Water Framework Directive – River Basin Planning Guidance

Defra has announced the launch of the River Basin Planning Guidance to the Environment Agency, jointly issued by Defra and the Welsh AssemblyGovernment.

The purpose of this guidance is to set out the principles and key steps for the river basin planning process under the Water Framework Directive. It focuses on the nine river basin districts in England and Wales, and one of the two cross-border river basin districts in England and Scotland, each of which is required to have a River Basin Management Plan.

Having launched a draft version for consultation at the end of last year, this is the final version, having taken into account the responses gathered from the consultation.

An electronic copy of the Guidance can be found here;

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/wfd/pdf/riverbasinguidance.pdf

Defra has also produced a document containing the summary of the consultation responses, and the changes made to reflect them, which is also available on Defra's Water Quality pages.

Requests for hard copies of the Guidance can be addressed to:

River Basin Planning Guidance
Water Quality Division
Defra
Room 209
55 Whitehall,London SW1A 2HH

or via email at wfdconsultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk

The Salmon and Trout Association has lead on the Water Framework Directive for angling, which has demanded a very heavy workload over a long period. S&TA are partners with SAA in Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust, FACT, with others.

This work is an example of the duplication which is being saved by the FACT structure and of how well individual angling organisations are working for each other and the sport.