir: transversal barriers constructed across a river or a lake discharge for the purpose of creating a water impoundment.
longitudinalBarrier	Longitudinal barrier	Includes: Channelisation / straightening / bed stabilisation: any permanent modification which longitudinally affects river banks and/or river bed, including changing direction, reducing meandering, stabilisation of river banks, etc.
dredging	Dredging	Includes: Dredging / channel maintenance: modifications due to regular maintenance of rivers through dredging for any given purpose, usually navigation or flood protection.
landReclamation	Land reclamation	Includes: Land reclamation / coastal modifications / ports: modifications of a water body as a result of the creation of new land from ocean, riverbeds, or lakes (e.g. for the purpose of expanding or creating a port).
landDrainage	Land drainage	Modification of a water body as a result of an artificial change to the water level intended to make available existing land for a particular purpose (often for agricultural production or for urbanisation).
other	Other	Other alteration not included in any of the categories above.

Click to see the mapping table between 3rd cycle and 4th cycle codes

Table 51 Mapping table - 4th cycle - HMWBPhysicalAlteration

3rd cycle	4th cycle
“Locks”	locks
“Weirs / dam / reservoir”	transversalBarrier
“Channelisation / straightening / bed stabilisation / bank reinforcement”	longitudinalBarrier
“Dredging / channel maintenance”	dredging
“Land reclamation / coastal modifications / ports”	landReclamation
“Land drainage”	landDrainage
“Other”	other

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class QualityElement{
<<enumeration>>
«biological-quality-element»
QE1-1 - Phytoplankton
QE1-2-1 - Macroalgae
QE1-2-2 - Angiosperms
QE1-2-3 - Macrophytes
QE1-2-4 - Phytobenthos
QE1-3 - Benthic invertebrates
QE1-4 - Fish
«hydromorphological-quality-element»
QE2-1 - Hydrological or tidal regime
QE2-2 - River continuity conditions
QE2-3 - Morphological conditions
«physicochemical-quality-element»
QE3-1-1 - Transparency conditions
QE3-1-2 - Thermal conditions
QE3-1-3 - Oxygenation conditions
QE3-1-4 - Salinity conditions
QE3-1-5 - Acidification status
QE3-1-6-1 - Nitrogen conditions
QE3-1-6-2 - Phosphorus conditions
}

note for QualityElement "the label is not part of the code"

classDef default fill:white,stroke:#000;
classDef forFixing fill:white,stroke:#f00;
    

Figure 66 QualityElement codelist - 4th cycle

Todo

Surface water - Topics that require discussion and clarification.

• Revision of the ImpactType codelist.

• Mapping tables to 3rd cycle codelists

Data analysis - 3rd cycle

Changes to the quality check during the 3rd cycle reporting phase

Several data quality issues where detected while the 3rd cycle was ongoing (i.e. after the testing phase).

That required the implementation of additional quality checks, or the correction of existing quality checks.

For example, the reporting guidance was not always clear in the distinction between conditions in the form “if A then B” versus conditions in the form if and only if A then B.

On a case-by-case decision, resubmissions may have been requested or not. Therefore the database may contain inconsistencies (e.g. in early submissions) that were only detected and blocked in later submissions.

Quality element status (3rd, 2nd and 1st RBMP), by category

The following dashboard shows the number of quality elements used in the assessment of the ecological status or potential:

Figure 67 Surface water bodies: Quality element status (3rd, 2nd and 1st RBMP), by category

Number of quality elements used

The following dashboard shows the number of quality elements used in the assessment of the ecological status or potential:

Figure 68 Surface water bodies: Number of quality elements used in the assessment of the ecological status or potential

Status calculated from the quality elements

The following dashboard shows the reported ecological status vs. calculated ecological status (based on the quality elements):

Figure 69 Surface water bodies: Ecological status or potential calculated from the quality elements, by category

Quality element status

In the 3rd cycle reporting, the quality element status value was reported using the following values:

• ‘1’ meaning ‘high’ status or potential

• ‘2’ meaning ‘good’ status or potential

• ‘Unknown’ meaning ‘unknown’ status or potential

• “Not applicable” meaning the quality element is not applicable in the surface water category or water body national type to which the water body in question belongs.

