Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

ANNEX II U.K. THRESHOLD VALUES FOR GROUNDWATER POLLUTANTS AND INDICATORS OF POLLUTION

Part A U.K. Guidelines for the establishment of threshold values by Member States in accordance with Article 3

Member States will establish threshold values for all pollutants and indicators of pollution which, pursuant to the characterisation performed in accordance with Article 5 of Directive 2000/60/EC, characterise bodies or groups of bodies of groundwater as being at risk of failing to achieve good groundwater chemical status.

Threshold values will be established in such a way that, should the monitoring results at a representative monitoring point exceed the thresholds, this will indicate a risk that one or more of the conditions for good groundwater chemical status referred to in Article 4(2)(c)(ii), (iii) and (iv) are not being met.

When establishing threshold values, Member States will consider the following guidelines:

1)

the determination of threshold values should be based on:

(a)

the extent of interactions between groundwater and associated aquatic and dependent terrestrial ecosystems;

(b)

the interference with actual or potential legitimate uses or functions of groundwater;

(c)

all pollutants which characterise bodies of groundwater as being at risk, taking into account the minimum list set out in part B;

(d)

hydro-geological characteristics including information on background levels and water balance;

2)

the determination of threshold values should also take account of the origins of the pollutants, their possible natural occurrence, their toxicology and dispersion tendency, their persistence and their bioaccumulation potential;

3)

[F1 wherever elevated background levels of substances or ions or their indicators occur due to natural hydro-geological reasons, those background levels in the relevant body of groundwater shall be taken into account when establishing threshold values. When determining background levels, the following principles should be taken into account:

(a)

The determination of background levels should be based on the characterisation of groundwater bodies in accordance with Annex II to Directive 2000/60/EC and on the results of groundwater monitoring in accordance with Annex V to that Directive. The monitoring strategy and interpretation of the data should take account of the fact that flow conditions and groundwater chemistry vary laterally and vertically;

(b)

Where only limited groundwater monitoring data are available, more data should be gathered and in the meantime background levels should be determined based on those limited monitoring data, where appropriate by a simplified approach using a subset of samples for which indicators show no influence of human activity. Information on geochemical transfers and processes should also be taken account of, where available;

(c)

Where insufficient groundwater monitoring data are available and the information on geochemical transfers and processes is poor, more data and information should be gathered and in the meantime background levels should be estimated, where appropriate based on statistical reference results for the same type of aquifers in other areas having sufficient monitoring data.]

4)

the determination of threshold values should be supported by a control mechanism for the data collected, based on an evaluation of data quality, analytical considerations, and background levels for substances which may occur both naturally and as a result of human activities.

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Commission Directive 2014/80/EU of 20 June 2014 amending Annex II to Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration (Text with EEA relevance).

Part B U.K. Minimum list of pollutants and their indicators for which Member States have to consider establishing threshold values in accordance with Article 3

1. Substances or ions or indicators which may occur both naturally and/or as a result of human activities U.K.

• Arsenic

• Cadmium

• Lead

• Mercury

• Ammonium

• Chloride

• Sulphate

• [F2 Nitrites

• Phosphorus (total)/Phosphates] (1)

Textual Amendments

F2 Inserted by Commission Directive 2014/80/EU of 20 June 2014 amending Annex II to Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration (Text with EEA relevance).

2. Man-made synthetic substances U.K.

• Trichloroethylene

• Tetrachloroethylene

3. Parameters indicative of saline or other intrusions(2) U.K.

• Conductivity

[F1 Part C U.K. Information to be provided by Member States with regard to the pollutants and their indicators for which threshold values have been established

Member States shall include in the river basin management plans to be submitted in accordance with Article 13 of Directive 2000/60/EC information on the way the procedure set out in Part A of this Annex has been followed.

In particular, Member States shall provide:

(a)

information on each of the bodies or groups of bodies of groundwater characterised as being at risk, including the following:

(i)

the size of the bodies;

(ii)

each pollutant or indicator of pollution which characterises bodies of groundwater as being at risk;

(iii)

the environmental quality objectives to which the risk is related, including the actual or potential legitimate uses or functions of the groundwater body, and the relationship between the bodies of groundwater and the associated surface waters and directly dependent terrestrial ecosystems;

(iv)

in the case of naturally-occurring substances, the natural background levels in the bodies of groundwater;

(v)

information on the exceedances where threshold values are exceeded;

(b)

the threshold values, whether they apply at the national level, at the level of the river basin district or the part of the international river basin district falling within the territory of the Member State, or at the level of a body or a group of bodies of groundwater;

(c)

the relationship between the threshold values and each of the following:

(i)

in the case of naturally-occurring substances, the background levels;

(ii)

associated surface waters and directly dependent terrestrial ecosystems;

(iii)

the environmental quality objectives and other standards for water protection that exist at national, Union or international level;

(iv)

any relevant information concerning the toxicology, eco-toxicology, persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and dispersion tendency of the pollutants;

(d)

the methodology for determining background levels based on the principles set out in point 3 of Part A;

(e)

the reasons for not having established threshold values for any of the pollutants and indicators identified in Part B;

(f)

key elements of the groundwater chemical status assessment, including the level, method and period of aggregation of monitoring results, the definition of the acceptable extent of exceedance, and the method for calculating it, in accordance with Article 4(2)(c)(i) and point 3 of Annex III.

Where any of the data referred to in points (a) to (f) are not included in the river basin management plans, Member States shall provide the reasons for this in those plans.]

(1)

[F2 Member States may decide to establish threshold values either for phosphorus (total) or for phosphates.]

(2)

With regard to saline concentrations resulting from human activities, Member States may decide to establish threshold values either for sulphate and chloride or for conductivity.

Textual Amendments

F2 Inserted by Commission Directive 2014/80/EU of 20 June 2014 amending Annex II to Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration (Text with EEA relevance).