Water Resources and the EC Water Framework Directive Context

Water is one of our most vital natural resources. Not only is it essential to sustain life itself, but it also plays a crucial role in our economic development and social well-being. Some uses can however threaten the very water quality on which they depend. Pollution can arise from point sources such as industrial or sewage effluent discharges, or can be diffuse such as road or agricultural run-off. It is important therefore that our water bodies - rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters, groundwaters and reservoirs - are protected from pollution and managed as a sustainable resource for all of the activities that depend on them. The context for the protection of water resources is provided by the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) that came into force in December 2000. This established a new framework for the management, protection and improvement of the quality of water resources across the European Union. The WFD requires the completion of management plans for all river basins in Northern Ireland by the end of 2009. Among the objectives of these management plans is the protection and improvement of the ecological and chemical water quality of the Region.