For biological quality elements only, the following values were also used:

• ‘3’ meaning ‘moderate’ status or potential

• ‘4’ meaning ‘poor’ status or potential

• ‘5’ meaning ‘bad’ status or potential

For hydro-morphological and physico-chemical quality elements only, the following values were also used:

• ‘3’ meaning ‘less than good’ status or potential

• “Monitored but not used” meaning than the QE was monitored but no standard has been developed and/or the QE is not used for status assessment

Show technical detail: encoding quality element status

To harmonise the data in different codelists and reporting cycles, the reported values were recoded in the published [WISE_WFD].
Table 52 shows the original codes (id) and the published codes (mappingId).

Table 52 Encoding quality element status in the [WISE_WFD] database.

tableName	id	label	mappingTable	mappingId
QEStatusCode	-1	Not a value(NULL).	NilReasonType	unpopulated
QEStatusCode	1	1	WFDStatus	1
QEStatusCode	2	2	WFDStatus	2
QEStatusCode	3	3	WFDStatus	3
QEStatusCode	4	4	WFDStatus	4
QEStatusCode	5	5	WFDStatus	5
QEStatusCode	6	MonitoredButNotUsed	NilReasonType	none
QEStatusCode	7	Unknown	NilReasonType	unknown
QEStatusCode	8	NotApplicable	NilReasonType	inapplicable

“Monitored but not used”

The option “Monitored but not used” was inherently ambiguous, because it could be applied to signify that the quality element was being monitored although it was in fact not applicable to a specific water category or water body national type.

The option “Monitored but not used” should be removed, because it does not convey concrete information about the status.
Member States can report monitoring results under the WISE-6 Water Quality dataflow: that provides concrete information about what is being monitored beyond the requirements of the ecological status assessment.

“Not applicable”

The 3rd cycle reporting guidance provided a clear definition of the option “Not applicable”.

If the QE is not applicable in the surface water category or type to which the water body in question belongs, then select ‘Not applicable’ from the enumeration list.

Theoretically, it should be possible to derive the applicability of the quality elements to a given type or category.

Show code: applicable QEs per water category or national type

Example 22 Quality elements per water category or national type.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/
SELECT  [countryCode]
      ,[surfaceWaterBodyCategory]
      ,[NCSWaterBodyType]
      ,[qeCode]
      ,MAX(IIF([qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('1','2','3','4','5','unknown'),1,0)) AS qeApplicable
      ,MAX(IIF([qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('inapplicable'),1,0)) AS qeInapplicable
  FROM [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_QualityElement] a
  WHERE a.[cYear] = 2022
  AND a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
  AND a.[qeCode] != 'QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants'
  GROUP BY [countryCode]
          ,[surfaceWaterBodyCategory]
          ,[NCSWaterBodyType]
          ,[qeCode]
  -- uncomment the next two lines to identify reporting errors
  -- HAVING MAX(IIF([qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('1','2','3','4','5','unknown'),1,0)) = 1
  --  AND MAX(IIF([qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('inapplicable'),1,0)) = 1
  ORDER BY [countryCode]
          ,[surfaceWaterBodyCategory]
          ,[NCSWaterBodyType]
          ,[qeCode]

For 77% of the 3384 reported national types, the applicability of the quality elements can indeed be derived.
Unfortunately, for the remaining 772 national types (23% of the total) the information is inconsistent, and a given quality element is simultaneously reported as applicable (because it has a reported status) and not applicable to the assessment of ecological status.

It is possible that the inconsistencies are due to an interchangeable use or interpretation of the options ‘unknown’ and ‘inapplicable’, or are due to a mistake in the reporting of some water bodies only.

Nevertheless, the inconsistencies reveal a flaw in the reporting model, and an opportunity for both improvement and simplification. the applicability of the quality elements should be reported in the surface water methodologies and only the applicable quality elements should be reported in the quality elements table.

Proposed changes

The removal of the options “Not applicable” and “Monitored but not used” reduces the reported data by 25% and provides a clearer and consistent overview of the assessment criteria.

