ANNEX A OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES
The Directive also includes a number of other environmental objectives. These objectives include:
- preventing or limiting the input of pollutants into groundwater
- reversing any significant and sustained upward trend in the concentration of any pollutants in groundwater;
- aiming to progressively reduce pollution of surface waters by priority substances and ceasing or phasing out emissions, discharges and losses of priority hazardous substances; and
- achieving compliance with any standards and objectives for Protected Areas by 2015, unless otherwise specified in the Community legislation under which the individual Protected Areas have been established. The effect of this objective is to bring the objectives and standards required of other water directives under the umbrella of river basin management planning and so ensure a more integrated approach.
Different objective setting provisions apply to these objectives. For example, the obligations with respect to preventing or limiting the input of pollutants in groundwater have been set out in a new directive adopted in 2006. The objectives for Protected Areas are determined under the legislation establishing those Protected Areas. It should be noted that where more than one set of objectives apply to a water body, for example under WFD and Protected Areas legislation, then the more stringent objectives apply.