This book details the experiences gained by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) in a Mediterranean watershed the Catalan River Basin District following the launch of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the year 2000. Experts in rivers, reservoirs, lakes, wetlands and estuaries present 13 chapters defining tools for water-status assessment specially adapted to Mediterranean conditions. The content of this and the companion volume Experiences from Ground, Coastal and Transitional Water Quality Monitoring: The EU Water Framework Directive Implementation in the Catalan River Basin District (Part II) are the result of an excellent collaboration between the ACA and several Catalan universities and research centers to cope with new challenges provided by the WFD monitoring requirements. The volume serves as a useful guide for environmental managers and scientists engaged in other European as well as Non-European river basins.

different quality elements included in the WFD have been adapted to Mediterranean aquatic ecosystems Provides the basis for better water management Will stimulate future research and developments Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt

Water status assessment in the Catalan River Basin District. Experience gathered after fifteen years with the Water Framework Directive (WFD).- A first biopollution index approach and its relationship on biological quality in Catalan rivers.- Use of diatoms to assess the ecological status in Catalan rivers: application of the WFD and lessons learned from the European Intercalibration Exercise.- Biological Indices Based on Macrophytes: An overview of methods used in Catalonia and USA to determine the status of rivers and wetlands.- Fish as ecological indicators in Mediterranean streams: the Catalan experience .- Fish-based indices in Catalan Rivers: intercalibration and comparison of approaches.- Biological indicators to assess the ecological status of river-dominated estuaries: the case of benthic indicators in the Ebro River estuary.- New tools to analyse the ecological status of Mediterranean wetlands and shallow lakes.- Assessing ecological integrity in large reservoirs accordingto the Water Framework Directive.- Hydromorphological methodologies to assess ecological status in Mediterranean rivers. Applied approach to the Catalan River Basin District.- Reviewing biological indices and biomarkers suitability to analyse human impacts. Emergent tools to analyse biological status in rivers.- Analysis of EU legislated compounds for assessing chemical status. Main challenges and inconsistencies.- Pollutants of emerging concern in rivers of Catalonia: occurrence, fate and risk.