Table 53 Number of records per QE status

qeStatusOrPotentialValue	number of records	% of records
1,2,3,4,5	636,742	25%
Unknown	1,208,667	48%
“Not applicable”	541,637	21%
“Monitored but not used”	136,743	5%

The applicability of the quality elements should be reported in the surface water methodologies and only the applicable quality elements should be reported in the quality elements table.

Ecological status and BQE status

If a biological quality element fails to achieve ‘good’ or ‘high’ status, then the ecological status or potential cannot be ‘good’ or ‘high’.

The majority of reported data complies with this rule.

A total of 216 water bodies does not comply with this rule. The question is, can the reported ecological status or potential be ‘unknown’?

Show code

Example 23 Ecological status vs. failing biological quality element status.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/

SELECT a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue]
    ,COUNT(DISTINCT 
           IIF(a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('3','4','5'), [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode], NULL)) 
           AS wbWithFailingBQE
FROM  [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_QualityElement] a
WHERE a.[qeCode] LIKE 'QE1%'
  AND a.[cYear] = 2022
  AND a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
GROUP BY a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue]

From a logical (mathematical) perspective, the ecological status can be ‘indeterminate’, if not all the relevant biological quality elements were assessed, and therefore it could be ‘moderate’, ‘poor’ or ‘bad’. But the ecological status is known to fail to achieve good status.

Furthermore, the analysis of the 216 water bodies shows that:

• in 71 cases, the ecological status should have been reported as ‘bad’

• in 69 cases, the ecological status could never be ‘moderate’.

Table 54 Unknown ecological status of water bodies with failing BQEs.

worstBQE	numberOfWB	numberOfCountries
3	76	5
4	69	3
5	71	3
	216	5

The low frequency of these cases suggests a reporting error, that must be captured in the quality control during the 4th cycle.

Proposed change

If at least one biological quality element has ‘moderate’, ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ status or potential, then the ecological status cannot be ‘unknown’.

If at least one biological quality element has ‘moderate’, ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ status or potential, then the ecological status cannot be ‘unknown’.

Clearer guidance must be provided to MS with regard to these cases.
The quality control must enforce the adopted guidance.

Show code

Example 24 Worst biological quality element status and ecological status.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/

SELECT a.[worstBQE]
      ,COUNT(DISTINCT a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]) AS numberOfWB
      ,COUNT(DISTINCT a.[countryCode]) AS numberOfCountries
FROM

  (SELECT a.[countryCode]
      ,a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode] 
      ,MAX(a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue]) AS worstBQE
      ,COUNT(DISTINCT a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]) AS numberOfWB
  FROM  [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_QualityElement] a
  WHERE a.[qeCode] LIKE 'QE1%'
  AND a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('3','4','5')
  AND a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('Unknown')
  AND a.[cYear] = 2022
  AND a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
  GROUP BY a.[countryCode],
          a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
  ) a
GROUP BY ROLLUP(a.[worstBQE])

One-out-all-out: ecological status

According to the WFD Annex V and as clarified in the CIS Guidance document 13, the ecological status is assessed using biological quality elements (QE1 a.k.a. BQE).

The physico-chemical quality elements (QE3) act as modifiers of the BQE assessment:

• all applicable QE3 statuses must be ‘high’, for the ecological status to be ‘high’,

• if any applicable QE3 status is ‘less than good’, then the ecological status cannot be ‘good’.

Likewise, the hydromorphological quality elements (QE2) act as modifiers of the BQE assessment:

• all applicable QE2 statuses must be ‘high’, for the ecological status to be ‘high’,

• if any applicable QE3 status is ‘less than good’, then the ecological status cannot be ‘good’.

In the 3rd cycle reporting, the quality control checks enforced the interpretation above. Pending: confirm whether if changes are required.

The hydromorphological quality elements

According to the 3rd cycle reporting guidance:

• Rule 1: “If SWB/SurfaceWaterBody/swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = 1 Then it cannot be lower than the highest of the values reported under SWB/SurfaceWaterBody/QualityElement/qeStatusOrPotentialValue”

• Rule 2: “If SWB/SurfaceWaterBody/swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue in (2,3,4,5) Then it cannot be lower than the highest of the values reported under SWB/SurfaceWaterBody/QualityElement/qeStatusOrPotentialValue for the set of quality elements where qeCode starts with QE1 or qeCode starts with QE3.”

