4. Monitoring
The Directive requires SEPA to develop a risk-based monitoring programme for the WFD from the end of 2006. SEPA will ensure that adequate monitoring sites are in place to assess the state of the water environment over time, targeting and prioritising those water bodies that are at risk of failing to meet the Directive's objectives. Monitoring will help to identify whether actions taken to improve the water environment are effective, and to monitor achievement of our environmental objectives.
By monitoring the range of conditions - physico-chemistry, hydrology, morphology, and levels of pollutants - relative to the defined standards, SEPA can identify where existing pressures or changes in a water body are likely to become harmful to aquatic life. Monitoring this range of conditions gives information about the likely cause and scale of a problem, and so can indicate the type of remedial actions that could be used to reduce an impact on the biology. Monitoring information will support both the RBMP process and the regulation of water use in Scotland.