• Rule 3: “If SWB/SurfaceWaterBody/swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue = 1 Then at least one hydromorphological quality element (QE2%) must be assessed.”

• Rule 4: “If the surface water body has a known status (1,2,3,4 or 5) the status of all Quality Elements cannot be ‘Unknown’, ‘Not Applicable’ or ‘Monitored but not used’.”

Preliminary comments:

• Rule 3 requires that a QE2 be assessed, but does not explicitly mention the QE2 status, which should also be taken into account.

• Rule 4 requires that at least one QE be assessed, but it should also require that at least at least one QE1 be assessed.

• According to the CIS Guidance documents, the QE2 status should also be assessed if the ecological status is ‘1’ and the worst QE3 status is also ‘1’.

• According to the CIS Guidance documents, the QE2 status should also be assessed for the artificial and highly modified water bodies.

Checking the rule 2 (the ecological status cannot be worse than the worst QE1 or QE3):

• As expected: 114204 surface water bodies with ecological status equal to the status of the worst known QE1 or QE3

• NOT as expected: 309 surface water bodies with ecological status better than the status of the worst known QE1 or QE3. All the cases where due QE3-3 status (River Basin Specific Pollutants).

• NOT as expected: 5665 surface water bodies with ecological status worse than the status of the worst known QE1 or QE3.

  • of which 1717 surface water bodies failing to achieve good ecological status, when none of the QE1 or or QE3 status is failing.

Repeating the analysis without ‘QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants’, the values are similar.

• As expected: 112315 surface water bodies with ecological status equal to the status of the worst known QE1, QE3-1 or QE3-2

• As expected: zero surface water bodies with ecological status better than the status of the worst known QE1, QE3-1 or QE3-2

• NOT as expected: 7015 surface water bodies with ecological status worse than the status of the worst known QE1, QE3-1 or QE3-2

  • of which 2535 surface water bodies failing to achieve good ecological status, when none of the QE1, QE3-1 or QE3-2 status is failing

This raises the question of how to compare the ecological status reported in the 3rd cycle, with the ecological status that will be reported in the 4th cycle.

Deriving the ecological status from the reported quality elements statuses might somewhat reduce the problem (in the visualisations).

Show code

Example 25 Natural water bodies: ecological status vs the worst QE1, QE3-1 or QE3-2.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/
SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT IIF([swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] = [worstQE1OrQE3Status], [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode], NULL)) AS numberOfWB_StatusEqualToWorstQE1OrQE3Status
  ,COUNT(DISTINCT IIF([swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] < [worstQE1OrQE3Status], [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode], NULL)) AS numberOfWB_StatusBetterThanWorstQE1OrQE3Status
  ,COUNT(DISTINCT IIF([swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] > [worstQE1OrQE3Status], [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode], NULL)) AS numberOfWB_StatusWorseThanWorstQE1OrQE3Status
  ,COUNT(DISTINCT IIF([swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('3','4','5') AND [worstQE1OrQE3Status] NOT IN ('3','4','5'),[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode], NULL)) AS numberOfWB_StatusWorseThanGood
FROM
(SELECT a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] 
      ,a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
      ,MAX(a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue]) AS worstQE1OrQE3Status
  FROM  [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_QualityElement] a
  WHERE (a.[qeCode] LIKE 'QE1%' OR a.[qeCode] LIKE 'QE3-1%' OR a.[qeCode] LIKE 'QE3-2%')
  AND a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('1','2','3','4','5')
  AND a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] IN ('1','2','3','4','5')
  --AND a.[naturalAWBHMWB] = 'Natural water body'
  AND a.[cYear] = 2022
  AND a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
  GROUP BY a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue] 
          ,a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]) b

River basin specific pollutants

According to the rules in the 3rd cycle of reporting,
if the status or potential of ‘QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants’ is less than good, than the failing RBSP must be reported.

This rule was enforced by the quality control.

Show code

Example 26 Reporting QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants and failing RBSPs.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/
SELECT a.[countryCode]
    ,a.[euRBDCode]
    ,a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
    ,a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue]
    ,a.[swChemicalStatusValue]
    ,a.[qeCode]
    ,a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue]
    ,b.[swFailingRBSP]
FROM  [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_QualityElement] a
LEFT JOIN [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_FailingRBSP] b
ON a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode] = b.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
AND a.[cYear] = b.[cYear]
WHERE a.[qeCode] = 'QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants'
AND a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue] = '3'
AND a.[cYear] = 2022
AND a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
ORDER BY a.[countryCode]
    ,a.[euRBDCode]
    ,a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
    ,a.[swEcologicalStatusOrPotentialValue]

The following table should that 2588 of those water bodies were reported as being in good or unknown chemical status. Incorporating the RBSPs into the chemical status assessment changes the percentage of water bodies not achieving good chemical status from 38% to 40%.

Table 55 Chemical status of water bodies with failing QE3-3.

swChemicalStatusValue	numberOfCountries	numberOfWB	numberOfRBSP
2	18	2453	110
3	25	5192	167
Unknown	10	135	21
Total	25	7780	177

Show code

Example 27 Reporting QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants and failing RBSPs.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/
SELECT a.[swChemicalStatusValue]
  ,COUNT(DISTINCT a.[countryCode]) AS numberOfCountries
  ,COUNT(DISTINCT a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]) AS numberOfWB
  ,COUNT(DISTINCT b.[swFailingRBSP]) AS numberOfRBSP
FROM  [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_QualityElement] a
LEFT JOIN [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_FailingRBSP] b
  ON a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode] = b.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
  AND a.[cYear] = b.[cYear]
WHERE a.[qeCode] = 'QE3-3 - River Basin Specific Pollutants'
  AND a.[qeStatusOrPotentialValue] = '3'
  AND a.[cYear] = 2022
  AND a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
GROUP BY a.[swChemicalStatusValue]

Heavily modified water bodies

For 60% of the heavily modified water bodies, only one physical alteration and only one water use is reported. It doesn’t make sense to keep the two separate tables used in the 3rd cycle: it complicates the reporting and does not allow a link to be made between the alteration and the use.

Figure 70 Heavily modified water bodies - Number of different physical alterations per water use.

Show code

Example 28 Heavily modified water bodies - Number of different physical alterations per water use.

-- https://discodata.eea.europa.eu/

SELECT 
numberOfHMWBPhysicalAlteration,
numberOfHMWBWaterUse,
COUNT(DISTINCT [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]) AS numberOfSurfaceWaterBodies
FROM 
(SELECT [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode],
COUNT(DISTINCT [hmwbPhysicalAlteration]) AS numberOfHMWBPhysicalAlteration,
COUNT(DISTINCT [hmwbWaterUse]) AS numberOfHMWBWaterUse
FROM 

(  SELECT a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
        ,a.[surfaceWaterBodyCategory]
        ,a.[naturalAWBHMWB]
        ,a.[hmwbPhysicalAlteration]
        ,b.[hmwbWaterUse]
    FROM [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_hmwbPhysicalAlteration] a
    JOIN  [WISE_WFD].[v2r1].[SWB_SurfaceWaterBody_hmwbWaterUse] b
    ON a.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode] = b.[euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]
    AND a.[cYear] = b.[cYear]
    WHERE a.[hasDescriptiveData] = 1
    AND a.[cYear] = 2022) AS a

GROUP BY [euSurfaceWaterBodyCode]) AS b

GROUP BY numberOfHMWBPhysicalAlteration, numberOfHMWBWaterUse
ORDER BY numberOfHMWBPhysicalAlteration, numberOfHMWBWaterUse

References

---

[1]

European Commission and Directorate-General for Environment. CIS Guidance Document: WFD Reporting Guidance 2022. Common Implementation Strategy for the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), European Commission, 2022. URL: https://circabc.europa.eu/rest/download/37913699-1297-4d93-8cdf-9975277bb685.